Anne Woodville
Encyclopedia
Anne Woodville, Viscountess Bourchier (c. 1438 – 30 July 1489) was an English noblewoman. She was a younger sister of Queen consort Elizabeth Woodville
to whom she served as a lady-in-waiting
. Anne was married twice; first to William Bourchier, Viscount Bourchier, and secondly to George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent. Anne was the grandmother of the disinherited adulteress Anne Bourchier, 7th Baroness Bourchier
, and an ancestress of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex
.
, Northamptonshire
, the second eldest daughter, and one of the sixteen children of Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers
and Jacquetta of Luxembourg
. Her elder sister was Elizabeth Woodville who would become Queen consort of King Edward IV of England
.
Anne's paternal grandparents were Sir Richard Wydeville and Joan Bedlisgate, and her maternal grandparents were Peter I of Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol
, Conversano and Brienne, and Margaret de Baux
.
In 1466, two years after her sister Elizabeth's secret marriage to King Edward, and one year after her coronation, Anne became one of Queen Elizabeth's ladies-in-waiting, receiving forty pounds a year for her services.
, and Isabel of York.
Anne's was just one of the many advantageous marriages Queen Elizabeth shrewdly arranged for her numerous siblings with eligible scions of the most aristocratic families in the realm; a scheme which was done with the purpose of augmenting her family's power, prestige, and wealth. This blatantly ambitious, self-seeking policy of the Queen consort deeply antagonised the old nobility and House of Commons
against the entire Woodville family. One of the most formidable enemies of the Woodvilles was Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
, a former Yorkist supporter who switched his allegiance to the Lancastrians following King Edward's marriage to Elizabeth. In 1469, Warwick ordered the execution of Anne's father, Earl Rivers and her brother, John
. They had both been taken prisoner when the King's army was defeated by Warwick's forces at the Battle of Edgecote Moor
.
William and Anne received lands worth one hundred pounds a year. Anne was briefly the owner of the manors of Nether Hall and Over Hall in the county of Suffolk
. These had previously belonged to James Butler, 5th Earl of Ormond, a staunch supporter and favourite
of Queen Margaret of Anjou
. He was beheaded in 1461 following the crushing Lancastrian
defeat at the Battle of Towton
, and his properties were subsequently forfeited to the victorious Yorkist king, Edward IV.
On 14 April 1471, William fought at the Battle of Barnet
on the side of the Yorkists who won a decisive victory.
Anne had three children by her first husband William:
William died on 26 June 1480. Shortly afterwards, Anne married George Grey
, son and heir of Edmund Grey, 1st Earl of Kent
. As George did not succeed to the title of Earl of Kent until 1490, Anne was never styled Countess of Kent, due to her death in 1489.
The marriage produced one son:
, became the Queen Mother
; however in June 1483 her marriage to the late King was judged to have been invalid because Edward had been pre-contacted to Lady Eleanor Talbot
. King Edward IV's younger brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester
and Lord Protector
claimed the crown for himself on 22 June; this claim was supported by an Act of Parliament
known as Titulus Regius
which declared King Edward V and his siblings illegitimate. Elizabeth, now styled as Dame Grey, was forced to seek sanctuary
with her daughters, while her two sons, the "Princes in the Tower
" were kept in the Tower of London
by the orders of King Richard III. On 25 June 1483, King Richard also ordered the executions of Anne and Elizabeth's brother Anthony Woodville, Earl Rivers, and Richard Grey
who was Elizabeth's younger son by her first marriage to Sir John Grey of Groby
.
who married Anne's niece Elizabeth of York
. Anne was buried in Warden, Bedfordshire
.
A year after Anne's death, her husband George married secondly Catherine Herbert, daughter of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke and Anne Devereux, by whom he had four more children.
