Sir Richard Reynell or Reynolds, of Pyttney or Peteneya (Pitney

Pitney

Pitney is a village and parish in Somerset, England, located east of Langport and west of Somerton in the South Somerset district. In 2002, the village had a population of 416....

 today), in the county of Somerset

Somerset

The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...

, flourished in the reigns of Henry II

Henry II of England

Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...

 and Richard I

Richard I of England

Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...

.

During the absence of Richard I of England in the Holy Land

Holy Land

The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...

, had the custody of the castle Exeter

Exeter

Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...

 and Launceston delivered into his hands, 1191. These castles he stoutly defended against John, Count of Mortain, the king's brother, who in the monarch's absence endeavoured to usurp the sovereign power. On the death of Richard, and the accession of John, the latter remembering the part which this Richard Reynell had taken against him, deprived him of his estates at Pyttney. This Sir Richard Reynolds was High Sheriff of Devon

High Sheriff of Devon

The High Sheriff of Devon is the Queen's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, he holds his office over the duration of a year. He has judicial, ceremonial and administrative functions and executes High Court...

from 1191 to 1194. He was succeeded by his son: Sir Richard Reynolds, knt. of Pyttney.