Lady
Anne de Beauchamp, 16th Countess of Warwick (13 July 1426 – 20
September 1492) was the daughter of Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of
Warwick, and his second wife Lady Isabel le Despenser. Isabel was a
daughter and sole heiress of Sir Thomas le Despenser, 1st Earl of
Gloucester (22 September 1373 – 13 January 1399/1400) and Lady Constance
of York, herself the daughter of Prince Edmund of Langley,
1st Duke of York and Isabel of Castile. As such, Lady Anne was a 2nd
cousin to King Edward IV and Richard III. Lady Anne was the mother of
Lady Isabel, Duchess of Clarence and Lady Anne Neville, queen consort of
England as the spouse of King Richard III.
Lady Anne was born at Caversham Castle in Oxfordshire (now Berkshire). She became the wife of Richard Neville, son and heir of the Earl of Salisbury at a young age. Following the death of Lady Anne's father, and subsequently that of her brother, Henry (who had been created a duke of Warwick), and her niece Lady Anne, her husband Richard Neville (by then 6th Earl of Salisbury) inherited the title and the considerable estates of the Earl of Warwick through her.
However, this was contested by her
three older half-sisters, children of her father's first marriage to
Elizabeth, heiress of Berkeley. One of these, Eleanor, was married to
Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset (killed at the First Battle of St
Albans in 1455). The litigation over the Warwick inheritance only fueled
the enmity between this branch of the Nevilles and the Beauforts who
were closely related. Lady Anne's husband, Richard, was a grandson of
Lady Joan Beaufort, sister to the late Duke's father, the Earl of
Somerset. Law considered that Lady Anne being a full-blooded aunt of the
last countess was more eligible to inherit, regardless of the rule of
primogeniture, which would have dictated the Beauchamp estates would
pass to the eldest - Lady Margaret, Countess of Shrewsbury (d.1468).
Neville himself however had also been a full-blooded uncle to the last
Countess of Warwick. Alternatively, it could have followed the practice
of equal division of lands between heiresses. Richard Neville was able
to successfully keep the estates intact.
Her older daughter, Lady Isabel, married George, Duke of Clarence, the younger brother of King Edward IV of England. By Lady Isabel, she was the grandmother of Lady Margaret Pole (Plantagenet), Countess of Salisbury who was executed under King Henry VIII. Her younger daughter, Lady Anne, was married to Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, the only son of King Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou. When Edward of Westminster was killed in the Battle of Tewkesbury, Lady Anne was married to Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later King Richard III of England. Although their mother was still living, the husbands of the two Neville sisters fought over her inheritance, with Richard eventually coming out on top. However, the son of the Duke of Clarence inherited the earldom of Warwick through his mother. Anne died in obscurity, having survived both her daughters and the sons-in-law who had effectively disinherited her.
Lady Anne was born at Caversham Castle in Oxfordshire (now Berkshire). She became the wife of Richard Neville, son and heir of the Earl of Salisbury at a young age. Following the death of Lady Anne's father, and subsequently that of her brother, Henry (who had been created a duke of Warwick), and her niece Lady Anne, her husband Richard Neville (by then 6th Earl of Salisbury) inherited the title and the considerable estates of the Earl of Warwick through her.
However, this was contested by her
three older half-sisters, children of her father's first marriage to
Elizabeth, heiress of Berkeley. One of these, Eleanor, was married to
Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset (killed at the First Battle of St
Albans in 1455). The litigation over the Warwick inheritance only fueled
the enmity between this branch of the Nevilles and the Beauforts who
were closely related. Lady Anne's husband, Richard, was a grandson of
Lady Joan Beaufort, sister to the late Duke's father, the Earl of
Somerset. Law considered that Lady Anne being a full-blooded aunt of the
last countess was more eligible to inherit, regardless of the rule of
primogeniture, which would have dictated the Beauchamp estates would
pass to the eldest - Lady Margaret, Countess of Shrewsbury (d.1468).
Neville himself however had also been a full-blooded uncle to the last
Countess of Warwick. Alternatively, it could have followed the practice
of equal division of lands between heiresses. Richard Neville was able
to successfully keep the estates intact.Her older daughter, Lady Isabel, married George, Duke of Clarence, the younger brother of King Edward IV of England. By Lady Isabel, she was the grandmother of Lady Margaret Pole (Plantagenet), Countess of Salisbury who was executed under King Henry VIII. Her younger daughter, Lady Anne, was married to Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, the only son of King Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou. When Edward of Westminster was killed in the Battle of Tewkesbury, Lady Anne was married to Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later King Richard III of England. Although their mother was still living, the husbands of the two Neville sisters fought over her inheritance, with Richard eventually coming out on top. However, the son of the Duke of Clarence inherited the earldom of Warwick through his mother. Anne died in obscurity, having survived both her daughters and the sons-in-law who had effectively disinherited her.
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