Mary of York

Mary of York
Mary of York
House House of York
Father Edward IV
Mother Elizabeth Woodville
Born 11 August 1467(1467-08-11)
Windsor Castle, Berkshire
Died 23 May 1482(1482-05-23) (aged 14)
Greenwich Palace, London
Burial St George's Chapel, Windsor

Mary of York (11 August 1467 – 23 May 1482) was the second daughter of Edward IV of England and his queen consort Elizabeth Woodville.

Contents

Family

She was a younger sister of Elizabeth of York and an older sister of Cecily of York, Edward V of England, Margaret Plantagenet (Princess of York), Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York, Anne of York, George Plantagenet, Duke of Bedford, Catherine of York and Bridget of York.

Marriage proposals

Little is known about the second York princess except that she was born in Windsor Castle, and one of her sponsors was Cardinal Bourchier. There were reportedly plans to marry her to Hans (heir and future King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden) but nothing came of them; Hans married Christina of Saxony in 1478.

Lady of the Garter

In 1480, Mary was named a Lady of the Garter along with her younger sister Cecily of York. Their older sister Elizabeth had already been a Lady of the Garter since 1477.

Death and burial

Mary died at Greenwich on 23 May 1482, and was buried in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. At the east end of St. Georges chapel an excavation was performed, in 1817, in the solid bed of chalk, of the two stone coffins containing the bodies of Mary and her brother George. The coffin of Mary was opened, the beautiful girl of fifteen who had died a year before her father; a shock of her pale gold hair had insinuated itself through the chinks of the coffin; the eyes were pale blue and open, but turned to dust however soon after the admission of air. Some of the hair was cut off by Henry Halford who in turn passed it to Agnes Strickland.

References

  • Nicolas, Harris, Nicholas., Privy Purse Expenses of Elizabeth of York
  • Strickland, Agnes., Lives of the queens of England from the Norman conquest, p. 372

Ancestry