Elizabeth Woodville
Elizabeth Woodville was Queen consort of England as the spouse of King Edward IV from 1464 until his death in 1483. Elizabeth was a key figure in the series of dynastic civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses. Her first husband, Sir John Grey of Groby was killed at the Second Battle of St Albans...
to whom she served as a 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...
. Anne was married twice; first to William Bourchier, Viscount Bourchier, and secondly to George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent. Anne was the grandmother of the disinherited adulteress Anne Bourchier, 7th Baroness Bourchier
Anne Bourchier, 7th Baroness Bourchier
Anne Bourchier was the suo jure 7th Baroness Bourchier, suo jure Lady Lovayne, and Baroness Parr of Kendal. She was the first wife of William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton, Earl of Essex, and the sister-in-law of Catherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII of England.She created a scandal in...
, and an ancestress of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, KG was an English nobleman and a favourite of Elizabeth I. Politically ambitious, and a committed general, he was placed under house arrest following a poor campaign in Ireland during the Nine Years' War in 1599...
.
Family
Anne was born in about 1438 at Grafton RegisGrafton Regis
Grafton Regis is a village and civil parish in the south of the English county of Northamptonshire. The village is east of the A508 road, on which it has a short frontage and two bus stops. It is ca. south of Northampton and north of Milton Keynes....
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, the second eldest daughter, and one of the sixteen children of Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers
Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers
Richard Woodville , 1st Earl Rivers, KG was an English nobleman, best remembered as the father of Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV....
and Jacquetta of Luxembourg
Jacquetta of Luxembourg
Jacquetta of Luxembourg was the elder daughter of Peter I, Count of St Pol, Conversano and Brienne and his wife Margaret de Baux...
. Her elder sister was Elizabeth Woodville who would become Queen consort of King Edward IV of England
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...
.
Anne's paternal grandparents were Sir Richard Wydeville and Joan Bedlisgate, and her maternal grandparents were Peter I of Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol
Saint-Pol
Saint-Pol is part of the name of several communes in France:* Saint-Pol-de-Léon, in the Finistère département, named after Paul Aurelian, a Celtic saint* Saint-Pol-sur-Mer, in the Nord département...
, Conversano and Brienne, and Margaret de Baux
Margaret de Baux
Margaret de Baux, Countess of Saint-Pol, of Brienne, and of Conversano, sometimes known as Margherita del Balzo , was a member of the noble del Balzo family of the Kingdom of Naples, which had its origins in Provence dating back to the 11th Century...
.
Marriages and issue
Sometime before 15 August 1467, Anne married William Bourchier, Viscount Bourchier, the son and heir of Henry Bourchier, 1st Earl of EssexEssex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, and Isabel of York.
Anne's was just one of the many advantageous marriages Queen Elizabeth shrewdly arranged for her numerous siblings with eligible scions of the most aristocratic families in the realm; a scheme which was done with the purpose of augmenting her family's power, prestige, and wealth. This blatantly ambitious, self-seeking policy of the Queen consort deeply antagonised the old nobility and House of Commons
House of Commons of England
The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...
against the entire Woodville family. One of the most formidable enemies of the Woodvilles was 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...
, a former Yorkist supporter who switched his allegiance to the Lancastrians following King Edward's marriage to Elizabeth. In 1469, Warwick ordered the execution of Anne's father, Earl Rivers and her brother, John
John Woodville
Sir John Woodville was the second son, and fourth child, of Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers and Jacquetta of Luxembourg....
. They had both been taken prisoner when the King's army was defeated by Warwick's forces at the Battle of Edgecote Moor
Battle of Edgecote Moor
The Battle of Edgecote Moor took place 6 miles northeast of Banbury , England on 26 July 1469 during the Wars of the Roses. The site of the battle was actually Danes Moor in Northamptonshire, at a crossing of a tributary of the River Cherwell. The battle pitted the forces of Richard Neville, 16th...
.
