The Origin of the Woodvilles

The Woodvilles arrived, fully formed as it were, on the scene in the early 15^th Century. Their origins are completely obscure. Yet, by the time they come into history, they were clearly people of some substance, although not in the top rank of society. Richard Woodville, who became the first Earl Rivers, was a man of some means and was well placed in royal service. His father, also Richard, was not insignificant either. He was the second son of John Woodville, who had served as Sheriff of Northampton and had made his way in life through royal service. As the second son he could not inherit the Woodville estates but he appears to have done enough for himself to acquire some land in Kent, where he raised his children with his wife Joan Bedlisgate (Bittlesgate).  The Bedlisgates had Beauchamp connections. He was brought up, and educated,  in the same household as Henry, Prince of Wales, later Henry V, and this obviously stood him in good stead. He did military service in France and in 1423 was appointed Chamberlain to the Duke of Bedford. After Bedford’s death in 1435 he was made Lieutenant of Calais and in 1436 given the post of Constable of Rochester Castle. He did well for himself and neither he nor his children were from mean or humble stock. 

This has to be emphasised as there is a tendency to dismiss the Woodvilles as insignificant because they had no royal blood in their veins.

Redvers

Except that may be a possibility. When Richard Woodville took the name Earl Rivers he and his family probably knew something about their origins that has not survived on record, that  they were descendants of the highly placed Redvers family from Conquest times.

Richard de Redvers was a supporter of William the Conqueror’s eldest son, Robert Curthose, but switched his allegiance to the youngest, who became Henry I after the death of William II in 1100. Redvers was highly trusted by Henry I and he rewarded him with the barony of Plimpton in Devon and the Lordship of the Isle of Wight. In addition he had inherited estates in the Contention region in Normandy and the Vexin. Redvers was rich and powerful.

There is some argument about the 1^st Earl of Devon, whether it was Richard or his son Baldwin. Most now agree that Matilda, Henry I’s daughter, created Baldwin de Redvers as the first earl in 1141, during her brief moment of power. The male succession died out in 1262 and the title and lands passed to his sister, Isabella, known as Isabella de Fortibus. She died in 1293, having outlived all of her six children. The earldom of Devon passed to cousins, the Courtenay family and the Isle of Wight was sold to the Crown.

When Richard Woodville chose the title of Baron Rivers in 1448 (later elevated to Earl Rivers in 1466) he must have (let us assume) had in mind some connection to the illustrious Redvers family. One assume that this matter was discussed with the heralds and they presumably endorsed the claim, most likely through a female descendant. None of this speculation can be supported by documentary evidence but it is plausible. When he was created earl, Rivers added an escutcheon of a gold griffin on a red background to his coat of arms. The Redvers coat of arms was a gold lion rampant on a red shield. It is tempting to infer that this was a homage to his supposed Redvers lineage.

Woodville

At this point we may turn to the name Wydville, or Woodville, as it was represented in the 15^th Century. This does not sound like a name of English origin although at least one website has offered Woodwell in Northamptonshire as a possible origin for the name. I think that this is unlikely and it probably comes into the category of Norman place names that attached themselves to the invading families in 1066, names like, Geneville, Neuville, Longueville are examples. 

Wood is an English word with no equivalent in French, so I am tempted go with the sound of the word and look for something similar in France. There is an "Oudeville", a small village in Seine-Maritime, which may be a candidate for the name. I don't know enough about how the name of this village developed, but if you think about the pronunciation of the French word for "yes" - oui (pronounced by the English as "we") you can see how the name Wydeville might have developed while in England.

The Wydeville coat of arms, before ennoblement, was a simple one, in itself an indication of some antiquity. Beginning in the 14th century and gathering pace in the 15th century, coats of arms became more complex. The example below shows the Knight of the Garter crest of Earl Rivers. The original Wydeville device is now part of a complex of quarterings, and, as noted above, the Griffin appears to be a nod to the Redvers heritage.

Redvers and Woodville

 This is speculative, but we can imagine a scenario where a man, a knight of Oudeville stock married a Redvers woman and their descendants acquired the corrupted surname of Wydeville or Woodville.

Whatever their origins the Woodvilles, when they emerge in the 15^th Century, were a well-established gentry family with manors in south Northamptonshire, none of which had been acquired overnight. A Walter de Wydeville makes an appearance in a dispute with the Abbot of Grestain in 1235. Walter had jurisdiction over the Hundred Court of Cleyly, so he was not without influence or standing in the community.