John Fortescue (Devon lawyer)

John Fortescue (died before 1436) was an English lawyer and administrator from a minor landowning family in Devon.

Arms of Fortescue: Azure, a bend engrailed argent cottised or motto: Forte Scutum Salus Ducum ("A Strong Shield is the Salvation of Leaders")

As his descendants rose in the world, they felt the need for a more illustrious ancestor and created a suitable hero: a knight who fought in France at the famous Battle of Agincourt in 1415, was put in command of the captured city after the Siege of Meaux in 1422, and married an heiress who was mother of his sons. These imaginary details were reproduced over the centuries, even reaching the authoritative “History of Parliament” in 1993.[1][2]

In reality he lived and died as a gentleman, his only known trip abroad was a pilgrimage to Spain, and the mother of his sons was a first wife whose last name is unknown.[3]

  1. ^ "The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1386-1421". 1993. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  2. ^ "The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1386-1421". 1993. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  3. ^ Kekewich, Margaret (1995). "Southern History" (PDF). Retrieved 5 June 2023.