Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury (1400 – 31 December 1460) was an English nobleman and magnate based in
northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Kingdom of Jorvik, and the ...
who became a key supporter of the
House of York
The House of York was a cadet branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet. Three of its members became kings of England in the late 15th century. The House of York descended in the male line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, t ...
during the early years of the
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought be ...
. He was the father of
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, the "
Kingmaker".
Origins
He was born in 1400 at
Raby Castle in
County Durham, the third son (and tenth child) of
Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland, by his second wife,
Joan Beaufort, the youngest of the four legitimised children and only daughter of
John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (third surviving son of King
Edward III
Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...
), by his mistress, later wife,
Katherine Swynford
Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster (born Katherine de Roet, – 10 May 1403), also spelled Katharine or Catherine, was the third wife of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the fourth (but third surviving) son of King Edward III.
Daughter ...
.
The Neville lands were primarily in
County Durham and
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
, but both King
Richard II
Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father d ...
and King
Henry IV (Joan's cousin and half-brother respectively) found the family useful to counterbalance the strength of the
Percys on the
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lot ...
. This led to Ralph's earldom being granted in 1397, and to his appointment as
Warden of the West March in 1403.
Ralph's marriage to Joan Beaufort, at a time when the distinction between royalty and nobility was becoming more important, can be seen as another reward; as a granddaughter of King
Edward III
Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...
, she was a member of the royal family.
The children of Ralph's first wife, Margaret Stafford, made good marriages to local nobility, and his eldest son had married into royalty in the person of Elizabeth Holland, but his Beaufort children married into even greater families. Three of Richard's sisters married dukes, the youngest
Cecily, married
Richard, Duke of York.
Marriage
Richard married
Alice Montagu, daughter and heiress of
Thomas Montagu, 4th Earl of Salisbury. The date of Richard and Alice's marriage is not known, but it must have been before February 1421, when as a married couple they appeared at the coronation of Queen
Catherine of Valois
Catherine of Valois or Catherine of France (27 October 1401 – 3 January 1437) was Queen of England from 1420 until 1422. A daughter of Charles VI of France, she was married to Henry V of England and gave birth to his heir Henry VI of England ...
. At the time of the marriage, the Salisbury inheritance was not guaranteed, as not only was Thomas Montacute still alive, but in 1424 he remarried (to
Alice Chaucer
Alice may refer to:
* Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname
Literature
* Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll
* ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...
, granddaughter of the poet
Geoffrey Chaucer). This second marriage was without issue and when the Thomas Montagu died in 1428, Richard Neville and Alice were confirmed as the Earl and Countess of Salisbury.
Salisbury came into possession of greater estates than, as a younger son under
primogeniture, he could reasonably have expected. Strangely, his eldest half-brother
John Neville apparently agreed to many of the rights to the Neville inheritance being transferred to his step-mother Joan Beaufort, and her son Salisbury inherited these on her death in 1440.
He also gained possession of the lands and grants made jointly to Ralph and Joan. Ralph's heir (his grandson
Ralph Neville, 2nd Earl of Westmorland) as the representative of the senior line, disputed the loss of his inheritance, and although he agreed to a settlement in 1443, it was on unequal terms – Salisbury kept the great Neville possessions of
Middleham and
Sheriff Hutton, as well as the more recent grant of
Penrith.
Only
Raby Castle, the family's most ancient possession, returned to the senior branch. The resultant
Neville–Neville feud was later to become absorbed into the destructive
Percy-Neville feud. Salisbury's marriage gained him his wife's quarter share of the
Holland
Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...
inheritance. Ironically, his Salisbury title came with comparatively little in terms of wealth, though he did gain a more southerly residence at
Bisham Manor in
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Be ...
.
Warden of the West March
The defence of the Scottish Border was carried out by two
Wardens
A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a prison warden. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the Warden of the Mint.
''Warden'' is etymologically ident ...
– that of the
East March (based at
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...
) and that of the
West March at
Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril. It is the administrative centre of the City ...
. Both offices had been held by the Percy family in the fourteenth century, and their support of King
Henry IV seemed to have paid off in 1399, when
Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland was appointed Warden of the West March and his son
Henry Percy ("Hotspur") as Warden of the East March. But Hotspur rebelled, and his father was held to be complicit in his treason.
