The New Murrey and Blue blog

Ralph Neville (about 1406 to 1484) was the son of Sir John Neville and Elizabeth Holland. Sir John was the eldest son of Ralph Neville, Earl of Westmorland by his first wife, Margaret Stafford, while Elizabeth was one of the late 14th Century’s answer to the Mitford Sisters, the Holland sisters who married anyone who was anyone, daughters of Thomas Holland Earl of Kent and Alice Fitzalan.

As the eldest son of an eldest son, Ralph was in line to his grandfather’s title from day one. However, the title was (almost) all he got into his hands. A cuckoo had got into the Neville nest in the shape of his step-grandmother, Joan Beaufort, who contrived to divert most of the Neville inheritance first to herself and then to her eldest son, Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury.

In 1426 Westmorland (as he had become) had licence to enter into such lands as he had left. He also married Elizabeth Percy, the daughter of Hotspur and widow of Lord Clifford. They had one son together, Sir John Neville, who in turn married Lady Anne Holland, daughter of the Duke of Exeter. But he died in 1450 and it may be that the marriage was not consummated.

Westmorland subsequently (by 1442) married Margaret Cobham, 4th Baroness Cobham, daughter and heiress of Reginald Cobham, 3rd Baron Sterborough, 3rd Lord Cobham, and sister-in-law of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester. With her he had one daughter, Margaret, who died young.

It was only natural that Ralph should attempt to retrieve some of the Neville inheritance. In 1443, an arbitration granted him Raby Castle but the rest remained with Salisbury.

Westmorland was only lightly involved in the Wars of the Roses, if at all. He seems to have suffered from some kind of mental issue, although what it was and how serious its effect is not clear. For a time he was looked after by his younger brother, Sir Thomas, but Thomas died in 1458 and no one seems to have taken over the role. Maybe Westmorland had recovered, or was only mildly ill in the first place. Another brother, Sir John died at Towton on the Lancastrian side.

In later years Ralph seems to have been on reasonable terms with Richard, Duke of Gloucester, effectively accepting his ‘good lordship’. He did not attend Richard’s Coronation, but he was an old man by the standards of the time and may well have become infirm.