Neville Household Main Base: Sheffield

 Contact Address: 86 Blake St, Walkley Sheffield S6 3JR

Contact E-mails:
Neville Chair - to ask us to come to your event

Neville Secretary - general enquiries

Neville Treasurer - membership enquiries

Web admin - Liz Laycock (me!), for more information on getting involved in medieval practices you can contact Medieaval Society at Sheffield University (term time only)

Group Size: about 40 or so

What we do: The Neville Household participates in Fed shows around the country, as well as local shows for charities and also at Peveril castle, Castleton (some of the pictures in our photo album are from this show). We demonstrate fighting techniques, weaponry and clothing of the period. We have VERY close links with the University of Sheffield Medieaeval Society, why not have a look at their homepage for more information.

You can also see some of our joint publicity:
1) The Steel Press Issue 29 March 2000 (Sheffield University Medieval Society)
2) Selby Times - Selby Fun day 2000

Getting involved: We welcome all, regardless of whether you are a student or not! Women can participate on the field with us (not just as water carriers) - as long as they are appropriately dressed and safe - just the same with the men by the way!

How much it costs! We will show you how to make your own medieaval clothing - everyone in our household has a go (you can decide to buy better kit when you know if you like the hobby or not) At present boot leather will set you back about £16, the tools to sew it about £5. Linen for men's shirt about £8, wool for hose and doublet about £25. You may want to invest in some nice buttons or the like, we can recommend medieaval traders who will supply you. We can lend you a steel helm or a metal 'secret' (to wear under a hat) for your first season. We can lend you weaponry for your first season (or beyond!). You also need a pair of gloves. Membership of the household is £2 for the first year and £5 after that. It might sound expensive, but making your own clothing and kit is one of the cheapest ways to get started, and you can spread the cost slightly by buying materials a bit at a time over the winter.

 Dates for local events 2001

At Peveril Castle, Castleton (photo album)...

 (7) 8 & 9 July 2001

Please check with English Heritage events list to ensure these are correct before you travel!

The shows are small (approx. 8 - 12 people) and give a display and talk through the weapons and fighting techniques of the times of the Wars of the Roses. This is a good event to attend if you want to find out more about joining in with re-enactment.
We will try and camp over like last time (which is a laugh!)
Neville Houshold livery coat

History: Here is a link to an introduction to the Wars of the Roses. To the participants in the wars of the roses, or more particularly to Neville's father at this roleplaying site...It is reproduced here for convenience, but the original text (ONLY) is at the following address (as 5/5/99 and is credited to Steve Coltman. http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/ Realm/3405/ theplayercharacters.html#SalisburyNeville. This gives an overview to the background involving the Neville family. The second link, to Richard Neville (the Earl of Warwick) gives more iformation about the kingmaker, and can be found below.  Another good link on Richard Neville can be found at infoplease.

Richard, Earl of Salisbury (b.1400 k.1460) - The father of Richard Neville (the Kingmaker)

Salisbury was the architect behind the Neville's rise to power. He engineered a series of brilliant marriages for his brothers, sisters, sons and daughters so that no other noble house could compete with the junior house of Neville. But this brought resentment from others, particularly the Percies who were the Nevilles' main rivals in the North. The Neville/Percy feud helped spark the violence of the Wars of the Roses. 1420/4, Richard was Warden of the West March toward Scotland. In 1425, while serving as Constable of Pontefract, he married Alice de Montacute, heiress to the Earl of Salisbury. In 1429 Richard was created Earl of Salisbury in right of his wife. He served as proxy for the Duke of Bedford at Henry VI's coronation. During 1429/30, he went on an embassy to Scotland. In 1431, he served in France. 1432/3 found Richard Warden of the West March again and rewarded with the office of Keeper of the Forests North of the Trent. In 1434, he was made sole Warden of the Northern Marches but resigned a year later. 1436 found him in France again with the Duke of York. In 1440, he was in conflict with the senior branch of the Nevilles over estates in Durham and Yorkshire in his mother's jointure. The Court intervened in Salisbury's favour and the Earl of Westmorland was permanently impoverished by this result. In 1447, Salisbury helped arrest Duke Humphrey of Gloucester at Bury St. Edmunds. In 1452, he sided with the Court against York and helped persuade York to lay down his arms at Dartford. But in 1453, he was permanently alienated by King Henry's attempt to give the Lordship of Glamorgan to the Duke of Somerset. (Glamorgan was considered part of the Earldom of Warwick.) Salisbury was also told to keep his sons in order after clashes with the Percies. Salisbury became Chancellor in York's first protectorate in 1454 but was replaced in 1455 when the King recovered. Salisbury and Warwick both fought with York against the Court at St. Albans. 1457 saw more Percy/Neville conflict. In 1458, Salisbury paid his share of the wergild for those killed at St. Albans. This was followed by "Loveday", Salisbury being paired with Somerset. At Blore Heath, in 1459, Salisbury defeated a larger force under Lord Audley but fled Ludford Bridge to Calais with his son the Earl of Warwick and the Earl of March, York's heir. Along with the other rebels, he was attainted by the Parliament of Devils. In 1460, Salisbury landed at Sandwich with Warwick. He held London for the Yorkists during the Northampton campaign. Going North with York at Christmas, he was captured at Wakefield and beheaded.

Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick (1428 - 1471) The 'Kingmaker'

from http://infoplease.lycos.com/ce5/CE054963.html

Richard Neville was nicknamed the Kingmaker. Through his grandfather, Ralph Neville, 1st earl of Westmorland, he had connections with the house of Lancaster; he was also the nephew of Cecily Neville, wife of Richard, duke of York. Through his wife, Anne de Beauchamp, he inherited the earldom of Warwick and the vast Beauchamp estates. Thus by virtue of his family and lands, Warwick was the most powerful noble in England and the principal baronial figure in the Wars of the Roses.

Yorkist Leader

With his father, the earl of Salisbury, Warwick supported Richard of York in his bid for the protectorship of Henry VI (1454) and took up arms when York lost his office. Warwick was largely responsible for the Yorkist victory at the first battle of St. Albans (1455) and was appointed to the strategic post of governor of Calais. In 1459 when fighting broke out again, York, Salisbury, and Warwick were forced to flee the country, but in 1460 they returned and captured the king at the battle of Northampton. The queen, Margaret of Anjou, raised an army in the north, defeated and killed York and Salisbury at Wakefield (1460), and defeated Warwick and recaptured Henry at the second battle of St. Albans (1461). But York's son, Edward, won the battle of Mortimer's Cross (1461), entered London, and was proclaimed king as Edward IV.

Rising against Edward IV

Henry and Margaret were decisively defeated at Towton (1461), and Edward was crowned. Warwick was now the most powerful man in England, and the Nevilles received extensive royal favors; but Edward resented the earl's domination. In the midst of negotiations by Warwick to marry Edward to Bona of Savoy, the sister-in-law of Louis XI of France, the king announced (1464) that he had secretly married Elizabeth Woodville. Edward now favored a Burgundian alliance against France, the Woodvilles received favor, and Warwick was gradually pushed into the background.

He formed an alliance with the king's brother George, duke of Clarence, to whom he married his daughter, against Edward's orders. Together they rose against Edward in 1469, defeated the king's forces, and placed Edward in captivity. By the end of the year, however, Edward had regained control, and in 1470, after another abortive rising, Warwick and Clarence fled to France. There Louis XI persuaded them to make up their differences with Margaret of Anjou, and in Sept., 1470, Warwick invaded England as a Lancastrian, defeated Edward (who fled abroad), and restored Henry VI. Within six months Edward secured Burgundian aid, landed in England, and was joined by Clarence. Edward and Warwick met in battle at Barnet; the earl was defeated and was slain in flight.

Although an able diplomat and a man of great energy, Warwick owed much of his greatness to his birth and marriage. By the marriage of his daughter to Clarence and the marriage after his death of another daughter to the duke of Gloucester, later Richard III, all of Warwick's property went to the royal house.

Bibliography

See P. M. Kendall, Warwick the Kingmaker (1957, repr. 1987).

A bad reproduction of the heradry of Richard Neville from the Rous Roll. (The Rouse Roll, by John Rous. published by Alan Sutton 1980.) If you notice any mistakes in tincture, please let me know!