Cecily Neville: Mother of Richard III

by John Ashdown-Hill

An intriguing new biography of the fifteenth-century Duchess of York and mother to two kings of England.   Wife to Richard, Duke of York, mother to Edward IV and Richard III, and aunt to the famous Kingmaker, Richard, Earl of Warwick, Cecily Neville was a key player on the political stage of fifteenth-century England.   She is rumored to have been known as the Rose of Raby because of her beauty and her birth at Raby Castle, and as Proud Cis because of her vanity and fiery temper, But Cecily’s personality and temperament have actually been highly speculated upon. In fact, much of her life is shrouded in mystery. Aside from Cecily’s role as mother and wife, who was she really?   Matriarch of the York dynasty, she navigated through a tumultuous period and lived to see the birth of the future Henry VIII. From seeing the house of York defeat their Lancastrian cousins; to witnessing the defeat of her own son, Richard III, at the battle of Bosworth, Cecily then saw one of her granddaughters become Henry VII’s queen consort. Her story is full of controversy, and the few published books on her life are full of guesswork. In this highly original history, Dr. John Ashdown-Hill—renowned for his role in locating the long-lost remains of Richard III in 2012—seeks to dispel the myths surrounding Cecily using previously unexamined contemporary sources.  Includes illustrations

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, British Literature

461 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 30, 2018

About the author

Louis John Frederick Ashdown-Hill MBE FSA (5 April 1949 – 18 May 2018), commonly known as John Ashdown-Hill, was an independent historian and author of books on late medieval English history with a focus on the House of York and Richard III of England. Ashdown-Hill died 18 May 2018 of motor neurone disease.

Reviews

[Pauline Calkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This biography of Cecily Neville, mother of two kings, is based on the author's meticulous research. Beginning with her genealogy, her childbearing years, and ending with an analysis of her will, the author presents a credible account of her life. Along the way, he challenges some famous myths, most notably the story that her son Edward IV was fathered by an archer named Blaybourne. Worthwhile reading for any Ricardian.

[Melisende · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ashdown-Hill attempts to discern as much as possible about this woman - mother of two Kings of England. He doesn't delve into a history of the Wars of the Roses, but keeps the narrative on track. He dispenses with the mythology surrounding Cecily and instead presents the facts - as known and at times meagre and contradictory - in an attempt to bring order into her timeline.

What I enjoyed most: the inclusion of documents and her legacies; notes on those in her inner circle; the use of the appendix at the end to tackle the mythology of "the rose of raby" and other loose ends.

I also have Amy Licence's "Cecily Neville: Mother of Kings" - it will make for an interesting comparison.

[Carole P. Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always informative as well as entertaining, John Ashdown-Hill fills in the shadows that are the mother of a dynasty. With meticulous care, he explains Cecily's genealogy and writes a credible account of her life. Using new sources, it's not only a book about the mother of two kings, but a woman's place in the middle ages. I love his books. They are both enjoyable reading and a wonderful picture into the distant past.

[ConstantReader]

John Ashdown-Hill's "Cecily Neville: Mother of Richard III" is the third biography of Cecily published in the recent years. As usual, Ashdown-Hill's book is written in the form of a myth-buster and shines a new light on Cecily's life.
The author started from the beginning, describing Cecily's childhood, family and youth. There are also chapters dedicated to her married life. Ashdown-Hill also explored Cecily's childbearing history, showing that some of the accepted facts are not facts at all. For example, he extensively discussed origin of the rumours that Edward IV was a product of Cecily's adulterous affair with an archer called Blaybourne.
I always like reading Ashdown-Hill's books because he usually shows a different perspective, questions the already existing sources and digs deeper than other historians.
This beautifully illustrated book is a joy to read and it's also a very important study because Ashdown-Hill carried out a lot of research into the DNA of the House of York. His findings are included in this, as well as his other, books.
I highly recommend this book to all history enthusiasts because it' opens a window into the past. A must read!

