Cecily Neville
Baz Aveyard
- Regions:
- East Midlands, East Midlands, East Riding, East Riding
- Notice Period:
- Emergency (maybe less than one week's notice)
- Type:
- Historian
- Fee:
- Free
- Category:
- History
- Updated:
- 13th May 2026
- Tagged:
Baz Aveyard’s talk on Cecily Neville explores the life of one of the most powerful and influential women of the Wars of the Roses — a woman who lived through political upheaval, personal tragedy, dynastic conflict, and the rise of the House of York.
Known to history as the “Rose of Raby,” Cecily was the daughter of Joan Beaufort and Ralph Neville and became Duchess of York through her marriage to Richard, Duke of York. As mother of Kings Edward IV and Richard III, and grandmother of Elizabeth of York, her family connections placed her at the very centre of fifteenth-century English politics.
The talk traces Cecily’s remarkable life across a turbulent century marked by rebellion, battle, shifting loyalties, and the collapse of dynasties. Baz explores her role not simply as the wife or mother of powerful men, but as a politically aware and influential figure in her own right, managing estates, navigating crises, and maintaining the prestige of the Yorkist cause through years of uncertainty and loss.
Drawing on chronicles, family networks, monuments, and surviving historical evidence, the presentation also examines the devastating human cost of the Wars of the Roses, as members of Cecily’s own family were repeatedly caught up in conflict, execution, and betrayal.
Accessible, engaging, and grounded in ongoing historical research, the talk brings Cecily Neville and the world of the late medieval aristocracy vividly to life while exploring how one woman helped shape the future of the English crown.
Views: 20 | Enquiries: 0About Baz Aveyard
Barry Aveyard is an independent historian, researcher, and speaker specialising in late medieval England, with particular interests in Katherine Swynford, the Beaufort family, and the dynastic politics of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Based in Lincoln, Barry combines rigorous historical research with an engaging and accessible presentation style that has made him a popular speaker with U3A groups, local history societies, and heritage audiences across England.
A former nurse academic and qualified teacher, Barry previously authored several nursing textbooks before turning his attention fully to historical research and writing. He is currently writing his first full-length history book, Matriarch of the North: Joan Beaufort, Daughter of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt, exploring the remarkable influence of Joan Beaufort and her descendants on the political landscape of medieval England.
Barry’s work focuses particularly on challenging myths and oversimplified narratives surrounding medieval women. His research explores the lives of figures such as Katherine Swynford not simply as romantic heroines, but as politically significant and influential women operating within the realities of medieval society. His talks draw upon primary sources, chronicles, monuments, and local landscapes to bring the medieval world vividly to life.
Alongside his speaking engagements, Barry writes the historical blog Katherine Swynford: A Life Well Lived, where he shares ongoing research, reflections, and explorations of medieval Lincolnshire and the wider Plantagenet world.
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