Wednesday 8 July 2009

Children of Richard Duke of York

After so much about the political, I think it's high time for a post of the personal, so here are the children of Richard Duke of York and his wife Cecily Neville:

1. Anne, who married the Duke of Exeter. Exeter was York's ward but nevertheless a substantial dowry was paid. Nonetheless the marriage was not a success at either a political or personal level. Exeter became one of York's worst enemies (though he was pretty much the enemy of everyone) and eventually Anne divorced him and married Sir Thomas St.Leger. Exeter conveniently fell overboard on the way back from the French expedition of 1475, having spent several previous years in the Tower. Sir Thomas St. Leger was executed by Richard III.

2. Henry (died young).

3. Edward, Earl of March (later Edward IV).

4. Edmund, Earl of Rutland. Killed at Wakefield 1460.

5. Elizabeth, who married John de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk. This marriage forged an alliance with the de la Pole clan, previously enemies of York. Suffolk was a political nonentity but there were numerous children. The males in particular had a hard time under the Tudors and were eventually wiped out.

6. Margaret, who married Charles Duke of Burgundy. No children, but Duchess Margaret was a relatively major player in European politics.

7. William (died young)

8. John (died young)

9. George, Duke of Clarence. Executed/judicially murdered 1478.

10. Thomas (died young)

11. Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III).

12. Ursula (died young.)

One interesting and unexplained feature of the Yorks' marriage is the several years** that passed before Anne was born. Clearly the problem was not one of fertility as they eventually had 12 children! It may be that York's absence at the French wars is part of the answer but it's not a complete one as Cecily was often there with him. (For example Edward and Edmund were born in Normandy.)

** Marriage 'before October 1429' (source P A Johnson) Anne's birth 1439.

One internet source states there was another daughter Joan b 1438, but this child is not recorded in the famous ballad about York's offspring printed in Caroline Halstead's Richard III.

The Wiki article on Cecily Neville says that the couple were not 'officially married' (whatever that means) until 1437. I'm inclined to doubt this.

4 comments:

trish wilson said...

It is no wonder tht the Suffolk males had such a hard time udner the Tudors given tht Maximilian and his son, Philip, used Edmund de la Pole to blackmail Hnery VII to the tune of over £250,000 (worth millions today) which would not have gone done well with his spendthrift son.

To demonstrate I'm free from any tribal loyalty and how quick my mind is on picking up on seemingly unconnected facts or ignored or overlooked here is something I picked up during this quincentenary year, a juicy morsel I'd like to share with you.

The not so blessed Margaret died on 29th June just 24 hours after her grandson had gained his majority and her reign as regent was over so it was a case of chilling out permanently job well done or Henry ensuring his detested, domineering grandma was out of his hair for good?

Further mystery is added by the fact that she did not die in Westminster Palace but in Westminster Abbey in Cheyneygates, the name given to the Abbot of Westminster's private quartes now part of the Deanery. So what was she doing there? Seeking sanctuary after possibly being declared persona non grata or induling in a chat over devotional matters with Abbot Islip? Whichever, whatever caused her death must have come on pretty suddenly if she could not be moved to the Palace in time.

I wonder what Dr Starkey's take on that one would be!

Brian Wainwright said...

Fascinating info Trish. Maybe the monks offered medical care and it was the natural place to take Madge B? Don't know, only a guess.

trish wilson said...

Tut tut

Not Madge MAGGIE

Your really think NSBM would want to be associated with an itinerant jongleur? More liklely wih the other Iron Lady.

I suppose it could have been a case of 'Don't bother - my tomb's only next door' or wanted to be spared H8's gloating

Starkey hints he was resentful of the treatment he was subjected to after his mum's death esepcially with dad behaving worse than a mother hen with only one chick.

During my long research I've come across some really mind-blowing parallels, how much H8's teenage yearas seemed to have run a parallel course with that of R3, both being where they didn't want to be and with people they didn't want to be with.

I've also taken a look at the history of the Nevilles, the really greedy grasping pushy on the up family hzving discovered that the Wydeville family had been their bete noire quite a while before E4 became king. Warwick in particular was always slagging them off though I've bad news for him and I doubt R3S is going to be delighted either but I have etablished that they were through their Italian grandmother of the English blood royal after all. The reason for checking up was suspicion that Warwick's dislike turned to rancid hatred might have had an adverse affect on young Richard's impressionable mind and I have come to the conclusion that the sinning against was happening long before Bosworth.

The most interesting parallels are those between Elizabeth of York and the other Queen of Hearts Diana, both tall drop-dead gorgeous blondes, both married to men considerably older than themselves,both more popular than their royal spouses, both having to contend with the other woman who had more influnce over their respective spouses, one the mistress, the other the mother-in-law from hell, both having to contend with the dislike of very partisan members within the Court, both associated with charitable works, both dying at around the same age in dubious circumstances, both nationally and publicly mourned, both given lavish and very public funerals and both the recipients of eloquent elegys one by Sir Elton and the other by Sir Thomas More.

Why Elizabeth, well she was the person who excited my curiosity the most - I felt she was the one who might hold the key to the mysteries so that's the route I went down and I'm glad that I did. Having no brief for either Richard or Henry and no preference/prejudice I feel I've been able to take a more objective appraisal than some. Going by the Conan Doyle method logical and psychological assessment of data and a knowledge of law has helped but it hasn't been easy with so many entrenched views and so much extreme partisan attitudes and prejudice who aren't going to like one herectical view; that it is possible to feel sorry for both men or the other in which I feel what was really going on in 1483 was an unfunny version of 'Kind Hearts and Coronets' with Richard not the villain but one of the intended victims on the real wicked uncle's hit list.

Supreme irony If I hadn't missed the last episode of the 'The Franchise Affair'- no I-player then - I wouldn't have gone to the library looking for the novels of Tey. And where is the library and my home? Within walking distance of the site and memorial of a very famous battle which accounts for why so many local roads one of which is Gloucester, some blocks of flats and even an office block are named after people and battles of the period. In fact I have spent most
of my life surrounded by the War of the Roses, even my old school having a rose logo named after QE1, so I suppose the moment I picked up DOT the outcome was inevitable. Where do I live? Barnet!

Brian Wainwright said...

The other day I found, at long last, a break down of all the coats of arms in Warwick's extensive coats. And one of them was WYDEVILLE.

What the connection was I do not know, but I am about to ask. Your mention of Warwick's distaste for the breed provokes my curiousity...