Of the family of Nevil I cannot but observe, that it has given one queen, five duchesses, an archbishop of York, a duke of Bedford, a marquis Montacute, six earls of Westmoreland, two earls of Salisbury and Warwick, an earl of Kent, an earl of Northumberland, and an earl of Richmond, the former resigned for the higher title of marquis of Montacute, and the latter given only for life, to the first earl of Westmoreland of this family, several countesses, and a bishop of Durham. These baronies were possessed by different branches of this house, Nevil, Furnival, Talbot, Ferrers of Oversley, Seymour, Latimer, and Abergavenny, now erected into an earldom; and many of the females by marriage became baronesses. There were these great officers of the name, two lord chancellors, an earl marshal, a lord high admiral of England, two admirals of the North, and two judges. They numbered eight knights of the Garter, and ten of the Bath.
Of the Poles I must remark, that our peerages do not tell us whether Sir Richard Pole, who married Margaret countess of Salisbury, daughter of George duke of Clarence, was in any way related to John de la Pole, duke of Suffolk, the husband of Elizabeth, one of the daughters of Cecily duchess of York. Of the Poles who intermarried with the Clarence branch of the royal Plantagenets, there were a cardinal archbishop of Canterbury, a baron Montague, and a knight of the Garter. Of the de la Poles, were four earls, and two dukes of Suffolk, one earl of Lincoln, a lord high chancellor, two prime ministers, one lord high admiral of England, one admiral of the North, one judge; three knights of the Garter, one of the Bath, and a banneret.
These are the observations that have occurred to me in contemplating the eventful life of Cecily duchess of York, from whom all the succeeding sovereigns of England are descended.