William and Anne received lands worth one hundred pounds a year. Anne was briefly the owner of the manors of Nether Hall and Over Hall in the county of Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. These had previously belonged to James Butler, 5th Earl of Ormond, a staunch supporter and favourite
Favourite
A favourite , or favorite , was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In medieval and Early Modern Europe, among other times and places, the term is used of individuals delegated significant political power by a ruler...
of Queen Margaret of Anjou
Margaret of Anjou
Margaret of Anjou was the wife of King Henry VI of England. As such, she was Queen consort of England from 1445 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471; and Queen consort of France from 1445 to 1453...
. He was beheaded in 1461 following the crushing Lancastrian
House of Lancaster
The House of Lancaster was a branch of the royal House of Plantagenet. It was one of the opposing factions involved in the Wars of the Roses, an intermittent civil war which affected England and Wales during the 15th century...
defeat at the Battle of Towton
Battle of Towton
In 1461, England was in the sixth year of the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars between the Houses of York and Lancaster over the English throne. The Lancastrians backed the reigning King of England, Henry VI, an indecisive man who suffered bouts of madness...
, and his properties were subsequently forfeited to the victorious Yorkist king, Edward IV.
On 14 April 1471, William fought at the Battle of Barnet
Battle of Barnet
The Battle of Barnet was a decisive engagement in the Wars of the Roses, a dynastic conflict of 15th-century England. The military action, along with the subsequent Battle of Tewkesbury, secured the throne for Edward IV...
on the side of the Yorkists who won a decisive victory.
Anne had three children by her first husband William:
- Henry Bourchier, 2nd Earl of EssexHenry Bourchier, 2nd Earl of EssexHenry Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Essex, KG, PC was an English soldier, peer and courtier at the courts of Henry VII and Henry VIII. He married Mary Say, by whom he had one daughter, Anne, who became his heir.- Family :...
, 6th Baron Bourchier, Viscount Bourchier, 2nd Count of Eu (died 13 March 1540), married Mary Say, by whom he had one daughter, Anne BourchierAnne Bourchier, 7th Baroness BourchierAnne Bourchier was the suo jure 7th Baroness Bourchier, suo jure Lady Lovayne, and Baroness Parr of Kendal. She was the first wife of William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton, Earl of Essex, and the sister-in-law of Catherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII of England.She created a scandal in...
, suo jure 7th Baroness BourchierBaron BourchierThe title Baron Bourchier is an abeyant peerage which was created in the Peerage of England in 1342 for Sir Robert Bourchier, who had been Lord High Chancellor from 1340–41....
who was the sole heiress to his titles and estates. She was the first wife of William Parr, 1st Marquess of NorthamptonWilliam Parr, 1st Marquess of NorthamptonWilliam 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...
whom she deserted to elope with her lover, thus creating a scandal which resulted in the forfeiture of her estates and most of her titles. - Cecily Bourchier (died 1493), married John Devereux, 8th Baron Ferrers of ChartleyJohn Devereux, 8th Baron Ferrers of ChartleyJohn Devereux, 8th Baron Ferrers of Chartley was an English peer.-Family:He was the eldest son and heir of Anne Ferrers, 7th Baroness Ferrers of Chartley by her husband and consort Walter Devereux, Lord Ferrers of Chartley....
, by whom she had a son, Walter Devereux, 1st Viscount HerefordWalter Devereux, 1st Viscount HerefordWalter Devereux, 9th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, created 1st Viscount Hereford was an English Peer.-Family:...
, and a daughter, Anne Devereux. Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex (1565–1601) was a notable descendant of Walter who in his turn had married Mary Grey, the daughter of Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of DorsetThomas Grey, 1st Marquess of DorsetThomas Grey, 7th Baron Ferrers of Groby, 1st Earl of Huntingdon and 1st Marquess of Dorset, KG , was an English nobleman, courtier and a man of mediocre abilities pushed into prominence by his mother Elizabeth Woodville's second marriage to the king, Edward IV.-Family:Thomas was born about 1455,...
and Cecily Bonville. - Isabel Bourchier (1477- after 1500), died unmarried.
