John Neville, Baron Neville facts for kids

John Neville, Baron Neville (born around 1410 – died 29 March 1461) was an English nobleman. He fought for the House of Lancaster during the Wars of the Roses, a series of battles for the English throne.

John Neville belonged to an older, less wealthy part of the Neville family from northern England. This part of the family had lost their inheritance to a younger, richer branch led by John's uncle, Richard, Earl of Salisbury. John and his brothers spent years arguing and fighting with Salisbury over this family inheritance.

When the Wars of the Roses began, John Neville chose to support the Lancastrian side. His younger Neville cousins, however, sided with the House of York. John gained a lot when the Yorkists were defeated in 1459. He received many of his rivals' lands and was made a baron.

In 1460, when Richard of York returned to England and claimed the throne, Lord Neville pretended to be his friend. But he switched back to the Lancastrian side just before the Battle of Wakefield. York fought, likely thinking Neville would join him, but was instead attacked and killed. Lord Neville himself was killed shortly after in an ambush before the Battle of Towton in 1461. His son later became the Earl of Westmorland.

Who Was John Neville?

His Family and Early Life

The family crest of the Neville family, showing a red shield with a silver cross and a blue lily in the middle.

John Neville was born around 1410. He was the second son of Sir John Neville and Elizabeth Holland. His father was the oldest son of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland, from his first marriage.

John had two brothers, Ralph Neville, 2nd Earl of Westmorland, and Sir Thomas Neville. He also had a sister named Margaret.

Around 1452, John Neville married Anne Holland. She was the daughter of John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter. Anne had been married before to John's nephew, Sir John Neville. Anne lived longer than John and married a third time, but she had no more children. She died in 1486. John and Anne had one son:

• Ralph Neville, 3rd Earl of Westmorland, who became his heir. Ralph later managed to get his father's legal punishment (called an attainder) reversed in 1472. He also inherited the title of Earl of Westmorland from his uncle.

Life as a Nobleman

The Neville Family Feud

In the 1430s, John Neville's older brother, the Earl of Westmorland, had a big fight with their uncle, the Earl of Salisbury. This was almost like a private war over who would inherit certain lands and titles. John joined his brother and played a key role in this struggle.

A letter from 1438 reported that the rival Neville families had "assembled great routs and companies upon the field." This meant they gathered large groups of armed men. They caused "great and horrible offences" and engaged in "slaughter and destruction" of people in northern England.

This family dispute was unfair because the Earl of Salisbury was much richer and had more powerful friends in the nobility and church. He was also related to the royal family. Salisbury won most of the dispute. The families seemed to make peace in 1443, but the agreement mostly favored the Earl of Salisbury. The older Neville family members still felt angry about this.

This family rivalry meant that when the political troubles of the 1450s began, each part of the family chose different sides. When Salisbury and his son, the Earl of Warwick, supported Richard, Duke of York, the older Neville branch supported the House of Lancaster. This turned their family feud into a bigger part of the Wars of the Roses.

After the 1443 agreement, John's brother, the Earl of Westmorland, mostly stopped being involved in national politics. So, Queen Margaret of Anjou tried to get John Neville to join her side against the Duke of York and the earls of Salisbury and Warwick.

Sir John Neville was called to a big meeting in Leicester in May 1455. York, Salisbury, and Warwick expected to be accused of crimes at this meeting. So, they attacked the royal party at St Albans. They won, and the Duke of York briefly became a protector of the kingdom.

After the queen regained control, she encouraged John Neville and his family to restart their rivalry with Salisbury in the north. In 1457, when Salisbury's brother, Robert, the Bishop of Durham, died, the queen made her own supporter, Laurence Booth, the new bishop. Booth quickly replaced Salisbury's relatives with members of John Neville's family in important church jobs. Sir John became a leading judge in Durham. He also received some of the late bishop's money.

The Wars Begin

After the Yorkist lords were defeated and fled at Ludford in October 1459, Sir John Neville received many rewards. These were mostly lands and jobs that had been taken from the Earl of Salisbury. On November 20, 1459, he was made a lord, becoming Lord Neville. This happened during a special parliament that declared York and the younger Nevilles to be traitors.

On December 19, for his "good services against the rebels," he was made the leader of Salisbury's castles, Middleham and Sheriff Hutton. He also received some of the lands taken from the Yorkist Sir John Conyers. In Durham, Lord Neville became the leader of Barnard Castle and the head forester of Teesdale forest, receiving a yearly payment. In March 1460, he received even more from Salisbury's lands.

Lord John showed his support by gathering men for the Lancastrian side. However, they were defeated at the Battle of Northampton in July 1460. He seemed to accept the new government set up by the Earl of Warwick after the battle. He was called to parliament and seemed to be trusted by the Yorkists at first.

Neville was not at the Parliament in October where Richard, Duke of York claimed the throne. He was even given a job to fight against the Lancastrian "rebels" gathering in the north. But instead, he joined them! He attended Queen Margaret of Anjou's gathering in Yorkshire and helped destroy the northern lands of the Yorkist lords. The Yorkist government, seemingly unaware of this, still gave him another important job in December.

From Wakefield to Towton

In December, the Duke of York himself marched north to deal with the queen's quickly growing army. Lord Neville visited him, pretending to be an ally. He even received permission to gather men for the duke. But instead, he joined the enemy with his new recruits.

He was with the Lancastrian army at the Battle of Wakefield on December 30, where York was defeated and killed. John's uncle and enemy, the Earl of Salisbury, and his son Sir Thomas Neville were also killed. One idea about why Richard of York left the safety of Sandal Castle to fight the stronger Lancastrian army is that he thought John Neville would arrive to help him. But Neville switched sides as soon as the duke left his castle.

Lord Neville joined the queen's army, which marched south and looted towns along the way. His troops especially attacked Beverley on January 12, 1461. On January 20, in York, John, his brother the Earl of Westmorland, and other lords agreed to give Berwick to the Scots in exchange for their help.

Neville likely fought at the second Battle of St Albans on February 17. There, his cousin the Earl of Warwick, leading the Yorkists, was defeated. In March, the Yorkists again marched north. This time, they were led by Richard of York's son, Edward, who was now King Edward IV.

Neville and his cousin Lord Clifford led a group that ambushed the Yorkist army's front line at the Battle of Ferrybridge on March 28. As they were retreating north towards the main Lancastrian army, they were caught in a counter-ambush. This was led by John Neville's uncle, William, Lord Fauconberg, who was from the younger Neville branch. This happened in a valley called Dintingdale, near the village of Saxton. Neville, Clifford, and most of their men were killed.

The Battle of Towton the next day secured the English throne for the House of York. On November 4, 1461, Neville was declared a traitor, and his lands were taken by the crown. This left his wife without support. John's son and heir, Ralph Neville, later managed to get his father's attainder reversed on October 6, 1472. Ralph later became the Earl of Westmorland after John's older brother died without children.

Neville Family Crest

Lord John Neville's coat of arms was the traditional Neville family crest. It had a red shield with a silver cross. To show he was from a specific branch of the family, it also had a blue lily in the middle.