Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Stafford

For other persons of the same name, see Margaret Beaufort.

Margaret Beaufort (c. 1427 — 1474) was a daughter of Edmund Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset and Eleanor Beauchamp.

Her maternal grandparents were Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick and his first wife Elizabeth Beauchamp, 4th Baroness Lisle. Elizabeth was daughter of Thomas de Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley and Margaret de Berkeley, 3rd Baroness Lisle, becoming the main heiress of her mother.

[edit] Notable relations

Margaret had several prominent relations through both of her parents. Her paternal uncles included (among others) Henry Beaufort, 2nd Earl of Somerset and John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset. Her paternal aunts included Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scotland. Her only maternal uncle was Henry de Beauchamp, 1st Duke of Warwick. Her maternal aunts included Margaret Beauchamp, wife of John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, and Anne Neville, 16th Countess of Warwick. The latter aunt was married to Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, the so-called "Kingmaker" during the Wars of the Roses.

Margaret was first married to Humphrey Stafford, Earl of Stafford. He was the eldest son and prospective heir of Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham by his wife Anne Neville. Anne was daughter of Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland and Margaret Stafford. They had only one known child:

Her father led forces loyal to the House of Lancaster in the First Battle of St Albans (May 22, 1455) against his main rival Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York. The Earl of Stafford followed his father-in-law into battle. None of the two men survived the encounter. Margaret was now a widow and could no longer count on the support of her father.

She had a second marriage to Sir Richard Dayrell. They were parents to at least one child:

Margaret Dayrell. She married James Tuchet, 7th Baron Audley and was mother of John Tuchet, 8th Baron Audley.