Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland
| Joan Beaufort | |
|---|---|
| Countess of Westmorland | |
Joan's tomb, the smaller tomb, next to the tomb of her mother, Katherine Swynford
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|
| Spouse(s) |
Robert Ferrers, 5th Baron Boteler of Wem Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland |
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Issue
Elizabeth Ferrers, 6th Baroness Boteler of Wem
Mary Neville, Countess of Westmorland Katherine Neville, Duchess of Norfolk Eleanor Percy, Countess of Northumberland Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury Robert Neville, Bishop of Durham William Neville, 1st Earl of Kent Edward Neville, 3rd Baron Bergavenny Lady Anne Neville Cecily Neville, Duchess of York George Neville, 1st Baron Latimer John Neville Cuthbert Neville Thomas Neville Henry Neville Joan Neville |
|
| Noble family | Beaufort |
| Father | John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster |
| Mother | Katherine Swynford |
| Born |
c. 1379 Château de Beaufort, Anjou |
| Died | 13 November 1440 Howden, Yorkshire |
| Buried | Lincoln Cathedral, Lincolnshire |
Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland (c. 1379 – 13 November 1440), was the fourth of the four children (and only daughter) of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, and his mistress, later wife, Katherine Swynford. In her widowhood, she was a powerful landowner in the North of England.
She was probably born at the Swynford manor of Kettlethorpe in Lincolnshire. Her surname probably reflects her father's lordship of Beaufort in Champagne, France, where she might also have been born. In 1391, at the age of twelve, Joan married Robert Ferrers, 5th Baron Boteler of Wem, at Beaufort-en-Vallée, Anjou. They had two daughters before he died in about 1395.
Along with her three brothers, Joan had been privately declared legitimate by their cousin Richard II of England in 1390. Her parents were married in Lincoln Cathedral in February 1396. Joan was already an adult when she was legitimized by the marriage of her mother and father with papal approval. The Beauforts were later barred from inheriting the throne by a clause inserted into the legitimation act by their half-brother, Henry IV of England, although it is not clear that Henry IV possessed sufficient authority to alter an existing parliamentary statute by himself, without the further approval of Parliament. Soon after the legitimation, on 3 February 1397, when she was eighteen, Joan married Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland, who had also been married once before.
When Ralph de Neville died in 1425, his lands and titles should, by law of rights, have passed on to his grandson through his first marriage, another Ralph Neville. Instead, the bulk of his rich estate went to his wife, Joan Beaufort, even though the title Earl of Westmorland and several manors were passed to the grandson. This may have been done to ensure that his widow was well provided for, but by doing so, Ralph essentially split his family into two, and the result was years of bitter conflict between Joan and her stepchildren, who fiercely contested her acquisition of their father's lands. Joan, with her royal blood and connections, was far too powerful to be called to account, and the senior branch of the Nevilles received little redress for their grievances. Inevitably, when Joan died, the lands would be inherited by her own children.
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