Anne Neville (c. 1408 – 20 September 1480) was a daughter of

Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland Earl Marshal (c. 136421 October 1425), was an English nobleman of the House of Neville. Origins Ralph Neville was born about 1364, the son of John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville by his wife Maud Percy (d. 1 ...

, and his second wife Lady Joan Beaufort. Her first husband was

Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham, 6th Earl of Stafford, 7th Baron Stafford, (December 1402 – 10 July 1460) of Stafford Castle in Staffordshire, was an English nobleman and a military commander in the Hundred Years' War and t ...

, and she was an important English noblewoman, landholder and book owner during the fifteenth century.

Family

Anne was born around 1408, a daughter of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmoreland, and his second wife Lady Joan Beaufort, the legitimised daughter of

John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399) was an English royal prince, military leader, and statesman. He was the fourth son (third to survive infancy as William of Hatfield died shortly after birth) of King Edward ...

. Sometime before October 1424 she married

, heir of

Edmund Stafford, 5th Earl of Stafford Edmund Stafford, 5th Earl of Stafford and 1st Baron Audley, KG, KB (2 March 1377 – 21 July 1403) was the son of Hugh de Stafford, 2nd Earl of Stafford, and his wife Philippa de Beauchamp. He inherited the earldom at the age of 18, the third ...

, and one of the wealthiest men in England. She was widowed in 1460 when Humphrey was killed at the Battle of Northampton and remained unmarried until 1467. In that year she took as her second husband

Walter Blount, 1st Baron Mountjoy Walter Blount, 1st Baron Mountjoy, KG (1 August 1474) was an English politician. Early life and family Walter Blount was born about 1416, the eldest son of Sir Thomas Blount (1378–1456) and Margery Gresley and grandson of Sir Walter Bloun ...

(d. 1474). His will suggests that a prenuptial agreement was put in place at that time for he left Anne 'all such goods as were her proper goods the day afore our marriage or that she hath brought since or to her given by any person' Through her first marriage Anne became a significant landholder. She managed the estates and financial matters with some success: the revenue of her dower lands increased notably under her direction. Drawing an annual income of £884 in 1460, the year she became a widow, the revenue increased by 40% to £1245 by 1473, when her grandson

Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, KG (4 September 1455 – 2 November 1483) was an English nobleman known as the namesake of Buckingham's rebellion, a failed but significant collection of uprisings in England and parts of Wales agains ...

came of age

Book ownership

Like many noblewomen of her age, Anne was highly educated and she has become associated with book collecting. She owned the Wingfield Hours, a psalter that includes a prayer identifying Anne as the owner. Her will contains a number of books in both English and French. These were passed on to her daughter-in-law Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Stafford, and daughter of

Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, 4th Earl of Somerset, 1st Earl of Dorset, 1st Marquess of Dorset styled 1st Count of Mortain, KG (140622 May 1455), was an English nobleman and an important figure during the Hundred Years' War. His rival ...

. The two women had exchanged books during the 1460s when Margaret and her Stafford husband moved close to Anne in Surrey. rug, Reading Families, p.77/ref>

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buckingham, Anne Neville, Duchess of 1400s births 1480 deaths Year of birth unknown 15th-century English women 15th-century English people Daughters of British earls Wives of knights Mountjoy

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in th ...