RIVERS, RICHARD WOODVILLE or WYDEVILLE, EARL (d. 1469), served under the duke of Bedford in France, and after his master's death married his widow Jacquetta of Luxemburg. Henry VI. created him Baron Rivers in 1448. His associations made him a strong Lancastrian. For some years he was lieutenant of Calais in Henry's interests. In 1459 he was taken prisoner, and was sent with his son Anthony to the earl of Warwick at Calais. He was, however, released in time to fight for Henry VI. at Towton. Early in the reign of Edward IV. Rivers recognized that the Lancastrian cause was lost and made his peace with the new king. The marriage of his eldest daughter, Elizabeth, widow of Sir John Grey of Groby, to Edward on May 1, 1464, secured the fortunes of his family.
Rivers was appointed treasurer in 1466, and a little later created earl. Elizabeth found great alliances for her younger brothers and sisters, and the Woodville influence became all-powerful at court. The power of this new family was very distasteful to the old baronial party, and especially so to Warwick. Early in 1468 Rivers's estates were plundered by Warwick's partisans, and the open war of the following year was aimed to destroy the Wood villes. After the king's defeat at Edgecot, Rivers and his second
son, John, were taken prisoners at Chepstow and executed at Kenilworth on Aug. 12, 1469. Rivers had a large family. His third son, Lionel (d. 1484), was bishop of Salisbury. All his daughters made great marriages; Catherine, the sixth, was wife of Henry Stafford, 2nd duke of Buckingham (q.v.).