Anne of Gloucester ★

1380s–1390s

Born 30 April 1383 and baptised at Pleshey, Essex, eldest daughter of Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester, and Eleanor de Bohun. Married Thomas Stafford, 3rd Earl of Stafford, around 1390; widowed in 1392, she married his brother Edmund, 5th Earl, on 28 June 1398.

1400s–1420s

Sole heiress to her family's inheritance by 1400. Edmund was killed at Shrewsbury in 1403, and around 1405 she married William Bourchier, Count of Eu; when he died in 1420 she was the wealthiest woman in England.

1430s

Died on 16 October 1438 and was buried at Llanthony Secunda Priory in Gloucester.

Family Background and Inheritance

Anne of Gloucester was born April 30, 1383, eldest daughter of Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester, youngest son of Edward III, and Eleanor de Bohun. When her brother Humphrey, 2nd Earl of Buckingham, died in 1399, Anne shared the inheritance with two sisters, but became sole heiress by 1400 after one sister died and the other entered religious life. Though she technically held the titles Countess of Buckingham, Hereford, and Northampton, she styled herself simply Countess of Stafford.

First Marriage: Thomas Stafford

Around 1390 Anne married Thomas Stafford, 3rd Earl of Stafford, a childless union ended by his death on July 4, 1392.

Second Marriage: Edmund Stafford

On June 28, 1398, Anne married Thomas's younger brother, Edmund Stafford, 5th Earl of Stafford, with whom she had three children, including Humphrey Stafford, later 1st Duke of Buckingham, before Edmund's death at the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403.

Third Marriage: William Bourchier

Around 1405 Anne married William Bourchier, 1st Count of Eu, and had five more children, including Henry Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex; Eleanor Bourchier, who became Duchess of Norfolk; and Thomas Bourchier, who became a Cardinal. When William died in 1420, Anne became the wealthiest woman in England.

Death

Anne died October 16, 1438, at fifty-five, and was buried at Llanthony Secunda Priory in Gloucester.