Earl banned from holding weddings at his 600-year-old castle for refusing to allow a gay marriage

The Earl of Devon, Hugh Courtenay, has had the licence to hold civil ceremonies at Powderham Castle near Exeter revoked by Devon County Council.

It is thought to be the first case of its kind in the country since the introduction of civil partnerships last year.

The council acted in response to a complaint from a gay couple from London who tried to book the castle for their own partnership ceremony.

The Earl of Devon, Lord Courtenay refuses to let a gay couple marry at Powderham Castle

The case was taken up by gay pressure group Stonewall and now the Earl has been told his licence has been revoked because of discrimination.

Devon County Council withdrew the licence because Lord Devon was in breach of the Sexual Orientation regulations of the Equality Act 2007.

The gay couple whose wedding was refused by the Earl say his decision was discrimination and they are delighted at the revocation.

Copyright consultant Bernard Horrocks, 40, and his partner Glenn Sontag, 35, have now booked a new ceremony elsewhere. Couples already booked for weddings this summer and autumn will not be affected because the licence will be revoked on January 1, 2009.

Bernard Horrocks and Glenn Sontag have had to rearrange their ceremony

Mr Courtenay is the 18th Earl of Devon with a title going back to 1553. He says he is a devout Christian and is acting out of faith.

The Earl said: 'I have to follow my religion in this case. The question has never arisen here before but I suppose I knew it would at some time.

'Now it has, then this is the way it has to be. I have no option. As a Christian I have to object to this.'

A spokesman for Devon County Council said: 'The decision by this venue to refuse to accept some civil partnership ceremonies has left us no option but to revoke the licence.

'We are very conscious there are already ceremonies booked over the coming months and it would cause disruption if these were cancelled.

'Our registration service has not received notification of any ceremonies after January 1 and so this is the date on which the licence will be cancelled."

Mr Horrocks said: 'This has been a distressing time but I would like to thank Devon County Council for its quick and decisive action.

'Happily we have already booked an alternative venue in Devon which has made us welcome. The decision by Powderham was outrageous.'

Stonewall executive officer Ben Summerskill said: 'If you open your premises to the public it should mean all of the public.

'The county council have made the right decision and we hope in the fullness of time Lord Devon will come into the 21st century.'