Walter Devereux (1411–1459)
Walter Devereux (1411 – 22 April 1459) was Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1449 to about 1451.
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[edit] Family
He was born in Bodenham, Herefordshire to a senior Walter Devereux (or Deverois, c. 1387–1420) and his wife Elizabeth Bromwhitch. His maternal grandparents were Thomas Bromwich, Lord Justice of Ireland and Catherine Oldcastle.
His paternal grandparents were an elder Walter Devereux (c. 1357–1403) and Agnes Crophull. Agnes was mother of Sir Thomas Parr by a second marriage to John Parr of Kendal; and paternal grandmother of William Parr, 1st Baron Parr of Kendal, a noted courtier under Edward IV of England and grandfather of Queen Catherine Parr.
The elder Walter was a son of Sir William Devereux (c. 1332–1376) and Anne Barre. His paternal grandparents were John Devereux, 2nd Baron Devereux and Margaret de Vere. Margaret was married previously to Henry Beaumont, 3rd Baron Beaumont and was mother by him of John Beaumont, 4th Baron Beaumont. She was herself daughter of John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford and his wife Maud de Badlesmere.
[edit] Marriage
He married Elizabeth Merbury. She was a daughter of Sir John Merbury, Chief Justice of South Wales and his wife Alice Pembridge. They had the following children:
- Richard Devereux. (born c. 1426).
- Thomas Devereux. (born c. 1428).
- Anne Devereux (c. 1430 - after 1486). Married William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1468 creation).
- Walter Devereux, 7th Baron Ferrers of Chartley (c. 1431 - 22 August 1485).
- John Devereux (born c. 1434).
- Katherine Devereux (born c. 1438). Married Sir James Baskerville.
- Isabel Devereux (born c. 1440).
[edit] Lord Chancellor
He was appointed Lord Chancellor of Ireland in 1449. His term was brief and likely uneventful. In 1451, Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland appointed his son, the 8-year-old Edmund, Earl of Rutland, as the new Lord Chancellor. Since Rutland was under age, his duties were taken over by Deputy Chancellor Edmund Oldhall.
Devereux was granted land in Drogheda and was a supporter of the Duke of York for the remainder of his life.
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Richard Wogan |
Lord Chancellor of Ireland 1449–1451 |
Succeeded by Edmund, Earl of Rutland |
