Alice Neville
Encyclopedia
Alice Neville Baroness FitzHugh of Ravensworth, was the wife of Henry FitzHugh, 5th Baron FitzHugh
. She is best known for being the great-grandmother of Queen consort Catherine Parr
and her siblings, Anne
and William
, as well as one of the sisters of Warwick the 'Kingmaker'
. Her family was one of the oldest and most powerful families of the North. They had a long standing tradition of military service and a reputation for seeking power at the cost of the loyalty to the crown as was demonstrated by her brother, the Earl of Warwick
.
jure uxoris
and Lady Alice Montacute, 5th Countess of Salisbury
suo jure
. By her father she was a descendant of King Edward III
through the legitimised children of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster
and his mistress, later wife, Katherine Roët
. Her mother was the only child and sole heiress of Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury
by his first wife Lady Eleanor Holland
. Lady Alice was the favourite sister of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
., the wealthiest and most powerful English peer of his age.
Lady Fitzhugh's nieces, the daughters of Warwick, were Isabel Neville, who married Edward IV
's brother George, Duke of Clarence
, and Anne Neville
, who married Richard, Duke of Gloucester
, who later became King of England as Richard III.
, was very supportive of the Duke of Gloucester
after he had become Lord Protector
of the Realm. She influenced her family members to do the same. When Gloucester ascended the throne as King Richard III in 1483, Lady Alice and her daughter, Elizabeth
, were appointed by the Queen to serve as her ladies-in-waiting. The two received presents from the King which included yards of the grandest cloth available to make dresses. At the coronation in 1483, it was Alice and Elizabeth who were two of the seven noble ladies given the honour to ride behind the queen.
The position of lady-in-waiting
to the Queens of England became a family tradition spanning down to Lady FitzHugh's great-granddaughter, Anne Parr
who served all of King Henry VIII
's six wives
.
Lady Fitzhugh was very much the same temperament of her brother the Earl of Warwick
. Although her husband, Henry, Lord FitzHugh is generally given credit for instigating the 1470 rebellion which drew King Edward IV
into the north and allowed a safe landing of the Earl of Warwick in the West country, the boldness of the stroke is far more in keeping with Alice, Lady Fitzhugh's temperament and abilities than with her husband's.
After the death of her husband in 1483, Lady Fitzhugh along with her children Richard, Roger, Edward, Thomas, and Elizabeth joined the Corpus Christi guild at York
.
, near Richmond (1429–72), head of a powerful local family between Tees and Swale. Lord and Lady FitzHugh had 11 children; five sons and six daughters:
Baron FitzHugh
The title Baron FitzHugh of Ravensworth was created in the Peerage of England in 1321, for Henry FitzHugh. The title passed through the male line until the death of the seventh baron in 1513 when it became abeyant between his great-aunts Alice, Lady Fiennes and Elizabeth, Lady Parr, and their...
. She is best known for being the great-grandmother of Queen consort Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr ; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen consort of England and Ireland and the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII of England. She married Henry VIII on 12 July 1543. She was the fourth commoner Henry had taken as his consort, and outlived him...
and her siblings, Anne
Anne Herbert, Countess of Pembroke
Anne Herbert, Countess of Pembroke, Baroness Herbert of Cardiff was lady-in-waiting to each of Henry VIII of England's six wives. She was the younger sister of his sixth wife, Catherine Parr.-Early years:...
and William
William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton
William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton, 1st Earl of Essex and 1st Baron Parr, KG was the son of Sir Thomas Parr and his wife, Maud Green, daughter of Sir Thomas Green, of Broughton and Greens Norton...
, as well as one of the sisters of Warwick the 'Kingmaker'
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
Richard Neville KG, jure uxoris 16th Earl of Warwick and suo jure 6th Earl of Salisbury and 8th and 5th Baron Montacute , known as Warwick the Kingmaker, was an English nobleman, administrator, and military commander...
. Her family was one of the oldest and most powerful families of the North. They had a long standing tradition of military service and a reputation for seeking power at the cost of the loyalty to the crown as was demonstrated by her brother, the Earl of Warwick
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
Richard Neville KG, jure uxoris 16th Earl of Warwick and suo jure 6th Earl of Salisbury and 8th and 5th Baron Montacute , known as Warwick the Kingmaker, was an English nobleman, administrator, and military commander...
.
