1st Duke of Lancaster John of Gaunt

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• Reference Number: 11217

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John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (second creation), KG (6 March 1340 - 3 February 1399) was a member of the House of Plantagenet, the third surviving son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. He was called "John of Gaunt" because he was born in Ghent, rendered in English as Gaunt.

As a younger brother of Edward, Prince of Wales (The Black Prince), John exercised great influence over the English throne during the minority of his nephew, Richard II, and during the ensuing periods of political strife, but was not thought to have been among the opponents of the king.

John of Gaunt's legitimate male heirs, the Lancasters, included Kings Henry IV, Henry V, and Henry VI. His other legitimate descendants included his daughters Queen Philippa of Portugal, wife of John I of Portugal and mother of King Edward of Portugal, and Elizabeth, Duchess of Exeter, mother of John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter, through his first wife, Blanche; and by his second wife, Constance, John was father of Queen Catherine of Castile, wife of Henry III of Castile and mother of John II of Castile. John fathered five children outside marriage, one early in life by a lady-in-waiting to his mother, and four surnamed "Beaufort" by Katherine Swynford (after a former French possession of the Duke), Gaunt's long-term mistress and third wife. The Beaufort children, three sons and a daughter, were legitimized by royal and papal decrees after John and Katherine married in 1396; a later proviso that they were specifically barred from inheriting the throne ('excepta regali dignitate') was inserted with dubious authority by half-brother Henry IV. Descendants of this marriage included Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester and eventually Cardinal; Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland, grandmother of Kings Edward IV and Richard III; John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, the great-grandfather of King Henry VII; and Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scots, from whom are descended, beginning in 1437, all subsequent sovereigns of Scotland, and successively, from 1603 on, the sovereigns England, of Great Britain and Ireland, and of the United Kingdom to the present day. The three preceding houses of English sovereigns from 1399 - the Houses of Lancaster, York and Tudor - were descended from John through, respectively, Henry Bolingbroke, Joan Beaufort and John Beaufort.

When John died in 1399, his estates were declared forfeit as King Richard II had exiled John's son and heir, Henry Bolingbroke, in 1398, for 10 years for killing another nobleman. Bolingbroke returned from exile to reclaim his inheritance and deposed Richard. Bolingbroke then reigned as King Henry IV of England (1399-1413), the first of the descendants of John of Gaunt to hold the throne of England.

John of Gaunt was buried beside his first wife, Blanche of Lancaster, in the choir of St Paul's Cathedral. Their magnificent tomb had been designed and executed between 1374 and 1380 by Henry Yevele with the assistance of Thomas Wrek, at a total cost of £592. The two alabaster effigies were notable for having their right hands joined. An adjacent chantry chapel was added between 1399 and 1403.

From: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_Gaunt,_1st_Duke_of_Lancaster)


Buried:
Old St Paul's Cathedral

Died:
Leicester Castle

John — Katherine Swynford. Katherine (daughter of Payne De Roet) was born 25 Nov 1350, Somme, Picardie, France; died 10 May 1403, Lincolnshire, England. [Group Sheet]

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• Reference Number: 3722

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Birth:
Château de Beaufort

Buried:
Lincoln Cathedral

Joan — Ralph Neville. Ralph (son of John Neville and Maude De Percy) was born 1364, Raby, Durham, England; died 21 Oct 1425, Raby, Durham, England. [Group Sheet]

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• Reference Number: 38146

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• Reference Number: 38147

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• Reference Number: 38148

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• Reference Number: 10397

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George Neville, 1st Baron Latimer or (Latymer) (died 30 December 1469) was an English peer.

George Neville was the fifth son of Ralph de Nevill, 1st Earl of Westmorland, by his second wife Lady Joan Beaufort, daughter of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster. He succeeded to the Latymer estates on the death of his half-uncle John Nevill, 6th Baron Latimer, in 1430 (see Baron Latimer), and on 25 February 1432 he was summoned to Parliament as Baron Latimer.

Lord Latimer later fought in Scotland in 1436, was a Justice of the Peace for Cumberland in 1437 and admitted to the Privy Council in 1439.

In 1437, Lord Latimer married Lady Elizabeth (1417-1480), daughter of Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick, by his first wife, Elizabeth Berkeley. They had five children:

Katherine Neville, who died childless.
Sir Henry Neville (d. 26 July 1469), who married Joan Bourchier, daughter of John Bourchier, 1st Baron Berners, and Marjorie Berners.
Thomas Neville, of Shenstone, Staffordshire.
Jane Neville, who married Oliver Dudley.
George Neville.

