He was the 2nd son and heir of John Northcote (d.1587), a cloth merchant of Crediton, by his wife Elizabeth Dowrish (d.1587), daughter of Thomas VII Dowrish (d.1590)[REF] of Dowrish near Crediton, of an ancient Devonshire family.
The family of Northcote originated in Devon at the Domesday Book manor of Northcote in the parish of East Down in North Devon.