Family
Lady Alice was the third daughter of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of SalisburyRichard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury
Richard Neville, jure uxoris 5th Earl of Salisbury and 7th and 4th Baron Montacute, KG, PC was a Yorkist leader during the early parts of the Wars of the Roses.-Background:...
jure uxoris
Jure uxoris
Jure uxoris is a Latin term that means "by right of his wife" or "in right of a wife". It is commonly used to refer to a title held by a man whose wife holds it in her own right. In other words, he acquired the title simply by being her husband....
and Lady Alice Montacute, 5th Countess of Salisbury
Alice Neville, 5th Countess of Salisbury
Alice Montacute was an English noblewoman and the suo jure 5th Countess of Salisbury, 6th Baroness Monthermer, and 7th and 4th Baroness Montacute having succeeded to the titles in 1428...
suo jure
Suo jure
Suo jure is a Latin phrase meaning "in her [or his] own right".It is commonly encountered in the context of titles of nobility, especially in cases where a wife may hold a title in her own right rather than through her marriage....
. By her father she was a descendant of King Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
through the legitimised children of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster
John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster
John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster , KG was a member of the House of Plantagenet, the third surviving son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault...
and his mistress, later wife, Katherine Roët
Katherine Swynford
Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster , née Roet , was the daughter of Sir Payne Roet , originally a Flemish herald from County of Hainaut, later...
. Her mother was the only child and sole heiress of Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury
Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury
Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury, 6th and 3rd Baron Montacute, 5th Baron Monthermer, and Count of Perche, KG was an English nobleman...
by his first wife Lady Eleanor Holland
Eleanor Holland
Eleanor Holland, Countess of Salisbury , was an English noblewoman, the daughter of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent, a half-brother of King Richard II of England. She was the first wife of Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury. One of her brothers was Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent, to whom...
. Lady Alice was the favourite sister of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
Richard Neville KG, jure uxoris 16th Earl of Warwick and suo jure 6th Earl of Salisbury and 8th and 5th Baron Montacute , known as Warwick the Kingmaker, was an English nobleman, administrator, and military commander...
., the wealthiest and most powerful English peer of his age.
Lady Fitzhugh's nieces, the daughters of Warwick, were Isabel Neville, who married Edward IV
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
's brother George, Duke of Clarence
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, 1st Earl of Salisbury, 1st Earl of Warwick, KG was the third son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the brother of kings Edward IV and Richard III. He played an important role in the dynastic struggle known as the Wars of the...
, and Anne Neville
Anne Neville
Lady Anne Neville was Princess of Wales as the wife of Edward of Westminster and Queen of England as the consort of King Richard III. She held the latter title for less than two years, from 26 June 1483 until her death in March 1485...
, who married Richard, Duke of Gloucester
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
, who later became King of England as Richard III.
Lady-in-waiting
Lady Alice, who was close to her niece AnneAnne Neville
Lady Anne Neville was Princess of Wales as the wife of Edward of Westminster and Queen of England as the consort of King Richard III. She held the latter title for less than two years, from 26 June 1483 until her death in March 1485...
, was very supportive of the Duke of Gloucester
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
after he had become Lord Protector
Lord Protector
Lord Protector is a title used in British constitutional law for certain heads of state at different periods of history. It is also a particular title for the British Heads of State in respect to the established church...
of the Realm. She influenced her family members to do the same. When Gloucester ascended the throne as King Richard III in 1483, Lady Alice and her daughter, Elizabeth
Elizabeth FitzHugh, Baroness Vaux of Harrowden
Lady Elizabeth FitzHugh was an English noblewoman as Lady Parr of Kendal. She is best known for being the grandmother of Catherine Parr, sixth queen consort to Henry VIII, and her siblings Anne Herbert, Countess of Pembroke, and William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton.-Family:Elizabeth was born...
, were appointed by the Queen to serve as her ladies-in-waiting. The two received presents from the King which included yards of the grandest cloth available to make dresses. At the coronation in 1483, it was Alice and Elizabeth who were two of the seven noble ladies given the honour to ride behind the queen.
The position of lady-in-waiting
Lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a royal court, attending on a queen, a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family highly thought of in good society, but was of lower rank than the woman on whom she...
to the Queens of England became a family tradition spanning down to Lady FitzHugh's great-granddaughter, Anne Parr
Anne Herbert, Countess of Pembroke
Anne Herbert, Countess of Pembroke, Baroness Herbert of Cardiff was lady-in-waiting to each of Henry VIII of England's six wives. She was the younger sister of his sixth wife, Catherine Parr.-Early years:...
who served all of King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
's six wives
Wives of Henry VIII
The wives of Henry VIII were the six queens consort married to Henry VIII of England between 1509 and 1547. The six women to hold the title 'queens consort' of King Henry VIII were, in order:* Catherine of Aragon ,* Anne Boleyn ,...
.
Lady Fitzhugh was very much the same temperament of her brother the Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is a title that has been created four times in British history and is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the British Isles.-1088 creation:...
