Sir Nicholas Dawney Knight

  Noted events in his life were:

• Background Information. ⁷⁷⁶
Of this family was John Dawney, living in the reign of Edward, who married Jane, third and youngest daughter of Peter Le Cave , by whom, the only child of Sir Thomas Bromflete, and had:

Sir Edward D'Annay, the father of:

Sir Nicholas, who in the reign of Edw. II obtained a charter for a weekly Wednesday and Friday market, and a yearly fair on the eve, day and morrow of St. James the Apostle, at his said manor of Shannock.

In 1 Edw. III. he had summons to parliament among the Barons of England, but not after, which was occasioned by his absence in the holy war against the infidels whence he brought a very rich and curious medal, now in the familys possession : but continuing in the Holy Land many years, the estate, consisting ot fifteen large manors in Cornwall, was conveyed into the family of Courtenay, Earls of Devon, by the marriage of Emmeline (or Emme), daughter and heir to Sir John Dawney, of Madfordferry in the county of Somerset, to Edward, son and heir apparent of Hugh, the second Earl of Devon, who dying before his father, left issue by her two sons, Edward, the third Earl of Devon; and Hugh of Haccombe and Boconnock, Esq. father of Edward Courtenay, whom King Henry VII. for his adherence to the house of Lancaster, advanced to the Earldom of Devonshire October 28th, 1485, first of his reign.

Sir Nicholas Dawney died 7 Edw. III as appears by Inquisition, and by his with Elizabeth, he had two sons, first Thomas, and second Sir John.

Sir John Dawney, of Madfordferry, was made a knight banneret by King Edward III at the battle of Cressy, on whose death an inquisition was taken 20 Edw. III and found to have left only Emme, married to Edward Courtenay.

~Collins's Peerage of England, Volume VIII, p. 453-454

Nicholas married Elizabeth.⁷⁷⁶