The wife of Richard, 3rd Duke of York, Cicely Neville was the daughter of
Joan Beaufort, the youngest child of John of Gaunt and Catherine Swynford.
Her father was Ralph Neville, Earl of Westmorland. Known in her youth as
the Rose of Raby, after her birthplace, Raby Castle, she was a staunch
supporter of her husband, spending as much time with him as was possible in
that troubled age. They had eight sons and four daughters, of whom four
sons and one daughter died young.
After the tragic death of her husband and second son, Edmund, in 1460,
Cicely shortly witnessed the triumph of her eldest son Edward. She is
reported to have been outraged by his marriage to Elizabeth Woodville.
Further tragedy followed when, in 1478, Edward tired of the treacherous
behaviour of his brother Clarence and the latter died, or was killed, in
the Tower. In 1483, Edward died, and then, in 1485 her last surviving son
Richard III was killed at Bosworth. Outliving all her sons, the unfortunate
duchess lived to see many of their progeny murdered by Henry VII and the
House of York destroyed. In 1480, she became a Benedictine nun at
Berkhamsted, where she lived until her death.
Her arms were: a falcon rising, ducally gorged, bearing on its breast a
shield of arms, Per pale, dexter, Quarterly, France modern and England;
sinister, gules, a saltire argent, supported by Dexter, an antelope gorged
with a coronet; sinister a lion.
Children of Richard, Duke of York and Cicely Neville
Anne of York, Duchess of Exeter, 1439–1476
Eldest daughter of Richard, Duke of York, she was first married to the
Lancastrian Henry Holland, Duke of Exeter and Lord High Admiral. She
divorced her Lancastrian husband in 1472 and married Sir Thomas St Leger,
K.G., by whom she had a daughter, Anne, whose descendants became the earls
and later dukes of Rutland.
Her arms were: Per pale, dexter, Quarterly, France modern and England;
sinister, per fess, de Burgh and Mortimer.
Edmund of York, Earl of Rutland, 1443–1460
Edmund was born in Rouen, France, while his father was serving as
Lieutenant of France. At the age of seven, Edmund received his education at
Ludlow Castle, along with his brother Edward. When his father’s Yorkist
party fell out of favor in 1459, Edmund accompanied his father to Ireland,
where he was created Earl of Cork.
After the Yorkist victory at Northampton September 1460, he returned to
England and headed north to Sandal Castle with his father to help quell
disturbances there. Edmund was killed at the battle of Wakefield on 30
December 1460, by Lord Clifford, whose father had been killed at the battle
of St Albans. As he struck the fatal blow, Clifford allegedly cried ‘By
God’s blood, thy father slew mine and so will I do thee and all thy kin.
His arms were: Quarterly, first, Quarterly France modern and England, a
label of five points argent the two dexter points charged with lions
rampant purpure and the three sinister points each with three torteaux;
second and third, Burgh; fourth, Mortimer.
Elizabeth, Duchess of Suffolk, 1444–1503
The second daughter of Richard, Duke of York, and Cicely Neville married
John de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, whose father, William, had arranged the
marriage between Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou. John de la Pole, whose
mother, Alice, was the grand-daughter of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, took
little part in politics. The couple had seven sons, of whom the eldest was
also named John (see below). Edmund de la Pole was beheaded by Henry VIII
and the last de la Pole heir, Richard, was killed at the battle of Pavia in
1524, fighting for the French.
The arms of John de la Pole were: Quarterly, first and fourth, azure a
fess between three leopards’ faces or; second and third, argent, a chief
gules, over all a lion rampant double queued or; and his crest was An old
man’s head gules, beard and hair gold, with a jewelled fillet about the
brows.
John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln 1464?-1487
The eldest son of Elizabeth and John, Duke and Duchess of Suffolk, was
created Earl of Lincoln in 1468. He was also made a Knight of the Bath in
1475 and attended his uncle Edward IV’s funeral in April 1483. He bore the
orb at the coronation of another uncle, Richard III, in July 1483 and
became the president of the Council of the North. He was declared heir to
the throne by Richard III in the event of the death of his own son, Prince
Edward. At this time, he was also created Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and
was given the reversion to the estates of Lady Margaret Beaufort, subject
to the life interest of her third husband, Lord Stanley.
A staunch supporter of Richard III, he fought at Bosworth and survived.
