Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex
Walter Devereux was the eldest son of Sir Richard Devereux, who was created a Knight of the Bath on 20 February 1547 and died that same year, in the lifetime of his father, The 1st Viscount Hereford. Walter Devereux's mother was Lady Dorothy Hastings, daughter of The 1st Earl of Huntingdon and Anne Stafford, said to have been a mistress of Henry VIII. Through his paternal ancestry he was related to the Bourchier family, to which previous Earls of Essex had belonged: John Devereux, son of Walter Devereux who died at the Battle of Bosworth, married Cecily Bourchier, sister of Henry Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Essex.
Walter Devereux (died 1402)
On 26 April 1385 he was appointed to a Commission of array for Herefordshire to prepare for an imminent French invasion. Devereux participated in Richard II's expedition to Scotland in the summer of 1385, and probably was knighted during this time. On 9 November 1385 Walter was appointed Justice of the Peace, and to a commission of Oyer and terminer for Herefordshire along with his liege, Thomas of Woodstock. He would continue to hold the position of Justice of the Peace through 1399.