[Camille · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really struggled with this one and quite frankly had to put it down.

I commend Ashdown-Hill for what he did with this book. You can tell right from the start that there has been a tremendous amount of research. The author tries to be honest about the shortcomings of writing about a historical figure when you don't always have evidence of what's happened in his or her life. He relies on primary sources, which is always good in my book, and I really liked the illustrations, which helped make the subject more vivid.

However, I got bogged down by Ashdown-Hill going on tangents about other characters. While they were all part of Cecily's life in one way or another, at times it really slowed down everything. I started getting confused about who was who and I just lost interest. Maybe it was a way of filling up the book, as unfortunately there is a limit to what you can write about Neville.

Also be warned that if you aren't used to read history books, this book is not for you. It definitely isn't for the average reader. I studied history so I am used to going through scholarly books, and even I struggled.

Disclaimer - I received a free digital copy courtesy of Pen&Sword History and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

A meticulously researched book by John Ashdown-Hill, Cecily Neville: Mother of Richard III is well written and appealing to those interested in the 15th century. As with other females throughout the past, there was apparently a severe lack of true documentation describing her life. Most writers would have steered clear of attempting to fill those gaps but Ashdown-Hill has seemingly melded what was scanty and myth-filled with new resources to produce a fascinating story about the wife of Richard Plantagenet, the Duke of York.
Full Disclosure: I was allowed to read a copy of this book for free as a member of NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not influenced to give a positive review.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you netgalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Cecily Neville is my 16th great grandmother. I imagine she is the 16th great grandmother of millions. That's why I was interested in this book.

Dr. Ashdown-Hill is careful with history. I appreciate that. This book makes clear the problem of genealogy for anyone using the popular web based genealogy sites. It is so easy to copy and spread inaccurate information. This book makes clear how little actual facts are known about Cecily Neville. What is known, is laid out in an interesting easy to read fashion.

I enjoyed reading about the movements of the royal court and all the intrigue. Who would have guessed that a book about Cecile Neville would be a page turner? This story is so well written that it is!

Side note: I did take the "The Rose of Raby" moniker off my ancestry page.

[Kristin]

2.5 stars

I would like to thank netgalley and Pan and Sword for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Cecily Neville seems to become almost a footnote in her own biography. Ashdown-Hill goes on unuseful and uninteresting tangents. The book can't make up its mind between being a academic and population biography.

There are some interesting points about Cecily, the chapters on her later life more interesting, as they are more focused on her.

[Jaci McCon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Pen and Sword via NetGalley.

While Cecily Neville is certainly not an obscure historical person, very little has been written to focus on her own life and the impact that it had on the course of history. This title was refreshing in that it attempted to single her out in history and focus on presenting as much we can possibly know about her. Throughout the text, Ashdown-Hill sorts through the facts as we have them and the speculative aspects of Cecily’s story. The book was extremely well researched and pieced together much of Cecily’s life and the time period that she lived in. At times, the discussion became a bit repetitive and/or read more like a research dissertation which slowed down my own reading of the text. Occasional interjections by the author regarding his own experiences or opinions felt a bit out of place in an otherwise formally presented history.   

However, one of the disadvantages presenting a book on such a focused subject with limited facts and an (understandable) unwillingness of the author to guess at truth is that a number of gaps in a story that begs to be told. Ashdown-Hill’s writing and attention to detail made this an enjoyable read for a self-proclaimed history buff. I have read quite a few other works about the War of the Roses, the Plantagenets, and the Tudors, and my hope was that this book would take a much deeper dive into this era via Cecily’s narrative. Disappointingly, and by no fault of the author, her story falls a bit short of the level of detail that someone already familiar with the tale would desire, simply because there is so much about Cecily that, as Ashdown-Hill points out, we do not know. As a result, I found myself wishing that he had filled in the holes of the narrative with more details about her children, the transfer of the crown, or the time period itself (even though the book is about Cecily and not the English civil wars as a whole). Taken as a scholarly text, rather than a biography, will help readers approach this book with appreciation.

