Anne Leger, Duchess of Exeter

Anne of York, Duchess of Exeter

Anne of York, Duchess of Exeter (10 August 1439 – 14 January 1476) was the first child and eldest surviving daughter of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville. She was thus an elder sister of Kings Edward IV (1461-1483) and Richard III (1483-1485); and of Edmund, Earl of Rutland, Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk, Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy and of George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence.

Anne married twice and divorced her first husband:

In 1447 aged eight years old, Anne was married to Henry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter (1430-1475). During the Wars of the Roses Exeter sided with the House of Lancaster against his wife's family the House of York. Exeter was a commander at the great Lancastrian victories at the Battle of Wakefield and Second Battle of St Albans. He was also a commander at the Lancastrian defeat at the Battle of Towton. He fled to the Kingdom of Scotland after the battle, and then joined Margaret of Anjou in her exile in France, queen consort of the Lancastrian King Henry VI. On 4 March 1461 Anne's younger brother Edward, Duke of York, was declared in London as King Edward IV. Exeter was attainted but the new king gave his estates to Anne, with remainder to their daughter Anne Holland. Anne and Exeter separated in 1464 and divorced in 1472. During the Readeption of Henry VI, Anne remained loyal to her brother Edward, and, in what seems to have been her only intervention in politics, worked hard to persuade her brother George, Duke of Clarence, to abandon the Lancastrian cause. If not decisive, her arguments certainly had some effect and thus she played some part in Edward's restoration.

By the Duke of Exeter Anne had one daughter, Anne Holland (c. 1455 – between 26 August 1467 and 6 June 1474), who [1] was married in October 1466[1] at Greenwich Palace to Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset, son of Edward IV's queen Elizabeth Woodville by her first husband. Lady Dorset died sometime between 26 August 1467 and 6 June 1474 without progeny. Grey subsequently married Cecily Bonville, 7th Baroness Harington, another rich young heiress, by whom he had issue.[2]

Anne married secondly in about 1474 to Thomas St. Leger (c.1440-1483), a loyal follower of his brother-in-law King Edward IV (1461-1483). He took part in the Duke of Buckingham's attempted rebellion against King Edward's younger brother and eventual successor King Richard III (1483-1485), on the failure of which he was executed in 1483. King Edward IV had however in 1467 extended the remainder of most of the former Duke of Exeter's lands to his sister Anne and to any heirs of her body. Thus, if she remarried any future children could inherit them.

Anne died giving birth to her only daughter by Thomas, Anne St. Leger (14 January 1476 – 21 April 1526), who due to the special remainder was heiress to the estates of her mother's first husband Henry Holland.[4] She married George Manners, 11th Baron de Ros, and was mother of the royal favourite Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland.

In August 2012, a dig to find the remains of King Richard III took place in Greyfriars, Leicester. In September, it was reported that remains had been found during the dig. The remains were tested using the mitochondrial DNA of Canadian Michael Ibsen.[5] Mitochodrial DNA (mDNA) is inherited unbroken from mother to offspring along a female line. Michael is a 17th generation descendant of Anne of York by his mother Joy, herself a direct female descendant.[6] The results of the DNA testing were officially announced on 4 February 2013, when University of Leicester researchers said that it was "beyond reasonable doubt" that a battle-scarred skeleton unearthed in 2012 was the king, who died at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

Anne died and was buried on 1 February 1476 in the St Leger Chantry, forming the northern transept of St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, founded in 1481 by her husband,[7] "with two priests singing forevermore". It was later named the Rutland Chantry in honour of her son-in-law George Manners, 11th Baron de Ros (whose effigy, with that of his wife Anne St Leger, is situated in the chantry), father of Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland. A Monumental brass in memory of Anne of York and her husband Sir Thomas St Leger survives on the east wall of the St Leger Chantry inscribed as follows:

• "Wythin thys Chappell lyethe beryed Anne Duchess of Exetur suster unto the noble kyng Edward the forte. And also the body of syr Thomas Sellynger knyght her husband which hathe funde within thys College a Chauntre with too prestys sy’gyng for ev’more. On whose soule god have mercy. The wych Anne duchess dyed in the yere of oure lorde M Thowsande CCCCl xxv"

The arms above Anne show her paternal arms of the Dukes of York: in the dexter half the royal arms of England, emphasising their descent from Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence (1338–1368), third son of King Edward III (on which basis the House of York claimed the throne), who married Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster (1332–1363). Their daughter Philippa de Burgh married Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March, whose son Roger de Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, was the great-grandfather of King Edward IV; In the sinister half are shown in chief: Or a cross gules (de Burgh) and in base: Barry or and azure, on a chief of the first two pallets between two base esquires of the second over all an inescutcheon argent (Mortimer).

