The New Murrey and Blue blog

For Ricardians the name de la Pole conjures thoughts of John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln. And maybe too of his father, John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk, whose effigy lies at Wingfield Church in Suffolk with his duchess Elizabeth of York. She was a daughter of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and therefore a sister of both Edward IV and Richard III. The elder John de la Pole had escaped an earlier match to Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII.

Another de la Pole is also buried at Wingfield Church,  Michael de la Pole, 2nd Earl of Suffolk, (1367 to 17 September 1415) who died of dysentery fighting for Henry V at the Siege of Harfleur. I’ve read that the effigies are true likenesses, so I have to say that in the top illustration above, even in armour he looks a little shorter, slender figure beside his wife Elizabeth Mowbray. Not that she appears enormous, only average, so I wonder if he was indeed slight in build. But that’s my musing, not anything factual.

Elizabeth was the daughter of Thomas Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk, who was a very prominent, if not to say notorious figure in the reign of Richard II, see the ODNB.

I have already written about this tomb’s struggle with deathwatch beetle and the fact that it had been funded for restoration. See this link (ADD PINGBACK TO MY 17.9.23 BUZZ). Well, that rescue work has now commenced, as you can read here and here. I do hope it’s in time to preserve this important medieval monument.

But the resting places in the church aren’t the only interesting Wingfield connection with the de la Poles, because Wingfield Castle, was their residence and naturally has numerous associations with them too, as this article demonstrates.

There is a book about the castle, by Elaine Murphy, about which you can learn more if you go here.