[Michelle Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cecily Neville
Mother of Richard III
by Dr John Ashdown-Hill
Pen & Sword
Pen and Sword History
Biographies & Memoirs , History
Pub Date 30 Apr 2018
I am reviewing a copy of Cecily Neville Mother of Richard III through Pen and Sword and Netgalley:


Though no one can be certain Cecily Neville was believed to have been born on May.3 1415 at Ruby Castle. It is believed too that she was the youngest of the twenty two known children of Ralph Neville who was the first Earl of Westmorland.


It is said that Cecily gave birth to twelve children but not all of them survived!


Richard is believed to have been born in February or March of 1441/2

It is rumored that Cecily has been known as the Rose of Raby because of how beautiful she was as well as her birth at Raby Castle, another nickname was said to have been Proud Cis because she was said to have been vain as well as having a fiery temper, but that is only speculation. Her life is in-fact shrouded in mystery.


It is known that Cecily was the Matriarch of the York dynasty. She lived through a tumultuous time and lived to see the birth of the future king Henry VIII. She saw the house of York defeat their Lancastrian cousins to watching the defeat of her own son Richard III, at the battle of Bosworth, as well as seeing one of her own granddaughters become Henry VIII Queen Consort!

I give Cecily Neville five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

[Amanda Lavelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kindly received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It is with a head hung in embarrassment that I admit that prior to reading this book I did not know much of Cecile Neville, other than she was the mother of Richard lll and the Neville family had been very wealthy and influential. That's not overly surprising if you consider, as the author points out at the beginning of this book, that very little actual evidence of her life still remains. I think the author does a good job of trying to fill in some of the blanks and it is written in an engaging style. On a personal note of enlightenment, as an East Midlander who lives a stone throw away from Leicester, I had no idea what a hotbed of Royal activity it has seen in past years. Obviously in recent years they discovered the remains of Richard lll in that famous car park, and to my delight I noted in this book that in 1426 a 15 year old Richard, Duke of York received his knighthood. Who knew? I'll be scouring future royal history books I read for any other mentions of this illustrious place!
Some lovely pictures in this book, which are well distributed throughout the text, which I appreciate as opposed to just lumping them all together in the middle of the book. Would recommend for anyone wanting to expand their knowledge in this area.

[Ionia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very well-researched and well-thought-out book about the mother of Richard the Third. I was highly interested in this book, as there are quite a few books out there about important women during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, but not many that specifically deal with Cecily Neville.

Although the records that have come down to us are incomplete, as is most often the case with any historical figure before a certain date, I thought the author did an exemplary job of filling in the gaps with logical reasoning and a history of the rest of her family, making for a book that is both scholarly and yet, enjoyable to read.

This book would be great for anyone who wants to know where the infamous Richard III came from, as well as anyone who wishes to know more about Cecily Neville herself. The writing style makes this book easy to read and to follow and kept my interest from beginning to end.

I would definitely recommend this book to others, especially scholars that are interested in this period. It was informative and a pleasure to read.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cecily Neville is a fascinating person from an intriguing time period in history. I love reading and learning about fifteenth and sixteenth century Britain England. Although the subtitle mentions Neville as the mother of Richard the third, she is much more than simply a mother or wife. This book goes into her life and all the change and drama she sees in it. She sees joys as the mother of a King and yet tragedy as he falls. Dr John Ashdown-Hill approaches this book in an academic yet easy to read and understand manner. He decided to dismantle the myths and go for a factual views instead. This is an excellent read and I feel I learned so much about a time period I thought I already had a good knowledge of. This book would be enjoyed by anyone wanting to learn about history or more about the story of Cecily Neville. Thanks so much to Netgalley for the ARC!! This book is a true 5 stars out of 5!!

[Suzanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

More 2.5 stars than 2 - I wanted to like this more than I did but found it quite hard work in places. The author has made a valiant job in attempting to reconstruct a medieval woman's life from the primary sources without getting swamped by her prominent male kinfolk, and he draws on a wider range of disciplines than documentary history to do so. There were, however, too many notes that jarred - for example, a weird section on being a middle aged woman that could have done with an edit by a middle aged woman, and a hyper-partisan approach to Cecily's familial relationships that requires some contortions to maintain (including accusing Elizabeth Woodville of committing murder without a shred of proof). This may be a more engaging read to those of a strongly pro-Yorkist, anti-Woodville bent.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pros: mostly thoroughly fact based although he does occasionally toss off a conjecture; does not re-rehearse the entire wars of the roses and the controversies about Richard III.
Cons: I didn't expect there to be so many really dull moments. I don't really care about what happened to every known named person who worked for Cecily. But I could skip over those. Also, it was hard to read the quotations from lengthy documents because the spelling was not modernized - I understand the reason for this and perhaps I was just having a lazy week, but I didn't want to work that hard.
Unfortunately Prof. Ashdown-Hill died not long ago so there won't be any more of his refreshingly fact based books. But there are a lot I still haven't read as he's quite prolific.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book free via Net Galley for an honest review. This is a well researched book that goes through the life of Cecily Neville. You can tell that the author used various sources of records to write this book. In cases where sources conflicted each other, he showed the discrepancies. If you are interested in learning more about the mother of Edward IV and Richard III, then I recommend this book. Please note that this is not a story, but a well researched account of Cecily Neville’s life.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ironically, in trying to explain the tangled weave of family relations and politics in the War of the Roses, Ashdown-Hill confuses rather than clarifies with the hard to follow stilted family trees and endless lists of babies and marriages.

Also, the fact that this book is filled with charts, maps, lists, family trees, drawings, and graphs leaves one feeling there was a need for filler to pad things out.

[Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating biography of Cecily Neville, and it was good to read about her as a standalone subject rather than as someone's mother/aunt/wife etc.
Meticulously researched as one would expect from this author, this is an enjoyable read for anyone interested in this period of history.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance ARC copy of this book.

[Angie and the Daily Book Dose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to the generosity of Pen & Sword Books and Net Galley I received a free ebook copy of this book to review.

Detailed review to be forthcoming... I need to cool down a bit.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review via Netgalley.

This was a meticulously researched book, and I was very impressed from the start about old inaccuracies being cleared up about Cecily Neville.

I enjoyed reading more about Cecily also, where I had only come across her as a secondary story in another person’s book. Though I thought it a shame the book had to be subtitled ‘the Mother of Richard III’ and linking her book to a man, even though he was one of her sons.

I would certainly like to read more books by this author.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ended really abruptly. Will have to think on it a bit. Full review to come. Received free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

See my full review on my blog: https://allthebookblognamesaretaken.b...

[Ioanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a detailed work of historical research about Cecily Neville, mother of Edward IV and Richard III. We follow her life from birth until death, learning all possible facts about her upbringing, family, and surrounding environment.

The book is obviously expertly researched, with as much information about Cecily Neville as anyone could possibly find. There are detailed genealogy charts, as well as thorough narratives of the lives of both Neville and her husband. I found the chapter about DNA and dental research particularly intriguing. All in all, it is a very interesting and useful book for the fans of history, as well as for researching students.

[Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and informative. Exactly what I would expect from this learned and talented writer. Brings this proud yet pious woman back to life in it's pages.

[Kenzie Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

The women who bore the Kings of the War of the Roses. Cecily Neville is an amazing figure and it was amazing to hear about her life, things that aren't commonly known. amazing book. recommend highly

[Poppy]

A thoughtful and interesting reflection on the life of an understated and often neglected, but incredibly important character during the War of the Roses. I cannot agree with the author's often unsubstantiated claims against Elizabeth Widville, nor am I convinced by their attempt at rehabilitating Richard III in spite of the omission of what I consider damning evidence, however I thoroughly appreciated the fresh and detailed look at the fascinating life of Cecily Neville.