Born: 1415, 3 May.
Place of Birth: Raby Castle, Staindrop, County Durham, England
Died: May 31, 1495 in Berkhamsted Castle, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. Buried St Mary and All Saints Church, Fotheringhay.
Parents: Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland, 4th Baron Neville de Raby and Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland.
Marriages: Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York.
Children: Anne St Leger Duchess of Exeter, Henry Plantagenet of York, Edward IV King of England, Edmund Plantagenet Earl of Rutland, Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk, Margaret Plantagenet Duchesse of Bourgogne, William Plantagenet of York, Thomas Plantagenet of York and Joan Plantagnet of York.
Occupation:
Notes: Her maternal grandparents were John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, and Katherine Swynford. John of Gaunt was the third surviving son of Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault.
She was the aunt of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, one of the leading peers and military commanders of his generation, and also the great-great-great-aunt of the queen consort Catherine Parr, sixth wife of her great-grandson, King Henry VIII.
Cecily was called "the Rose of Raby", because she was born at Raby Castle in Durham, and "Proud Cis", because of her pride and a temper that went with it. Historically she is also known for her piety. She herself signed her name "Cecylle".
After the battle of Bosworth, Cicely withdrew into retirement at Berkhamsted Castle where she lived a life of strict religious observance and piety. Henry VII gave her new grants of income, although she does not seem to have attended the court. On her death in 1495, she gave bequests to both King and Queen, and her great-grandsons, Princes Arthur and Henry.
