William Mohun


Sir William Mohun of Hall in the parish of Lanteglos-by-Fowey and of Boconnoc, both in Cornwall, was a Member of Parliament.

Origins

He was the son and heir of Reginald Mohun of Hall and Boconnoc, by his wife Jone Trevanion, daughter of Sir William Trevanion and sister of Sir Hugh Trevanion. His great-grandfather William Mohun of Hall had married Elizabeth Courtenay, one of the greatest heiresses of her time, one of the four eventual co-heiresses of Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon the last of the mediaeval Courtenay Earls of Devon. The Mohun share of the Courtenay inheritance included Boconnoc in Cornwall and Okehampton Castle in Devon, and other remnants of the feudal barony of Okehampton, one of the earliest possessions of the Courtenays.

Ancient origins

The Mohuns of Hall were a junior branch of the Mohun family, and were descended from John Mohun of Dunster Castle in Somerset, feudal baron of Dunster by his wife Anne Tiptoft.

Career

He entered Lincoln's Inn in 1559 to study law. He was elected Member of Parliament for St Germans and Cornwall. He was appointed Sheriff of Cornwall for 1572 and 1578, knighted in 1583, and then re-elected MP for Cornwall again in 1584 and 1586. He served as Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall from 8 August 1586 to 7 December 1587.

Marriages and children

He married twice:
He died in 1588.