William Cary

WILLIAM CARYE, son and heir of George C., of Clovelley, Devon, esq. Adm. at Middle Temple, 12 Nov. 1596.

Source: Register of Admissions to the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple

William II Cary (1576-1652), JP for Devon, MP for Mitchell, Cornwall, in 1604, eldest son and heir by his father's first wife. He is sometimes said to be the model for Will Cary featured in Westward Ho!, the 1855 novel by Charles Kingsley (1819-1875), who appears in the narrative concerning the Spanish Armada in 1588, although he would have been a boy aged just 12 at the time. However the "daring foreign exploits attributed to him are entirely fictional". Kingsley spent much of his childhood at Clovelly as his father was Rev. Charles Kingsley, Curate of Clovelly 1826-1832 and Rector 1832-1836. Indeed the author's small brass monumental tablet is affixed to the wall of the church under the mural monument of Sir Robert Cary (1610-1675), eldest son of William II Cary (1576-1652). He married thrice:

Firstly in 1598 to Gertrude Carew (d.1604), widow of John Arundell of Tolverne, Cornwall and daughter of the antiquarian and historian of Cornwall Richard Carew (1556-1620) of Antony in Cornwall, author of the Survey of Cornwall (1602), Sheriff of Cornwall (1583 and 1586), and MP for Saltash in 1584. Prince relates a "facete fancy" concerning this marriage:

"That her father the morning after, after observing her a little sad, awakened her with this question: 'What! melancholly, daughter, after the next day of your wedding?' 'Yes sir' said she 'and with great reason; for yesterday 'twas care-you, now 'tis care-I' (which is much better in pronouncing than writing), alluding to the change of her name from Carew to Cary".

By Gertrude Carew he had two daughters, Christiana Cary, eldest daughter, wife of Henry Helyar (d.1634) of Coker Court in Somerset, son of Rev. William Helyar (1559-1645), Doctor of Divinity, Archdeacon of Barnstaple and a chaplain to Queen Elizabeth I; and Phillipa Cary (1603-1633), 2nd wife of John Docton (1600-1653) of Docton, in the parish of Hartland, Devon, whose elaborate ledger stone survives in Clovelly Church, showing in the centre the arms of Docton (Per fess gules and argent, two crescents in chief or another in base sable) impaling Cary, and inscribed as follows:

(within a ledger line): "Here lyeth ye body of Phillip ye second daughter of William Cary Esq, wief of John Docton of Docton, Gent., wth whom she lived one yere & had by him on(e) daughter named Phillip & was buried ye 20th of October 1633". (Above an escutcheon): "Aetatis suae 30" (of her age 30) "Dum Spiro Spero". (Verse in the middle of the stone):

She's gon to Heaven yt liv'd on Earth,

A saynt if saynts drawe mortall breath.

Hope was her anchor, faith her sheilde,

Love to the poore ye Elizean Feilde

Through wch shee past unto her rest,

To raigne wth Christ for ever blest.

This way she went, oh hasten on!

While 'tis today ye way she's gon.

Externall bewty let it passe!

What is't but fflesh you se is grasse.

Secondly he married Dorothy Gorges (d.1622), eldest daughter of Sir Edward Gorges of Wraxall, Somerset by his wife Dorothy Speke. Her monument survives in the Speke Chantry in Exeter Cathedral. By Dorothy Gorges he had issue including:

Sir Robert Cary (1610-1675), of Clovelly, eldest son and heir, a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber to King Charles II. He died without progeny. His mural monument survives in Clovelly Church.

Rev. George Cary (1611-1680), of Clovelly, 2nd son, Dean of Exeter and Rector of Shobrooke in Devon. His mural monument survives in Clovelly Church.

Thirdly in 1631 to Jane Elworthy, widow of Narcissus Mapowder of Holsworthy, Devon.

His mural monument survives on the south chancel wall of Clovelly Church, erected by his 2nd son and eventual heir George (who erected a similar one also opposite on the north chancel wall to his elder brother Sir Robert), inscribed as follows:

"In memory of William Cary Esqr who served his king and country in ye office of a Justice of Peace under three princes, Q. Elizabeth, King James and King Charles the I and having served his generation dyed in the 76 yeare of his age Ano Dom 1652: Omnis Caro Foenum".

The arms top centre are Cary; the arms top left and right are: Lozengy or and azure, a chevron gules (Gorges (modern)), for his second wife Dorothy Gorges (d.1622), mother of the erector of the monument. These arms were the subject of one of the earliest and most famous heraldic law cases brought concerning English armory, Warbelton v Gorges in 1347. The final sentence in Latin Omnis Caro Foenum, is from Isiah 40:6 ("All flesh is grass") and is a pun on the name Cary, but was commonly used on monuments elsewhere, for example on the monumental brass coffin plate of Richard III Duke (1567-1641) of Otterton, in Otterton Church, Devon.

Source: wikipedia.org