Powderham Castle is the seat of the earls of which county
Powderham Castle Roses the enemies of the Courtenay Earls of Devon of Tiverton Castle were the Bonville family of Shute. Their distant cousin at Powderham, Sir William Courtenay (d. 1485) married Margaret Bonville, daughter of William Bonville, 1st Baron Bonville (1392–1461), which confirmed Powderham as a Bonville stronghold against the Earls of Devon. On 3 November 1455 Thomas de Courtenay, 5th Earl of Devon (1414–1458), at the head of a private army of 1,000 men, seized control of Exeter and its castle and laid siege to Powderham for two months. Lord Bonville attempted to raise the siege and approached from the east,
Manor of Powderham Eu, rebelled against King William II (1087-1100) and was executed. The tenant family holding the manors of Powderham and Whitestone under the overlords, as did Ranulf in 1086, later adopted the surname "de Powderham" from their seat (as was usual) and continued to hold under the de Bohun overlords until they lost the lands by escheat (see below). Following the execution of William II, Count of Eu, the manor of Powderham (together with Whitestone) became a holding of the powerful "de Bohun" family, Earls of Hereford, tenants-in-chief and great landholders throughout England. Their tenant at both manors continued to be