George Neville appears to have suffered from some form of dementia in his later years, as he was described as an "idiot," and the guardianship of his lands was given to his nephew, Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, the Kingmaker. George Neville, Lord Latimer, died on 30 December 1469 and was succeeded in the barony by his grandson Richard, his eldest son Sir Henry Neville having predeceased him by several months, dying at the Battle of Edgecote Moor, 26 July 1469.

From: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Nevill,_1st_Baron_Latymer)


Buried:
Priory Church

George — Elizabeth Beauchamp. Elizabeth (daughter of Richard Beauchamp and Elizabeth Berkley) was born 10 Sep 1415; died 18 Jun 1447. [Group Sheet]

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• Reference Number: 38050

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Katherine Neville or Catherine de Neville (born c. 1397 - died after 1483) was the eldest daughter of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland (1364-1425) and Joan Beaufort (c. 1379-1440), daughter of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster by his mistress (later, 3rd wife) Catherine de Roet.

Katherine was married firstly to John Mowbray, 2nd Duke of Norfolk (1392-1432). Their only known child was:
John de Mowbray, 3rd Duke of Norfolk (1415-1461).

Katherine married secondly, Thomas Strangeways (c. 1395-before 1442) - they had 2 daughters:
Joan Strangeway, married Sir William Willoughby.
Catherine Strangeway

She married thirdly John, Viscount Beaumont, who was killed in 1460.

Her fourth and last marriage was infamous, and known by contemporaries as the 'diabolical marriage' - she married John Woodville, brother of Elizabeth Woodville, Edward IV's queen. He would have been barely twenty at the time of their marriage - she in her mid to late sixties. Yet she survived even him as he was executed in 1469 during the brief period of time that her nephew - Richard, Earl of Warwick (The 'Kingmaker') had usurped the authority of the crown. She was still alive in 1483, having survived all the descendents of her first marriage.

From: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Katherine_Neville)

Katherine — John Mowbray. [Group Sheet]

Katherine — Thomas Strangeways. Thomas was born Abt 1395; died 1442. [Group Sheet]

Katherine — John Beaumont. John died 1460. [Group Sheet]

Katherine — John Woodville. [Group Sheet]

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• Reference Number: 38058

Eleanor — Richard le Despenser. [Group Sheet]

Eleanor — Henry Percy. Henry died 1455. [Group Sheet]

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• Reference Number: 38071

Richard — Alice Montague. [Group Sheet]

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• Reference Number: 38083

William — Joan Fauconberge. [Group Sheet]

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• Reference Number: 38091

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• Reference Number: 38092

Edward — Elizabeth de Beauchamp. Elizabeth died 18 Jun 1446. [Group Sheet]

Edward — Katherine Howard. [Group Sheet]

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• Reference Number: 38102

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• Reference Number: 38103

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Birth:
Raby Castle

Died:
Berkhamsted Castle

Cecily — Richard Plantagenet. Richard was born 21 Sep 1411; died 30 Dec 1460. [Group Sheet]

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• Reference Number: 38090

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• Reference Number: 38112

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• Reference Number: 38113

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• Reference Number: 38114

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• Reference Number: 38115

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• Reference Number: 10413

Henry — Joanna Bourchier. Joanna was born Abt 1437. [Group Sheet]

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• Reference Number: 15570

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He was invested as a Knight on 4 May 1471 at Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England, by Edward IV. He succeeded to the title of 2nd Lord Abergavenny on 18 Oct 1476. On 12 Jan 1476/7 he had livery of the lands of his parents, but he never had seizin of Abergavenny.

George married Margaret Fenne Abt 1466, Scoulton, Norfolk, England. Margaret (daughter of Hugh Fenne) died 28 Sep 1485. [Group Sheet]

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• Reference Number: 38046

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• Reference Number: 38047

Jane — Oliver Dudley. [Group Sheet]

