According to Caroline Halstead in Richard III As Duke Of Gloucester And King of England, the White Rose derives from Clifford Castle (near Hay-on-Wye). It therefore came to the York family as part of their inheritance from the Mortimers, who had themselves inherited Clifford Castle.
But why is Clifford Castle associated with a white rose? The answer may be that one of its early owners, Walter Clifford (aka Walter FitzRichard) was the father of Rosamund Clifford, mistress of Henry II. Rosamund was known as the Fair Rosamund or Rose of the World (rosa mundi.)
Was Rosamund the reason a rose was associated with Clifford Castle? It’s impossible to be sure, but it seems as likely an origin as any other. After all, her father was so proud of the castle that he adopted its name as his own.
The New Murrey and Blue blog 
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