Royal Travel: finding the women of the Wars of the Roses

The White Queen and her rivals are rare in English history - a group of women at the heart of the action and all from the British Isles.  Finding the birthplace of most queen consorts of England involves a ferry or plane trip to the continent and while there tracking down their burial place as many are interred abroad.  But the women of the Wars of the Roses spent most of their lives in the country they helped fight over so visiting the places they frequented is a bit easier if all you have is a spare Saturday afternoon and a roadmap. OK, you can't do it right now as we all stay inside to save lives but one day we will be able to venture out again. So either use this to make plans or just read and let your mind wander. Here's a wander in the footsteps of the women of the Wars of the Roses.

Elizabeth Woodville was born in the very heart of England.  Northamptonshire is almost bang slap in the middle of the country and she began life there in 1437 in a village then called Grafton.  At some point it may have been known as Grafton Woodville as her father's family were the most prominent in the area.  The oak tree where she met Edward is meant to be in Potterspury, not that far away, but it's believed their wedding took place in the Hermitage in Grafton and the most basic ruins of that building are still visible today.

It looked a lot nicer on the day that Edward IV married Elizabeth Woodville - Grafton hermitage in Northamptonshire

Henry VIII is the reason it's now called Grafton Regis - he acquired the manor in his granny's old home village and spent a lot of summer days there.  Not surprising really, it's gorgeous.  You can pay to go on walks around the village, guided by local historians, and the village pub has the suitably royal, historical name of The White Hart - derived from Richard II's emblems.

Grafton Regis village and walks

Thanks to Henry, there's no way of seeing the place where Elizabeth died.  Bermondsey Abbey was pulled down in the Dissolution of the Monasteries just over forty years after she died there.  But the queen consort of Edward IV was given a royal burial next to her king and still rests by his side in St George's Chapel, Windsor.  Their graves are clearly marked and Elizabeth, the commoner, is now buried alongside several other kings and queens of England in this most royal of settings.

Windsor Castle by sunset, the last resting place of Elizabeth Woodville and Edward IV

(Photo by DAVID ILIFF. License: CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Elizabeth's great rival and her ultimate ally, the Red Queen, was born just down the road from the White Queen.  And like Elizabeth, Margaret Beaufort's birthplace is hidden now behind the façade of a perfect English village.  Maggie was born in Bedfordshire, at Bletsoe Castle. 

The village of Beltsoe in Bedfordshire was the site of the castle where

Margaret Beaufort was born in 1443

The medieval castle was incorporated into later buildings and is all but gone now.  The building on the site isn't open to the public but the village, about twenty five miles from Grafton, is pretty and filled with history and the local pub is the suitably grand sounding The Falcon.  Like Elizabeth's village of Grafton the local church is St Mary's.  The two women were far more similar than either would have liked.

Village website of Bletsoe, birthplace of Margaret Beaufort

Anne Neville was a Warwick girl and that's where her life is remembered and celebrated.  She was born at Warwick Castle which is now a major tourist attraction and the story of The Kingmaker's Daughter, not to mention her dad and very wealthy mum, are remembered in their former home.

Warwick Castle is now a major draw for holidaymakers and daytrippers

(photo Gernot Keller)

Warwick Castle website

But the one place that unites all three women is Westminster Abbey. Like all royal women and men they have a link to Westminster.  Elizabeth and Anne were both crowned there while Margaret saw the culmination of her ambitions for her son, Henry Tudor, in the abbey when his coronation was held there in 1485.  Elizabeth claimed sanctuary there twice - in 1470 when Warwick changed sides and briefly put the Lancastrian king, Henry VI, back on the throne and then again in 1483 after the death of her husband, Edward IV.  And both Anne and Margaret are buried there although it took until 1960 for Anne's grave to be marked when a plaque was placed there by the Richard III Society.

Westminster Abbey in the heart of London is linked to all three women who played such a big role in the Wars of the Roses 

(photo Christine Matthews)

 Westminster Abbey website