After Hotspur was killed at the
Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403, Ralph Neville was employed by King
Henry V to capture the elder Percy. His reward was to succeed the Percys as Warden of both Marches. Under King Henry V, the Percys were restored to their lands, and eventually in 1417, to the East March.
Salisbury became a
Knight Bachelor
The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are t ...
and was named Warden of the West March in 1420. It was one of the most valuable appointments in England, worth £1,500 in peacetime and four times that if war broke out with
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
. Although, unlike
Calais
Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. The p ...
, it did not require a permanent garrison, the incessant raiding and border skirmishes meant that there would always be a ready supply of trained and experienced soldiers at the Warden's command. Salisbury must have been high in Henry V's estimation, as he was also appointed
Justice of the Peace in
Cumberland,
Westmoreland, and Durham. In 1431, he accompanied the young King
Henry VI to France for his coronation, and on his return was made Warden of the East March.
In 1436, he resigned both posts, although this may have originally intended as a means of forcing the crown to make good its arrears of payment. When his resignation was accepted, he accompanied his brother-in-law
Richard, Duke of York, to France, taking 1,300 men-at-arms and archers with him. He returned the following year, and in November became a member of the King's Council.
He did not resume either of the Wardenships, as the Percy-Neville dispute took up most of his time, but when this was resolved in 1443 he resumed the Wardenship of the West March. Although this was at a reduced fee of just under £1,000, the money was secured on specific sources of Crown income, not on the frequently uncollectable tallies.
He was invested as a Knight of the
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the Georg ...
(K.G.) in 1436. He was invested as a
Privy Counsellor
The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of ei ...
(P.C.) the following year, in 1437.
Neville and Percy
At the end of 1443, from his principal seat at
Middleham Castle
Middleham Castle is a ruined castle in Middleham in Wensleydale, in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It was built by Robert Fitzrandolph, 3rd Lord of Middleham and Spennithorne, commencing in 1190. The castle was the childhood home ...
in
Wensleydale, Salisbury could look with some satisfaction at his position. He was a member of the King's Council and Warden of the West March. His brother
Robert Neville Robert Neville may refer to:
*Robert Neville (bishop) (1404–1457), English bishop
*Robert Neville (journalist) (1905–1970), American war correspondent
* Robert Neville (Royal Marines officer) (1896–1987), Royal Marines officer and Governor of ...
was the
Bishop of Durham
The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in the Province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler has been the Bishop of Durha ...
, and another of his brothers,
William Neville, 1st Earl of Kent, had the custody of
Roxburgh Castle
Roxburgh Castle is a ruined royal castle that overlooks the junction of the rivers River Tweed, Tweed and River Teviot, Teviot, in the Scottish Borders, Borders region of Scotland. The town and castle developed into the royal burgh of Roxburgh, ...
. He had seven children, four boys and three girls. In 1436 the two oldest children, Cicely and
Richard
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stro ...
, made excellent marriages to the son and daughter of
Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick.
It was becoming apparent that the rise of the Nevilles was coming to an end. The king, who during the late 1430s had started to exercise personal rule, was more concerned to promote the fortunes of his closest relatives – and Salisbury was only related by a junior, legitimised and female line. In this context, the local rivalry between the Nevilles and the Percys in the north of England was likely to take on greater importance. A strong and capable ruler would be able to control such feuds, or even profit by them. A weak king could find the disputes spreading from local to regional or national conflict.
The Percys had lands throughout northern England, while the northern lands of the Nevilles were concentrated in north Yorkshire and in County Durham. As Warden of the West March, Salisbury was in a position to exert great power in the north-west, in spite of holding only
Kendal and
Penrith. The Percys resented the fact that their tenants in Cumberland and Westmorland were being recruited by Salisbury, who even with the reduced grant of 1443 still had great spending power in the region. The senior Neville line (now related by marriage to the Percys) still resented the inequitable settlement of their inheritance dispute.
The fifteenth century could be regarded as the peak of "
bastard feudalism
"Bastard feudalism" is a somewhat controversial term invented by 19th century historians to characterise the form feudalism took in the Late Middle Ages, primarily in England in the Late Middle Ages. Its distinctive feature is that middle-ranki ...