. Although her husband, Henry, Lord FitzHugh is generally given credit for instigating the 1470 rebellion which drew King Edward IV
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
into the north and allowed a safe landing of the Earl of Warwick in the West country, the boldness of the stroke is far more in keeping with Alice, Lady Fitzhugh's temperament and abilities than with her husband's.
After the death of her husband in 1483, Lady Fitzhugh along with her children Richard, Roger, Edward, Thomas, and Elizabeth joined the Corpus Christi guild at York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
.
Marriage and issue
Lady Alice, married Henry, Lord FitzHugh of Ravensworth CastleRavensworth Castle (North Yorkshire)
Ravensworth Castle is a ruined 14th century castle in the village of Ravensworth, North Yorkshire, England. It has been designated a Grade I listed building by English Heritage.-History:...
, near Richmond (1429–72), head of a powerful local family between Tees and Swale. Lord and Lady FitzHugh had 11 children; five sons and six daughters:
- Henry, 6th Baron FitzHughBaron FitzHughThe title Baron FitzHugh of Ravensworth was created in the Peerage of England in 1321, for Henry FitzHugh. The title passed through the male line until the death of the seventh baron in 1513 when it became abeyant between his great-aunts Alice, Lady Fiennes and Elizabeth, Lady Parr, and their...
who married Hon. Elizabeth Burgh, daughter of Thomas Burgh, 1st Baron BurghThomas Burgh, 1st Baron BurghThomas Burgh, 1st Baron Burgh or Borough , 1st Baron Borough of Gainsborough, also de jure 5th Baron Strabolgi and 7th Baron Cobham of Sterborough, was an English peer. He was knighted on Flodden Field in 1513 where he was one of the King's Spears . He was a Member of Parliament in 1529 and Lord...
; their son, George, inherited the barony of FitzHugh, but after his death in 1513 the barony fell into abeyance between his aunt Alice and her nephew Sir Thomas ParrSir Thomas ParrSir Thomas Parr was an English knight, courtier and Lord of the Manor of Kendal in Westmorland during the Tudor period. He is best known as the father of Catherine Parr, queen consort of England and the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII.-Life:Thomas was the son of Sir William Parr of Kendal...
, son of his other aunt Elizabeth. This abeyance continues to the present day. - George FitzHugh, Dean of LincolnDean of LincolnThe Dean of Lincoln is the head of the Chapter of Lincoln Cathedral in the city of Lincoln, England in the Diocese of Lincoln. The post is currently held by the Very Revd Philip John Warr Buckler, MA.-References:...
from 1483–1505 - AliceAlice FitzHughAlice FitzHugh, Lady Fiennes was the eldest daughter and co-heiress of Henry FitzHugh, 5th Baron FitzHugh, and Lady Alice Neville. Alice was born at the ancestral castle of Ravensworth. She married Sir John Fiennes, the son of Sir Richard Fiennes and Joan Dacre, 7th Baroness Dacre...
, Lady Fiennes, married Sir John Fiennes, the son of Sir Richard FiennesSir Richard FiennesSir Richard Fiennes, jure uxoris 7th Baron Dacre 'of the South' in Herstmonceux Castle, Sussex, England, was the son of Sir Roger Fiennes and Elizabeth Holland. His paternal uncle was James Fiennes, 1st Baron Saye and Sele....
and Joan Dacre, 7th Baroness Dacre. - Elizabeth, Lady Parr, (grandmother to Queen consort Catherine ParrCatherine ParrCatherine Parr ; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen consort of England and Ireland and the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII of England. She married Henry VIII on 12 July 1543. She was the fourth commoner Henry had taken as his consort, and outlived him...
) who married firstly William Parr, 1st Baron Parr of Kendal, then Sir Nicholas VauxNicholas Vaux, 1st Baron Vaux of HarrowdenNicholas Vaux, 1st Baron Vaux of Harrowden was a soldier and courtier in England and an early member of the House of Commons...
(later Baron Vaux of Harrowden). - Agnes, wife of Francis Lovell, 1st Viscount LovellFrancis Lovell, 1st Viscount LovellFrancis Lovell, 9th Baron Lovell, 6th Baron Holand, later 1st Viscount Lovell was an English nobleman. He probably knew the later King Richard III of England from a young age, and was to become his lifelong friend and staunch ally....
. - Margery, who married Sir Marmaduke ConstableMarmaduke ConstableSir Marmaduke Constable, "the little" was an English soldier descended from the Hereditary Constables of Chester, hence the surname of the family...
. - Joan, who became a nun.
- Edward FitzHugh (dsp.)
- Thomas FitzHugh (dsp.)
- John FitzHugh (dsp.)
- Eleanor FitzHugh
Ancestry
Further reading
- The Kingmaker's Sisters: Six Powerful Women in the Wars of the Roses by David Baldwin