William died on 26 June 1480. Shortly afterwards, Anne married George Grey
George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent
George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent was the son of Edmund Grey, 1st Earl of Kent and Lady Katherine Percy. He was the Second Earl of Kent from 1490 to 1505....
, son and heir of Edmund Grey, 1st Earl of Kent
Edmund Grey, 1st Earl of Kent
Edmund Grey, 1st Earl of Kent , English administrator, nobleman and magnate, was the son of Sir John Grey, KG and Constance Holland...
. As George did not succeed to the title of Earl of Kent until 1490, Anne was never styled Countess of Kent, due to her death in 1489.
The marriage produced one son:
- Richard Grey, 3rd Earl of KentRichard Grey, 3rd Earl of KentRichard Grey, 3rd Earl of Kent was an English peer.-Family:He was a son of George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent and his first wife Anne Woodville. His maternal grandparents were Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers and Jacquetta of Luxembourg....
(1481- 3 May 1524), he died heavily in debt, and without legitimate issue.
Downfall of the Woodvilles
In 1483, the Woodville family fortunes took a downward spiral with the death of King Edward IV in April. Anne's sister, Elizabeth, as the mother of the new young king Edward VEdward V of England
Edward V was King of England from 9 April 1483 until his deposition two months later. His reign was dominated by the influence of his uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who succeeded him as Richard III...
, became the Queen Mother
Queen mother
Queen Mother is a title or position reserved for a widowed queen consort whose son or daughter from that marriage is the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since at least 1577...
; however in June 1483 her marriage to the late King was judged to have been invalid because Edward had been pre-contacted to Lady Eleanor Talbot
Lady Eleanor Talbot
Lady Eleanor Talbot was a daughter of John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury. Her alleged pre-contract of marriage with King Edward IV of England was of great significance to the final fate of the Plantagenet dynasty and outcome of the Wars of the Roses.-Marriage:In 1449, 13-year-old Eleanor married...
. King Edward IV's younger brother 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...
and 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...
claimed the crown for himself on 22 June; this claim was supported by an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
known as Titulus Regius
Titulus Regius
Titulus Regius is a statute of the Parliament of England, issued in 1484, by which the title of King of England was given to Richard III of England....
which declared King Edward V and his siblings illegitimate. Elizabeth, now styled as Dame Grey, was forced to seek sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
with her daughters, while her two sons, the "Princes in the Tower
Princes in the Tower
The Princes in the Tower is a term which refers to Edward V of England and Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York. The two brothers were the only sons of Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville alive at the time of their father's death...
" were kept in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
by the orders of King Richard III. On 25 June 1483, King Richard also ordered the executions of Anne and Elizabeth's brother Anthony Woodville, Earl Rivers, and Richard Grey
Richard Grey
Sir Richard Grey was an English knight and the half-brother of King Edward V of England.Grey was the younger son of Sir John Grey of Groby and Elizabeth Woodville, later Queen Consort of King Edward IV...
who was Elizabeth's younger son by her first marriage to Sir John Grey of Groby
John Grey of Groby
Sir John Grey, of Groby, Leicestershire was a Lancastrian knight, the great-great-grandfather of Lady Jane Grey.-Titles:...
.
Death
Anne Woodville, Viscountess Bourchier, died on 30 July 1489, at the age of about fifty-one years. Her death occurred almost four years after the Battle of Bosworth when King Richard was slain by Henry TudorHenry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
who married Anne's niece Elizabeth of York
Elizabeth of York
Elizabeth of York was Queen consort of England as spouse of King Henry VII from 1486 until 1503, and mother of King Henry VIII of England....
. Anne was buried in Warden, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
.
A year after Anne's death, her husband George married secondly Catherine Herbert, daughter of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke and Anne Devereux, by whom he had four more children.