Anne Mowbray, 8th Countess of Norfolk

Wedding of the children Anne Mowbray and Richard Duke of York, mezzotint 1821, William Say after James Northcote

Anne Mowbray, 8th Countess of Norfolk (born December 10, 1472 Framlingham Castle, Suffolk , † November 19, 1481 in Greenwich ), later Duchess of York and Norfolk, was the daughter of John Mowbray, 4th Duke of Norfolk , and his Wife Elisabeth Talbot.

Anne was the only child Mowbray was alive when he died in 1476. She was thus a wealthy heiress and a politically high-quality marriage candidate. As early as 1478 a marriage agreement was concluded with the House of York , so that in the same year there was a marriage on January 15 with the second eldest son of King Edward IV , Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York . Marrying a five-year-old to a four-year-old instead of a political engagement was also very unusual at the time, but this was how Edward IV gained control of the large estates of his young daughter-in-law. Anne's child husband Richard was additionally enfeoffed with the dignity of Duke of Norfolk . This very early marriage highlighted the considerable importance of his young daughter-in-law.

On November 19, 1481 Anne died in Greenwich at the age of just 9 years, and with her the lineage of the Dukes of Norfolk died out in personal union with the Mowbray family. She was buried in a lead coffin in St. Erasmus Chapel at Westminster Abbey .

When Henry VII built an extension to Westminster Abbey in 1502 and the St. Erasmus Chapel had to give way to the Lady Chapel, Anne's coffin was transferred to a vault under the church and was forgotten. In 1964 construction workers came across the vault by chance. Anne's remains were scientifically examined in 1965 and the results were published in various journals, such as the teeth under the title The Teeth of Anne Mowbray . In addition to the teeth, Anne's red hair, which can still be seen in parts, and the well-preserved shroud were mentioned in particular. After the examination, the body was reburied near its original tomb.

literature

• PM Kendall, The World of Anne Mowbray, Observer Color Magazine, published May 23, 1965
• MA Rushton, The Teeth of Anne Mowbray, British Dental Journal, published October 19, 1965
• Stepney Child Burial, Joint press release from the London Museum and Westminster Abbey, published January 15, 1965
• Roger Warwick, Skeletal Remains of a Medieval Child, London Archaeologist, Vol. 5 No. 7, published in the summer of 1986

predecessor	Office	successor
John Mowbray	Countess of Norfolk 1476-1481	Title expired