" – when every subject needed a "good lord". In return for a commitment by the retained man to provide (usually) military support, the lord would give his retainer a small annual fee, a badge or item of clothing to mark his loyalty (livery) and provide help for him in his disputes with his neighbours (maintenance). Northern England was a long way from the
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north bank ...
, and rapid legal redress for wrongs was impossible. With his economic power as Warden, Salisbury could provide better support for Percy tenants than
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a ceremonial counties of England, county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Ab ...
, unpaid in regard to the East March for years, could hope to.
In 1448, during the renewal of the war with Scotland, Northumberland took his forces through Salisbury's West March – a grave breach of etiquette. Northumberland was defeated at the
Battle of Sark
The Battle of Sark, alternatively called the Battle of Lochmaben Stone, was fought between England and Scotland in October 1448. A large battle, it was the first significant Scottish victory over the English in over half a century, since the Bat ...
, and his son
Henry Percy, Lord Poynings was captured. The fact that Salisbury lost 2,000 horses trying to respond to this attack, and was then excluded (along with Northumberland) from the subsequent peace negotiations, can only have inflamed relations between the two families. Over time, the ill will might have receded, but Northumberland's second son,
Thomas Percy, Lord Egremont, spent the next few years stirring up trouble in Yorkshire – particularly at York, situated between the Percy estates of
Spofforth and
Healaugh, and Neville's castle at
Sheriff Hutton.
On 24 August 1453,
Thomas Percy, Lord Egremont, assembled a force of men-at-arms and archers perhaps as large as 1,000 strong, intending to waylay Salisbury and his family at
Heworth Moor
Heworth is part of the city of York in North Yorkshire, England, about north-east of the centre. No longer in general referred to as a village, "Heworth Village" is now the name of a specific road. The name "Heworth" is Anglo-Saxon and means a ...
, outside York, as he made for Sheriff Hutton. Salisbury had been attending the wedding of his son Thomas in
Tattershall Castle, Lincolnshire, and although his escort would have been smaller, it would have been better armed than Egremont's York craftsmen and tradesmen. Salisbury and his retinue fought them back, arriving unscathed at
Sheriff Hutton, but the episode marked the beginning of what was virtually a private war. The bride, Maud Stanhope, was the widow of Lord Willoughby of Eresby, his son would become a Yorkist. Another of the Yorkist party, John Neville, was later Lord Montagu. Maud was due to inherit the manors of Wressle and Burwell from her uncle,
Lord Cromwell, who had obtained them from the Percys through litigation. Historian John Sadler argues this was the first incident in the Yorkist/Lancastrian affinities lawless squabble leading to civil war.
Neville and York
Salisbury changed his allegiance to
Richard, Duke of York, who made him
Lord Chancellor
The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. T ...
in 1455. This enabled Salisbury to advance the interests of his retainers against the Percies; for example
Thomas de la More
Thomas de la More (or Delamore; 1395–1460/1461) was a fifteenth-century Sheriff of Cumberland. Little is known of his early life, but he was a loyal royal official in Cumberland and Westmorland for all his adult life, serving as Member of Pa ...
petitioned against Lord Egremont, whom de la More claimed had threatened to kill him years earlier. When King Henry VI tried to assert his independence and dismiss York as Protector, Salisbury joined him in fighting at the
First Battle of St Albans, claiming that he was acting in self-defence. In 1458 he participated in
The Love Day, an attempt at reconciliation held in London. He was notably successful in the
Battle of Blore Heath, but after the Yorkist army collapsed in the
Rout of Ludford Bridge, Salisbury escaped to
Calais
Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. The p ...
, having been specifically excluded from a royal pardon. He returned to England with York in 1460, and was slain on 30–31 December 1460, the night after the
Battle of Wakefield
The Battle of Wakefield took place in Sandal Magna near Wakefield in northern England, on 30 December 1460. It was a major battle of the Wars of the Roses. The opposing forces were an army led by nobles loyal to the captive King Henry VI o ...
.
Death and burial
After the defeat of the Yorkists at the Battle of Wakefield, Salisbury himself escaped the battlefield but was captured during the night. Upon discovery, battle worn and now a traitor to the realm, he was taken to the Lancastrian camp. Although due to his great wealth the Lancastrian nobles might have been prepared to allow Salisbury to ransom himself, he was nevertheless dragged out of
Pontefract Castle and beheaded by the local population, to whom he had been a harsh overlord.