From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_of_York,_Duchess_of_Exeter

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• Anne Plantagenet1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13
• F, #27004, b. 10 August 1439, d. 12 January 1476
• Father Sir Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, 6th Earl of March, 8th Earl of Ulster, Protector of England2,14,4,5,6,15,9,10,11,16 b. 21 Sep 1411, d. 31 Dec 1460
• Mother Cecily Neville2,14,4,15,9,16 b. 3 May 1415, d. 31 May 1495
• Anne Plantagenet was born on 10 August 1439 at Fotheringhay Castle, Fotheringhay, Northamptonshire, England.2,3,4,8,9,13 She married Sir Henry Holand, 2nd Duke of Exeter, Earl of Huntingdon & Ivry, Admiral of England, Ireland, & Aquitaine, son of Sir John Holand, 3rd Duke of Exeter, Earl of Huntingdon & Ivry, Admiral of the South & West, Earl Marshal of England, Admiral of England, Ireland, & Aquitaine and Anne Stafford, before 30 July 1447; They had 1 daughter (Anne, wife of Sir Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset).2,3,4,8,9,10,13 Anne Plantagenet and Sir Henry Holand, 2nd Duke of Exeter, Earl of Huntingdon & Ivry, Admiral of England, Ireland, & Aquitaine were divorced on 12 November 1472.17,2,3,4,8,9,13 Anne Plantagenet married Sir Thomas St. Leger, Sheriff of Surrey & Sussex, son of John St. Leger, Esq., Sheriff of Kent and Margerie Donnett, after 12 November 1472; They had 1 son (Anthony) and 1 daughter (Anne, wife of Sir George Manners, 11th Lord Roos of Helmsley).2,3,4,6,7,8,9,11,12,13 Anne Plantagenet died on 12 January 1476 at age 36; Buried in a chantry in St. George's Chapel, Windsor, Berkshire.2,3,4,8,9,13
• Family 1 Sir Henry Holand, 2nd Duke of Exeter, Earl of Huntingdon & Ivry, Admiral of England, Ireland, & Aquitaine b. 27 Jun 1430, d. Sep 1475
• Child
  • Anne Holand18,2,19,3,5,10 d. a 4 Jan 1473
• Family 2 Sir Thomas St. Leger, Sheriff of Surrey & Sussex b. c 1435, d. 12 Nov 1483
• Child
  • Anne St. Leger+20,3,6,8,11,13 b. c 1476, d. 21 Apr 1526
• Citations
• [S8382] Unknown author, The Lineage and Ancestry of HRH Prince Charles, by Gerald Paget, Vol. 1, p. 25; Plantagenet Ancestry of 17th Century Colonists, by David Faris, p. 257.
• [S5] Douglas Richardson, Plantagenet Ancestry, p. 300-301.
• [S5] Douglas Richardson, Plantagenet Ancestry, p. 795-796.
• [S16] Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd Edition, Vol. II, p. 136-137.
• [S16] Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd Edition, Vol. II, p. 304-305.
• [S16] Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd Edition, Vol. III, p. 125.
• [S16] Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd Edition, Vol. III, p. 424.
• [S16] Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd Edition, Vol. IV, p. 406.
• [S4] Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, Vol. II, p. 540.
• [S4] Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, Vol. III, p. 160-162.
• [S4] Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, Vol. IV, p. 24.
• [S4] Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, Vol. IV, p. 458.
• [S4] Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, Vol. V, p. 454.
• [S5] Douglas Richardson, Plantagenet Ancestry, p. 794-795.
• [S16] Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd Edition, Vol. IV, p. 403-405.
• [S4] Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, Vol. V, p. 451-453.
• [S11568] The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom, by George Edward Cokayne, Vol. V, p. 215.
• [S11568] The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom, by George Edward Cokayne, Vol. IV, p. 418.
• [S5] Douglas Richardson, Plantagenet Ancestry, p. 359.
• [S5] Douglas Richardson, Plantagenet Ancestry, p. 489.
• From: http://our-royal-titled-noble-and-commoner-ancestors.com/p899.htm#i... _________________
• Anne Plantagenet
• F, #101638, b. 10 August 1439, d. 12 January 1476
• Last Edited=22 May 2004
• Consanguinity Index=2.36%
