George Neville, 1st Duke of Bedford

Who was George Neville, 1st Duke of Bedford?

George Neville, 1st Duke of Bedford was an English nobleman, whose birth made him a candidate for the status of a great magnate; his failure to achieve this was largely a result of the political failure of his father and uncle.

He was the son of John Neville, Earl of Northumberland, a nephew of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick. George's mother was Isobel Ingoldsthorpe, only daughter and heiress of Sir Edmund Ingoldsthorpe and Joan Tiptoft.

At birth George was the likely or possible heir to a large estate. Most definite was the property of his father's earldom, his mother's Ingoldsthorpe estates, and the more modest jointure of his parents. The latter two were by themselves sufficient to support a baron. He was also heir presumptive to the Neville estates of his uncle, the Earl of Warwick. These were entailed to heirs male and the earl had only daughters. Finally, George was likely to inherit a third share of the Tiptoft property held by his childless great-uncle the Earl of Worcester. These inheritances altogether would yield around 4,000 pounds a year, which compares favourably with the 4,500 pounds annual income of the Duke of Clarence, the greatest magnate of the time.