Elizabeth Courtenay, Countess Of Devon

Elizabeth Courtenay, Countess of Devon (10 July 1801 – 27 January 1867), was born Lady Elizabeth Fortescue, the daughter of Hugh Fortescue, 1st Earl Fortescue, and his wife, Hester Grenville. She had three brothers, including Hugh Fortescue, 2nd Earl Fortescue, and five sisters.

On 27 December 1830, she married William Courtenay, who was then a Member of Parliament and the heir to the earldom of Devon. The couple's children included William Reginald Courtenay (born 28 October 1832, died 21 November 1853), Hugh Courtenay (born 1833, died in infancy 1835), Edward Baldwin Courtenay (born 1836), who became the 12th Earl of Devon and died in 1891, and Lady Agnes Elizabeth Courtenay (born 1838), who married Charles Wood, 2nd Viscount Halifax, and had children.

In 1859, William Courtenay inherited the earldom from his father, and Elizabeth assumed the title of Countess of Devon. During her tenure as countess, her husband made various improvements to Powderham Castle, the family estate.

A granite memorial cross dedicated to her eldest son, William Reginald Courtenay, is located in the churchyard of St Clement's Church, Powderham. The inscription commemorates William as the first-born of Lord and Lady Courtenay, born on 28 October 1832 and deceased on 21 November 1853. The memorial includes a biblical inscription from 1 Thessalonians IV:13–14, expressing hope in resurrection.

Elizabeth Courtenay's own tomb is situated inside St Clement's Church, against the east wall of the south transept. It features a full-length recumbent alabaster effigy created by Edward Bowring Stephens. She died on 27 January 1867. Her husband survived her by approximately twenty years and did not remarry following her death.