Courtenay

English family of French origin, many members of which have held the earldom of Devon since 1335.

Hugh de Courtenay of Okehampton was declared Earl of Devon by letters patent in 1335. In 1461 Thomas, 6th Earl of Devon, was attainted and his honours forfeited, but his brother John, the 8th earl, was restored in 1470. In 1539 Henry, 2nd Earl of Devon (the title had been regranted 1485), was likewise attainted. His son Edward was created earl of Devon by patent in 1553. After his death in 1556, the title was treated as extinct until 1831, when a judgement of the House of Lords declared it to have been dormant and that William, Viscount Courtenay of Powderham, was 9th Earl of Devon. The title remains with his descendants, the current holder being Charles Courtenay, 17th earl (b.1916).

Courtenay

City in Comox-Strathcona Regional District, in east-central Vancouver Island, southwest British Columbia, Canada, 140 km/90 mi northwest of Vancouver and just west of Comox; population (1991) 11,700. Courtenay is a commercial centre in an agricultural area; many retired people live here and it is noted for its winter sports and summer music festivals.

The Comox lived in the area before white traders appeared in the 1850s.