The new king, Henry VII, had no wish to alienate the de la Pole family and
appointed John a justice of oyer and terminer the following year. In 1487,
he fled to Brabant and then to Ireland, where he joined the army of the
pretender Lambert Simnel. He was killed at the Battle of Stoke in June
1487. Shortly afterward, he was attainted.
He was married twice: (1) Margaret Fitzalan, daughter of Thomas, twelfth
Earl of Arundel; and (2) the daugher and heiress of Sir John Golafre. He
left no children from either marriage.
Arms of John de la Pole: Same as above during his father’s lifetime,
differenced with a label argent – or his father’s and mother’s impaled.
Edmund de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk, 1472?-1513
Edmund de la Pole was born about 1472, the second son of John de la Pole,
2nd Duke of Suffolk, and Elizabeth, sister of Edward IV. In 1481 Edward IV
sent Edmund to Oxford. He was created a Knight Baronet at Richard III's
coronation. He was also present, with his father, at the coronation of
Elizabeth of York on 25 November 1487 and was frequently seen at Henry
VII's court.
His father died in 1491, and as eldest surviving son, should have
inherited the dukedom but did not, due to an Act of Attainder against his
brother John, Earl of Lincoln. By an indenture date 26 February 1493,
Edmund agreed to forego the title of duke and was created an earl. He also
had to pay Ј5,000 for the restoration of some of his lands.
In October 1492 Edmund was at the siege of Boulogne. On 9 November 1494
he was leading challenger at Westminster in a tournament which created
Henry (later Henry VIII) Duke of York.
In 1495 Edmund was appointed trier of petitions from Gascony and other
parts. He was created a Knight of the Garter in 1496. In February 1496 he
was one of the English noblemen who stood surety to Archduke Philip for the
observance of new treaties with Burgundy.
On 22 June 1496 he led a company against Cornish rebels at Blackheath.
Two years later, he was indicted at the King's Bench for murder and
received a pardon. Although he resented being arraigned (as one of royal
blood) he attended a Chapter of the Garter at Windsor in April 1499.
In July or August 1499 Edmund fled to Guisnes and then to St. Omer. Henry
VII instructed Sir Richard Guldford and Richard Hatton to return him by any
means. However, he returned to England voluntarily and was restored to
favor.
Edmund was a witness at the marriage of Arthur to Catherine of Aragon in
May 1500 and then went with Henry VII to Calis where he stayed until August
1501. He fled to Emperor Maximilian in the Tryol. Maximilian had promised
support to anyone of Edward IV's blood.
On 7 November 1501 Edmund and his supporters were proclamimed traiors at
St. Pauls Cross and was outlawed at Ipswich on 26 December 1502. He
reclaimed his dukedom. Maximilian then promised not to aid any traitors to
England (he was paid 10,000) and Edmund remained at Aix le Chappelle until
Easter 1504. In January 1504 Edmund and his brother, William and Richard,
were attainted by Parliament. He left Aix fro Gilderland and was
immediately thrown in jail.
On 24 January 1506 Edmund commissioned two servants to treat with Henry
VII and in March 1506 was conveyed to the Tower. Henry had given Archduke
Philip his written promise not to execute Edmund.
Upon the accession of Henry VIII in 1509 Edmund was not among those
included in the general pardon. He went to the block in 1513.
Edmund married Margaret, daughter of Richard, Lord Scrope and had one
daughter Anne, who became a nun at Minories within Aldgate. He had no male
heir.
Richard de la Pole, 14?-1525
Richard was the fifth son of John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk, and
Elizabeth, sister of Edward IV. His brothers Humphrey and Edward took
orders in the Church, Edward becoming the Archdeacon of Richmond. In 1501
Richard fled abroad with his brother Edmund. Three years later he was
attainted along with his brother. Eventually he fled to Hungary, where
Henry VII requested that King Ladislaus VI surrender Richard to him. The
Hungarian king refused and gave Richard a pension.
Richard’s name is not mentioned in the general pardon issued by Henry
VIII upon his accession in 1509. Louis XII of France recognized Richard as
king of England, giving him a pension of six thousand crowns. After the
execution of his brother Edmund in 1513, Richard assumed the title of Duke
of Suffolk and became a claimant to the English throne.
When Louis XII died in 1515, his successor Francis I continued Richard’s
allowance. As a further sign of favor, he was sent him on several missions,
including Lombardy and Bohemia. In 1522, Francis seriously thought of
sending Richard to invade England, but the invasion did not take place.