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• Reference Number: 38049

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• Reference Number: 38055

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• Reference Number: 38053

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• Reference Number: 38054

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• Reference Number: 38061

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• Reference Number: 38062

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Died:
Battle of Northampton

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• Reference Number: 38063

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Died:
Battle of Towton

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• Reference Number: 38064

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• Reference Number: 38065

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• Reference Number: 38066

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• Reference Number: 38067

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• Reference Number: 38068

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• Reference Number: 38069

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• Reference Number: 38070

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• Reference Number: 38073

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• Reference Number: 38074

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• Reference Number: 38075

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• Reference Number: 38076

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• Reference Number: 38077

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• Reference Number: 38078

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• Reference Number: 38079

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• Reference Number: 38080

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• Reference Number: 38081

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• Reference Number: 38082

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• Reference Number: 38085

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• Reference Number: 38086

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• Reference Number: 38087

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• Reference Number: 38088

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• Reference Number: 38089

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• Reference Number: 38094

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• Reference Number: 38095

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• Reference Number: 38096

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• Reference Number: 38097

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• Reference Number: 38099

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• Reference Number: 38100

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• Reference Number: 38101

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• Reference Number: 38105

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• Reference Number: 38106

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• Reference Number: 38107

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• Reference Number: 38108

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• Reference Number: 38109

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• Reference Number: 38110

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• Reference Number: 38111

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February 4, 2013
Parking Lot Remains Confirmed to Belong to Richard III
By Sarah Pruitt

In September 2012, news broke that archaeologists had discovered two sets of remains buried beneath a municipal parking lot in the city of Leicester, believed to be the site of the former priory of Grey Friars Church. One set of remains was identifiably female, while the other appeared to be a possible candidate for King Richard III. The 15th-century English ruler, accused by his critics of being a murderous tyrant, died on the battlefield in 1485 at the hands of soldiers loyal to the rival House of Tudor. For the past five months, a team of archaeologists, historians, genealogists and geneticists has worked feverishly on proving the identity of the remains. In a news conference today, the University of Leicester research team confirmed one of the most exciting archaeological finds in recent history, announcing that the DNA testing has proved "beyond reasonable doubt" that the remains found are in fact those of Richard III.

Richard III may have ruled England for only two years, but he stands out in many minds as one of the country’s most notorious kings. At the age of 32, he was killed during the Battle of Bosworth Field, in which his supporters faced off against the army loyal to Henry Tudor (the future Henry VII). After his death, Richard’s powerful Tudor enemies demonized the last Plantagenet king as a brutal, corrupt tyrant who ordered the murder of his two young nephews in the Tower of London, among other heinous crimes. Later scholars have viewed Richard in a more favorable light, however, emphasizing contemporary accounts of his progressive leadership (including measures to help the poor, provide legal protection for accused criminals and ease censorship of the printed word) and the lack of hard evidence linking him to the young princes’ disappearance.

Archaeologists first decided to dig up the site in Leicester after ground-penetrating radar showed that the former Grey Friars priory was not located underneath a 19th-century bank building (as had been suspected) but under a municipal parking lot across the street. They broke ground in late August, and within days found what they were looking for-a medieval church and garden, along with two sets of human remains-within days.

The male skeleton was found in a corner of the church’s chapel, in the exact spot where 16th-century Tudor historian John Rouse reported that Richard III was buried after his death on Bosworth Field (some 20 miles from Leicester). It showed skull trauma consistent with a battlefield injury, and had a visible spinal curvature likely caused by scoliosis. Such a condition would explain the hunchback appearance that became Richard’s most identifying physical characteristic. (His detractors-notably William Shakespeare, who penned an eponymous play about the king-emphasized and exaggerated this physical deformity, using it as a symbol of his evil character.)

Soon after finding the remains, the University of Leicester team announced they would be testing them against DNA samples of Richard’s family’s modern-day descendants. Over the five months that followed, as the DNA analysis was being completed, the team confirmed through additional tests that the body was of a man in his late 20s or early 30s, with a diet rich in meat and fish, characteristic of a wealthy 15th-century Englishman. In addition, radiocarbon dating of two rib bones indicated the owner had died between 1455 and 1540 (Richard was killed in 1485). The team also found that the remains showed various injuries consistent with Richard’s battlefield wounds as well as with those injuries likely inflicted by Tudor soldiers as they carried the dead king on horseback to Leicester, including dagger thrusts to the cheek, jawbone and lower back. The wound on his skull (believed to have caused his death) may have been inflicted by a halberd, a medieval weapon that was a lethal combination between a spear and battleaxe.

Finally, in today’s news conference, lead archaeologist Richard Buckley announced that DNA testing had confirmed “beyond reasonable doubt” that the remains found under the parking lot are in fact of King Richard III. According to geneticist Turi King, samples taken from two modern-day descendants of Richard’s family matched the remains found at the site. One of the descendants is Michael Ibsen, a Canadian-born furniture maker and the son of a 16th-generation niece of King Richard’s; the other has chosen to remain anonymous. Now that the identity is confirmed, University of Leicester officials say that remains will be buried sometime early next year in Leicester’s Anglican cathedral, some 100 yards from where they were found.

Buried:
Grey Friars Church

Died:
Battle of Bosworth Field