• Anne Plantagenet was born on 10 August 1439 at Fotheringhay Castle, Fotheringhay, Northamptonshire, England.1 She was the daughter of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and Lady Cecily Neville. She married, firstly, Henry de Holand, 2nd Duke of Exeter, son of John de Holand, 1st Duke of Exeter and Anne Stafford, before 30 July 1447.2 She and Henry de Holand, 2nd Duke of Exeter were divorced on 12 November 1472.1 She married, secondly, Sir Thomas St. Leger in 1472/73.1 She died on 12 January 1476 at age 36 in childbirth.1 She was buried at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, England.1
• From before 30 July 1447, her married name became de Holand. From 1473, her married name became St. Leger. As a result of her marriage, Anne Plantagenet was styled as Duchess of Exeter.
• Child of Anne Plantagenet and Henry de Holand, 2nd Duke of Exeter
  • Anne de Holand1 b. c 1455, d. 1475
• Child of Anne Plantagenet and Sir Thomas St. Leger
  • Anne St. Leger+1 b. 1466, d. 21 Apr 1526
• Citations
• [S11] Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy (London, U.K.: The Bodley Head, 1999), page 134. Hereinafter cited as Britain's Royal Families.
• [S11] Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Families, page 97.
• From: http://www.thepeerage.com/p10164.htm#i101638 ____________________________
• Anne Plantagenet Saint Leger
• Birth: Aug. 10, 1439 Fotheringhay, Northamptonshire, England
• Death: Jan. 12, 1475 Windsor, Berkshire, England
• English Aristocracy. Born the second child, though first surviving, of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and Lady Cecily Neville, at Fotheringhay Castle. Her younger brothers included Edward IV and Richard III of England. She married Henry de Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter, about 1447, and with him had one daughter. They divorced in November of 1472, and she then married Thomas St. Leger, Controller of the Mint. She died due to complications from the birth of their only daughter. (bio by: Iola)
• Family links:
• Parents:
• Richard Plantagenet (1411 - 1460)
• Cecily de Neville Plantagenet (1415 - 1495)
• Spouse:
• Thomas Saint Leger (1442 - 1483)*
• Children:
  • Anne Saint Leger Manners (1475 - 1526)*
• Siblings:
• Anne Plantagenet Saint Leger (1439 - 1475)
• Henry Plantagenet (1441 - ____)*
• King Edward IV (1442 - 1483)*
• Edmund Plantagenet (1443 - 1460)*
• Elizabeth Plantagenet of York De la Pole (1444 - 1503)*
• Duchess Margaret Of York (1446 - 1503)*
• William Plantagenet (1447 - ____)*
• John Plantagenet (1448 - ____)*
• George Duke of Clarence (1449 - 1478)*
• Thomas Plantagenet (1451 - ____)*
• King Richard (1452 - 1485)*
• Ursula Plantagenet (1455 - ____)*
• Burial: St George's Chapel, Windsor, Windsor and Maidenhead Royal Borough, Berkshire, England
• Find A Grave Memorial# 84147833
• From: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=84147833 ________________

1. The history and antiquities of the seigniory of Holderness, in the East-Riding of the county of York: including the abbies of Meaux and Swine, wwith the priories of Nunkeeling and Burstall (Google eBook) George Poulson, William Dade. R. Brown, 1841 - Holderness (England). Page 90

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• Links:
• https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Grey,_Thomas_(1451-1501)_(DNB00)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_of_York,_3rd_Duke_of_York
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Holland,_3rd_Duke_of_Exeter
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecily_Neville,_Duchess_of_York
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Grey,_1st_Marquess_of_Dorset
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_St._Leger
• http://www.geneall.net/U/per_page.php?id=1983
• http://histfam.familysearch.org/getperson.php?personID=I8323&tree=E...
• http://histfam.familysearch.org/getperson.php?personID=I10166&tree=...

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