He was buried first at
Pontefract
Pontefract is a historic market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the towns in the City of Wake ...
, but his sons transferred his body to the family mausoleum at
Bisham Priory in
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Be ...
where they erected a monument to his memory. The effigy from this was brought to St Mary's Church at
Burghfield, near
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
, after the
Dissolution of the Monasteries. The effigy of a lady alongside him wears a headdress which is not thought to be of the right date to be his wife, but she may represent one of the earlier Countesses of Salisbury buried at Bisham.
Marriage and issue
He married
Alice Montacute (1407-1462), daughter and heiress of
Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury (1388-1428), by whom he had twelve children:
Sons
*
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (1428–1471), "The Kingmaker", eldest son and heir, who married
Lady Anne Beauchamp and had issue.
*
Sir Thomas Neville (c. 1429–1460), who was knighted in 1449 and died at the
Battle of Wakefield
The Battle of Wakefield took place in Sandal Magna near Wakefield in northern England, on 30 December 1460. It was a major battle of the Wars of the Roses. The opposing forces were an army led by nobles loyal to the captive King Henry VI o ...
. He was the second husband of Maud Stanhope (30 August 1497), who married firstly
Robert Willoughby, 6th Baron Willoughby de Eresby (died 25 July 1452), and thirdly
Sir Gervase Clifton, beheaded 6 May 1471 after the
Battle of Tewkesbury.
*
John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu
John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu (c. 1431 – 14 April 1471) was a major magnate of fifteenth-century England. He was a younger son of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury, and the younger brother of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwi ...
(c. 1431–1471), married Isabel Ingaldesthorpe and had issue.
*
George Neville (1432–1476), who became
Archbishop of York
The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers ...
and
Chancellor of England.
*Ralph Neville (b. 1440 approx.), did not survive infancy
*Robert Neville (b. 1446 approx.), did not survive infancy
Daughters
*
Joan Neville (c. 1424–1462), who married
William FitzAlan, 16th Earl of Arundel, and had issue.
*
Cecily Neville
Cecily Neville (3 May 1415 – 31 May 1495) was an English noblewoman, the wife of Richard, Duke of York (1411–1460), and the mother of two kings of England— Edward IV and Richard III. Cecily Neville was known as "the Rose of Raby", becaus ...
(c. 1425–1450), who married
Henry Beauchamp, 1st Duke of Warwick (1425–1446), and by him had one daughter,
Anne Beauchamp, 15th Countess of Warwick (1444–1449), on whose death her title passed to
her paternal aunt, who in turn had married her maternal uncle Richard Neville (below named).
*
Alice Neville (c. 1430–1503), who married
Henry FitzHugh, 5th Baron FitzHugh. Their daughter,
Elizabeth, married
William Parr, thus making them great-grandparents of
Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr (sometimes alternatively spelled Katherine, Katheryn, Kateryn, or Katharine; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen of England and Ireland as the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 12 July 1543 until ...
, sixth wife of
King Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagr ...
.
*
Eleanor Neville (c. 1438–before 1472
), who married
Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby, and had issue.
*
Katherine Neville (1442–1504), who married first
William Bonville, 6th Baron Harington, and second
William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings
William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings KG (c. 1431 – June 1483) was an English nobleman. A loyal follower of the House of York during the Wars of the Roses, he became a close friend and one of the most important courtiers of King Edward IV, w ...
, had issue.
*
Margaret Neville
Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning " pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian.
Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular throug ...
(c. 1444–1506), who married
John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford.
Ancestry
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
''Royal Berkshire History: Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury (1400–1460)''
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salisbury, Richard Neville, 5th Earl of
1400 births
1460 deaths
15th-century English nobility
Burials at Bisham Abbey
Neville
Executed people from County Durham
English knights
Knights Bachelor
Knights of the Garter
Lord chancellors of England
Members of the Privy Council of England
Richard
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stro ...
Peers jure uxoris
People executed under the Lancastrians
People executed under the Plantagenets by decapitation
People from Bisham
People of the Wars of the Roses
People from Staindrop
Younger sons of earls
Barons Monthermer
Barons Montagu