Ancestor Spotlight · Plantagenet maternal line

King Edward IV

1442–1483

First Yorkist king of England. The figure through whom the royal descent enters the family — by way of his acknowledged son, Arthur Plantagenet — and the most recent common ancestor behind the archive’s documented royal-cousin tier.

Arms of the House of York, as borne by King Edward IV
Arms of Edward IV, our 16th great-grandfather. Sodacan, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Credits

Editor’s Note

This page documents King Edward IV — the hinge of the archive’s royal descent. The royal line enters the family through his acknowledged biological son, Arthur Plantagenet; blood descent is unaffected by inheritance legitimacy, so every ancestor of Edward IV is an ancestor of this family. Content matches the live Plantagenet Descent page (Rule #87).

Relationship

King Edward IV is the 16th-great-grandfather of John, Perry, and Patrick Long, via the Plantagenet maternal line.

●Verified (Green)SIDE: MATERNAL · PLANTAGENET LINE
FamilySearch PID
GHFH-FRN↗
Birthplace
Rouen, Normandy
Deathplace
Palace of Westminster, London, England

Biography

Edward IV was the first king of the House of York, taking the throne in 1461 during the Wars of the Roses. After a brief restoration of the Lancastrian Henry VI, he reigned securely from 1471 until his death in 1483. He was the father of the “Princes in the Tower” and of Elizabeth of York, whose marriage to Henry VII united the warring houses and founded the Tudor dynasty.

He enters this archive through his acknowledged biological son, Arthur Plantagenet, Viscount Lisle — recorded on FamilySearch as the “Illegitimate son of King Edward IV of England.” Through Arthur and his daughter Lady Frances Plantagenet, the royal blood passes into the Devon gentry and on to the Westcotts of Warwick.

Edward IV is also the most recent common ancestor behind the archive’s documented royal-cousin tier: both Henry VIII (via Elizabeth of York) and Mary, Queen of Scots (via Elizabeth of York and Margaret Tudor) descend from him, making them documented cousins of the family. His FamilySearch record (GHFH-FRN) carries 18 source descriptions.

Key Accomplishments

  • First Yorkist king of England (1461–1470, 1471–1483)
  • Father of Elizabeth of York, founding queen of the Tudor line
  • The entry point of the royal descent into the family, via his son Arthur Plantagenet
  • Most recent common ancestor of the family with Henry VIII and Mary, Queen of Scots

Descent to the Brothers

The milestone anchors of the maternal descent — named anchors, not every generation. The complete generation-by-generation chain is on the Plantagenet Descent page. Click any PID to open the FamilySearch record.

PLANTAGENET MATERNAL LINE — MILESTONE ANCHORS
Anchor Ancestor
King Edward IV
1442–1483
GHFH-FRN
Arthur Plantagenet, Viscount Lisle
~1480–1542
Edward IV’s acknowledged son; the royal line leaves the throne here
LCRV-19T
Lady Frances Plantagenet
1519–1568
daughter of Arthur Plantagenet
9JQ7-D1D
Mary Stukley
1563
of Marwood, Devon; Stukely Westcott’s mother (via the Devon Monck–Arscote links)
L2XY-B7H
Stukely Westcott
1592–1677
carries the royal descent to America; founder of Providence and Warwick
9HZW-SXJ
Francis Swift Perry
1923–2011
maternal grandfather; Cape Cod
L1V1-8D2
Carol A. Perry
1952
maternal bridge
GB2W-HXSLIVING
John, Perry & Patrick Long
living
the three brothers, Westport, Massachusetts
LIVING
Westport, Massachusetts

Generation Count

Edward IV stands at the 16th-great-grandfather remove, the point at which the royal descent enters the family through his acknowledged son Arthur Plantagenet. He is also the most recent common ancestor of the family with Henry VIII and Mary, Queen of Scots. The full chain, including the two Devon links not yet individually enumerated, is on the Plantagenet Descent page.

Confidence

VERIFIED on Edward IV (GHFH-FRN, 18 FamilySearch sources) and his acknowledged son Arthur Plantagenet (LCRV-19T, 14 sources). The two Devon intermediate generations between Lady Frances Plantagenet and Mary Stukley (Monck, Arscote) are marked Research-in-Progress on the Plantagenet Descent page, with no identifiers invented. The 16th-great-grandfather depth follows the Phase-7 walk count.

External Links & Sources

  1. Edward IV of England — Wikipedia
  2. FamilySearch: King Edward IV (GHFH-FRN, 18 sources)
  3. Dictionary of National Biography — Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle
  4. Alison Weir, Elizabeth of York: A Tudor Queen and Her World (Ballantine, 2013)
  5. Internal: the full chain on the Plantagenet Descent page
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