Feature: Meet the women behind Warwick Castle on International Women's Day

Warwick Castle is sharing the stories of the women behind the historic venue to mark International Women’s Day today (March 8).

The castle’s ‘Women at Warwick’ tour celebrates the women behind the castle’s history that spans more than 1,100 years.

Although their stories are shared with guests all year round with the tour, with International Women’s Day today (March 8), the Castle team said it was “a great opportunity to share the rich history of the castle, and the women behind it”.

From the establishment of the castle, through to the growth and decline of the castle’s wealth, the joining of powerful families and transforming the castle into a place of high society, the women of Warwick Castle have been central to the formation of the castle’s history.

Liam Bartlett, general manager at Warwick Castle said: “We are continuously looking for ways to celebrate the contributions women have made to Warwick Castle throughout the years.

"Our Women at Warwick tour is very popular amongst our guests and it is invaluable to us to share the stories of the women who have lived and worked here for over a thousand years.”

Here’s some of the stories the Castle team have shared

Princess Ethelfleda

The influential and important role of women in the history of Warwick Castle started from the beginning of the castle’s history in 914AD with Princess Ethelfleda, the daughter of King Alfred the Great and ruler of the Mercians.

She defended her lands against the Vikings with a series of burhs, which proved successful, and the Warwick burh remained past her death in 918AD until 1016 when it was sacked by Danish raiders.

In 1068 William the conqueror built a motte and bailey castle on the cliff overlooking the river Avon, the only part that survives of the early castle is the motte.

The motte at Warwick is the oldest part of the castle, and historians argue without the establishment of a burh at Warwick by Ethelfleda, William the Conqueror would not have located a castle there, and so the existence of Warwick Castle is thanks to her.

Anne de Beauchamp

One of the most well-known Earls of Warwick, Richard Neville played a key role in the Wars of the Roses.

The women in his life enabled his rise to power and his marriage to Anne de Beauchamp secured his title as 16th Earl of Warwick.

By joining his land with those of his wife, it is believed that you could not walk from one end of the country to the other without taking foot in his lands.

Anne also brought an income of roughly £50,000 annually with her so it was considered a bargain that Richard Neville claimed her hand in marriage for £3,000, which is worth over a million pounds today.

Anne de Beauchamp also provided the Kingmaker with two daughters, Isabel, and Anne, both of whom were to prove particularly important to Warwick’s history and English history as a whole.

Anne Neville

Anne Neville was the youngest daughter of Richard Neville and Anne de Beauchamp and was used to forge political alliances and bring their family great wealth and status.

Anne married Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who later became King Richard III of England, making Anne Queen of England, this ensured the crown took control of Warwick Castle, the place of her birth.

Therefore, although the Kingmaker has the reputation for being all powerful and manipulative throughout the Wars of the Roses, it was the women closest to him that enabled his wealth and power to grow.

Maria Hume

Another influential woman in the history of Warwick Castle, was Maria Hume. She worked as a servant under the Greville ownership in the early 1800s and showed tourists around the castle.

From these tours, Maria is believed to have amassed around £30,000 in tips (£2.4million today).

She offered her bounty to George Greville to prevent his financial decline and to save his collection, much of which is still in the Great Hall and State Rooms.

Maria worked at the castle for nearly 60 years until her death in 1834.

The Greville family were indebted to her, and Maria is now buried in St Mary’s Church near to the tombs of the Greville family as a sign of respect and admiration for her.

Frances Evelyn Greville

Arguably the most infamous, Countess of Warwick, Frances Evelyn Greville, the 5th Countess of Warwick was married to Francis Greville, the future Earl of Warwick, in 1881, and between them they introduced to the castle an era of socialising and extravagant hosting.

This included the famous Powder Ball of 1895, where guests from high society would come to the castle for an evening of wining, dining, dancing, and fancy dress.

Frances Evelyn Greville, also known as Daisy, worked on the castle’s modernisation, including the introduction of electricity to the castle, and cars and the printed press to her family.

She also introduced a zoo at Warwick Castle, that included emus, monkeys, an elephant, and peacocks.

Descendants of the birds are still resident animals on the grounds in the Peacock Garden.

But Daisy is also well known for her generosity, she became influenced by socialism and gave money to children’s education institutes and poor law reform.

She even ran to become MP of Warwick in the 1923 bi-election representing the labour party, but lost to her conservative opponent Anthony Eden.