The title of Earl of Devon was created several times in the English peerage, and was possessed first (after the Norman Conquest of 1066) by the de Redvers (alias de Reviers, Revieres, etc.) family, and later by the Courtenays. It is not to be confused with the title of "Earl of Devonshire", held, together with the title Duke of Devonshire, by the Cavendish family of Chatsworth House, Derbyshire, although the letters patent for the creation of the latter peerages used the same Latin words, Comes Devon(iae). It was a re-invention, if not an actual continuation, of the pre-Conquest office of Ealdorman of Devon.

Close kinsmen and powerful allies of the Plantagenet kings, especially Edward III, Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V, the Earls of Devon were treated with suspicion by the Tudors, perhaps unfairly, partly because William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon (1475–1511), had married Princess Catherine of York, a younger daughter of King Edward IV, bringing the Earls of Devon very close to the line of succession to the English throne. During the Tudor period all but the last Earl were attainted, and there were several recreations and restorations. The last recreation was to the heirs male of the grantee, not (as would be usual) to the heirs male of his body. When he died unmarried, it was assumed the title was extinct, but a much later very distant Courtenay cousin, of the family seated at Powderham, whose common ancestor was Hugh de Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon (d.1377), seven generations before this Earl, successfully claimed the title in 1831. During this period of dormancy the de jure Earls of Devon, the Courtenays of Powderham, were created baronets and later viscounts.

Devon (/ˈdɛvən/; archaically known as Devonshire) is a county of England, reaching from the Bristol Channel in the north to the English Channel in the south. It is part of South West England, bounded by Cornwall to the west, Somerset to the northeast, and Dorset to the east. The City of Exeter is the county town; seven other districts of East Devon, Mid Devon, North Devon, South Hams, Teignbridge, Torridge, and West Devon are under the jurisdiction of Devon County Council; Plymouth and Torbay are each a part of Devon but administered as unitary authorities. Combined as a ceremonial county, Devon's area is 6,707 km² (2,590 square miles) and its population is about 1.1 million.

Devon derives its name from Dumnonia, which, during the British Iron Age, Roman Britain, and Early Medieval was the homeland of the Dumnonii Brittonic Celts. The Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain resulted in the partial assimilation of Dumnonia into the Kingdom of Wessex during the eighth and ninth centuries. The western boundary with Cornwall was set at the River Tamar by King Æthelstan in 936. Devon was constituted as a shire of the Kingdom of England thereafter.

Devon is a unisex given name. It is a variant of Devin, which has Gaelic origins and means "of a little deer".

People

Coordinates: 41°12′N 73°06′W / 41.20°N 73.10°W / 41.20; -73.10

The village of Devon is a neighborhood of the city of Milford, Connecticut, United States. It lies on the southwest corner of the city bordering Long Island Sound and the mouth of the Housatonic River. The village generally corresponds to the Third Voting District of Milford.

The village features an Audubon Center overlooking the estuary.

Municipal services

Since it lies within the municipality of Milford, all of its municipal services are provided by the city including police, schools, and other essential municipal services. Court services are provided by the Ansonia-Milford Judicial District.

Geography

Devon lies on the coast with a great amount of coastline, it also has a surprisingly high amount of inland freshwater swamps. The Charles E. Wheeler Wildlife Management Area is located in Devon.

Flooding

Due to the low elevation of Devon, the high concentration of structures and pavement along Route 1 and Naugatuck Avenue, Devon experiences flooding during heavy rainstorms on a regular and increasing basis. The flooding also occurs as a result of or coincides with raised waters from Beaver Brook, the Housatonic River, or Long Island Sound.