Today, 4 April, in 1483, marks the death of Henry Bourchier, Earl of Exeter, 1st Viscount and 5th Baron Bourchier  and Knight of the Garter, at the age of around 78. He was the eldest son of William Bourchier and Anne of Gloucester and a maternal great-grandson of King Edward III. Henry was a Yorkist supporter and held the post of Lord High Treasurer with intervals from 1455 until his death. Henry Bourchier was married to Isabel of Cambridge (daughter of Richard, Earl of Cambridge and Anne Mortimer and so sister to Richard Duke of York, making him an uncle of Edward IV and Richard III) Henry and Isabel had at least seven children. Henry and his wife (a year later) were buried in Beeleigh Abbey (Essex) and after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, they were reburied in the Parish Church of Little Easton (Essex) in the Bourchier Chapel.

BLURB:
'Debra Bayani, author of Jasper Tudor: Godfather of the Tudor Dynasty, and artist Dmitry Yakhovsky have come together to create this beautiful colouring book which will be enjoyed by both adults and young people.
The Wars of the Roses lasted for over thirty years and were a series of civil wars fought between rival claimants for the English throne: the Yorkists and Lancastrians. This tumultuous period of history saw the rise of some fascinating historical personalities, and the downfall of others, bloody battles, rebellions, murders, betrayal, and finally the unification of the warring factions.
In The Wars of the Roses Colouring Book, Debra's text introduces these main characters, events and places, while Dmitry’s stunning artwork and your colouring will bring them to life. Relax, unwind and express yourself, all while learning about the Wars of the Roses.'
Highlights include: ● Westminster Abbey ● King Henry VI ● Queen Margaret of Anjou ● Jasper Tudor ● Margaret Beaufort ● Cecily Neville ● King Edward IV ● Queen Elizabeth Woodville ● Richard Neville ● The Tower of London ● King Edward V ● King Richard III ● Queen Anne Neville ● King Henry VII ● Queen Elizabeth of York and MANY MORE.

It was in the wake of the Wars of the Roses, when King Henry VI's uterine brothers Jasper and Edmund Tudor were still on very good terms with Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York. Even this good that both brothers, according to The Paston Letters, were likely to be arrested for treason when they jointed York to London in January 1454 during King Henry VI's insanity. They supported York at the council meeting when he received protectorship during the King's illness and not even the 1st Battle of St. Albans seemed to have changed their support to York.
 
During York’s brief protectorate attempts to discipline Griffith ap Nicholas in South-West Wales failed but when Edmund did succeed in this four months after York had lost his protectorship a second time, it may have been a great embarrassment to York. The significance of the whole campaign centered on York’s determination to assert his control over the government by acting as the legitimate constable of the castles and neutralizing potentially dangerous rivals in the area. At this point Edmund seems to be a rival to York. In April 1456 York’s men, Sir Walter Deveraux and his son-in-law Sir William Herbert, decided to make their move by gathering a force of about 2000 men from around Herefordshire and causing for many local skirmishes which escalated in June when an attempt was made for an invasion on Kenilworth, with affirmed intensions to kill the King.

From there William Herbert, Walter Deveraux and members of the Vaughan family joined their forces, proceeding their attentions on asserting York’s authority and headed for West Wales, for Carmarthen Castle, for Edmund.  They immediately seized the castle and took Edmund prison. From there, they went on to other places in West-Wales, re-establishing York’s authority after he earlier had lost  those in Westminster.  It is not clear at all why William Herbert changed side at the first place, for at first he appears to be on good terms with both Edmund and his younger brother Jasper. 
A phrase from a contemporary poem composed by Lewys Glyn Cothi in 1452/1453 in praise of William Herbert supports this thought:

 ''''''...If Jasper was being pounded,

he’d [=William] pound through a thousand
men.

The nobleman’s full of sincerity (that will serve him well);

Gwilym [=William] is true and skilled

for one God before everything else,

also for the Crown, kindly eagle,

and above for the earl of Pembroke and his men.''''""'' 

Unfortunately Edmund would not be able to demonstrate more of his abilities in Wales, for he died at Carmarthen on 1 November 1456. Although suggested is the plague for a possible cause of death, an ample possibility, although there is no exact proof, is that Edmund’s sudden death so soon after the events of that summer, which was clearly a great shock and gives inevitable suspicion of violence or neglect during his imprisonment, is that Edmund suffered from wounds caused by opposing the force led by agents of the Duke of York.
 
Attempts to condemn the Deveraux-Herbert upheavals happened on 15 February 1457 at a Great Council, which opened at Coventry and closed some time before 14 March. Unfortunately there are no contemporary accounts of this council that survives but there is still the preface of 1459's act of attainder of the Duke and his followers. According to the preamble, the chancellor made divers rehearsals to the Duke of York which the Duke of Buckingham, on behalf of all the lords present, stated that the Duke of York could only lean on the King’s grace. Going on demanding York should be punished, should there be any repeat, but the preamble does not say of what. The document of the indictments makes no direct accusations to York which makes it difficult to directly blame him for Edmund’s death, even though Herbert and Deveraux had to appear before the oyer and terminer sitting at Hereford from 2 until 7 April 1457.  For Herbert and Deveraux the legal process went on for a few months and at the end it is difficult to see why King Henry responded to these men like he did, Herbert received a general pardon but Deveraux was imprisoned.


Selected sources:

The Paston Letters, ed. J Gairdner, 6 vols (1904)

R.S.Thomas, ‘The Political career, estates and connection of Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke and Duke of Bedford (d. 1495)’, PhD thesis, Swansea University (1971)

D. Bayani, 'Jasper Tudor, Godfather of the Tudor Dynasty' (fortcoming 2014)