Who would be the Lancastrian monarch of England? (Heir to the House of Lancaster)

Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him, Horatio.

There's just one major problem with this chart. During the Lancastrian era, the Kingdom of England did not believe that the throne could pass through the female line, or a female heir. This chart solely relies on two female heirs. The second issue is that both lines are illegitimate.

In the case of John, Duke of Bedford, there is no "Mary, Lady of Landiras" listed on his Wikipedia page, which calls into question whether she actually existed. One third-party website states, "[John, Duke of Bedford] had an illegitimate daughter Mary, who married Pierre de Montferrand, lord of Lesparre in Aquitaine (d. 1454) and an illegitimate son Richard, to who he bequeathed the castle and lordship of Haye-du-Puits in France. Richard was later legitimated by his cousin, King Henry VI." However, Mary was likely not legitimized herself; there are no records to indicate such.

The only source I can find online as to "Mary, Lady of Landiras" is Douglas Richardson (2002):

"During the course of my research for the forthcoming Plantagenet Ancestry book, I've determined that John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford, younger son of King Henry IV, had two illegitimate children by an unknown mistress (or mistresses), namely, a son, Richard (named in his will), and a daughter, Mary. In this period, bastard children of dukes usually adopted the title of their father (in this case Bedford) as their surname.

This past week while I was combing through Patent and Close Rolls volumes, I encountered a reference to otherwise unidentified 'Mary de Bedford', lady of La Sparre (in Aquitaine), who was living in the early 1460's [References: Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1461-1467 (published 1897), pp.198,212,269,275; Calendar of Close Rolls, 1461-1468 (published 1949), pg.167].

I'm uncertain as to this woman's identity, but I presume she is Mary, the bastard daughter of John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford. Mary of Bedford's land holding in Aquitaine must have been an important place, as I find that Henry Holand, Duke of Exeter, was lord of this same place in the previous king's reign and used this land holding as part of his titles in a deed. Henry Holland was not the husband of Mary de Bedford, however, as he was married to another party until 1472.

If anyone knows any particulars regarding Mary of Bedford, I'd appreciate knowing them.

Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah"

Reply:

"First of all, I'm French, and I apologize for my poor English...Mary 'of Bedford' was born abt. 1420 and married before 1450 Pierre de Montferrand, 'soudan' de Préchac, lord of Landiras, Portets, etc. She had a 500 pounds dower, but her father died before the final payment. Her husband was granted by the King the barony of Maremne and the toll (sorry, not sure of the translation) of Hastingues (yes, we've got one in SW of France). He was also 'bayle' ('baillivus' -'bailiff'?) of the same village. After the battle of Castillon, he refused to make his submission to the king of France, and was beheaded in Bordeaux in 1454. His widow went back to England. In 1459, the king of England granted her a 20 pounds settlement per year, for her 2 sons were prisoners in France. In 1462, she had a 40 pounds settlement on the port of London. They had many descendants (3 sons, Thomas, Bertrand and François, who was lord of Lesparre, and a daughter, Mathilde).

Best regards,

Cyril Delmas-Marsalet"

Further reply:

"Thank you so much for your helpful and informative post regarding Mary of Bedford, the illegitimate daughter of John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford (died 1435) (son of King Henry IV). As best I can tell, English secondary sources are silent as to her history, marriage, and descendants. Your post opens up a whole new line of descendants for King Henry IV. When you have the opportunity, I'd appreciate it very much if you could post additional details on Mary's husband, Pierre de Montferrand, Knt., lord of La Sparre (in Aquitaine) and their children. Also, can you please identify Pierre de Montferrand's parentage. I assume Pierre's father is Bertrand de Montferrand, Knt., who was baliff of Saugeon in Saintonge, in the 1420's. I show that Pierre's mother was Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of Margaret Stratton, an English woman.

The following sources mention Mary of Bedford and her husband, Sir Pierre de Montferrand:

Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1461-1467 (1897), pp. 198,212,269,275.

Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1452-1461 (1910), pg. 487.

Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1447-1454 (1941), pg. 170.

Calendar of Close Rolls, 1461-1468 (1949), pg. 167.

Again, thanks so much for your help, Cyril.

Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah"

However, Richardson also states in another reply:

"I merely suggested the nominals of the Beaufort children were handled differently because their parents married and because the Beaufort children were subsequently legitimized by Act of Parliament. I know of no other bastard child of a duke that falls into the same category."

This would also indicate that "Mary, Lady of Landiras" was never legitimized.

Both children of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester were also illegitimate. While his mistress, Eleanor Cobham, was suspected to be the mother of one or both, this was never confirmed. Here, the situation is a bit more flexible, as Humphrey and Eleanor later legally wed after the birth of their child(ren), as did John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford, the latter marriage leading to the legitimization of the Beaufort line (King Henry VII). Therefore, Antigone could be legitimized.

However, Antigone's descendants would join the Yorkists; hence, they were passed over.

You can find my own expanded chart as to the Lancastrian succession and bloodlines here.

This comment has been edited for clarity.

Through Antigone Plantagenet ("Antigone of Gloucester"), Countess of Tankerville, I instead came to another possible Plantagenet heir: Daniel Mosley, 4th Baron Ravensdale (b. 1982).

Line of descent is as follows:

1. Antigone Plantagenet [m. Henry Grey, 2nd Earl of Tankerville] (legitimized)

2. Richard Grey, 3rd Earl of Tankerville

3. John Grey, [4th Earl of Tankerville], 1st Baron Grey of Powis

4. Lady Elizabeth Grey [m. Sir John Ludlow, KB]

5. Anna Ludlow [m. Thomas Vernon]

6. Eleanor Vernon [m. Francis Curzon, MP]

7. John Curzon, Sr.

8. John Curzon, 1st Baronet Curzon of Kedleston

9. Sir Nathaniel Curzon, 2nd Baronet Curzon of Kedleston

10. Sir Nathaniel Curzon, 4th Baronet Curzon of Kedleston

11. Sir Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Baron Scarsdale

12. Sir Nathaniel Curzon, 2nd Baron Scarsdale

13. The Hon. Rev. Alfred Curzon, Rector of Norton-by-Twycross

14. Alfred Nathaniel Holden Curzon, 4th Baron Scarsdale

15. The Hon. George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess (later Earl) Curzon of Kedleston, KG, 1st Baron Ravensdale

16. Lady Cynthia Blanche Curzon [m. Sir Oswald Mosley]

17. Nicholas Mosley, 3rd Baron Ravensdale

18. The Hon. Shaun Nicholas Mosley

19. Daniel Mosley, 4th Baron Ravensdale (b. 1982)

20. The Hon. Alexander Mosley (b. 2012)

I would like to see the full lineage listed for Sir Michael Bunbury, 13th Baronet to compare.

This comment has been edited for clarity.

Philippa was Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

Henry VII was the Lancastrian heir, that’s why he seized the throne by right of conquest and married the Yorkist heir.