In 1495 Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, dies at Berkhamsted Castle. Cecily is mother of two English kings – Edward IV and Richard III – and has been a important political figure through the turmoil of the Wars of the Roses. She is the last royal resident at Berkhamsted, and after her death the Castle falls into ruin. A stained-glass window at the west end of St Peter’s Church bears her coat of arms.
