The Politics of Regional Governance: Humphrey, Lord Stafford of Southwick and South-West England, 1461–9

Consideration of the historiographical and methodological contexts of south-western England during the Wars of the Roses leads onto an examination of local politics and governance during the later years of Henry VI’s reign (1450–61), and the potential role of Queen Margaret’s favourite James Butler, Earl of Ormond and Wiltshire (d.1461). Discussion of the family, career, and landholdings of Humphrey, Lord Stafford of Southwick, later Earl of Devon (d.1469) is a precursor to an exploration of his associations with leading figures in Somerset and Dorset, Devon, and Cornwall, their involvement in shire administration, and – after Stafford’s execution – the possible role of George, Duke of Clarence (d.1478) in the South West during the 1470s is also examined.