THE unique association of Richard III (1483–5) with the north of England, both as duke and as king, was recognised by his contemporaries, just as it is by historians today. This relationship was epitomised by the ‘Middleham connection’: the gentry of Richmondshire made a particularly significant contribution to Richard's political muscle. However, the duchy of Lancaster, over which Richard presided from 1471 as chief steward north of the Trent, was also a noteworthy element in Richard's rise to power, providing him with a source of manpower, influence and patronage. The largest and wealthiest of the duchy's Yorkshire properties was the honour of Pontefract. Extending over approximately 1,300 square kilometres, this compact lordship covered a significant part of the West Riding, encompassing major routes north and south, east and west. Its consolidated geography overlay tight bonds of neighbourhood and kinship that prevailed among the honour's leading gentry families, many of which demonstrated striking durability in their survival over multiple generations. This longevity also mirrored a remarkable continuity of lordship, the honour having passed from the original De Lacy lords to the house of Lancaster by marriage in 1311. Taken together, these factors underscored long traditions of loyalty and service to the Lancastrian affinity, which bore fruit when Henry de Bolingbroke, the heir to the Lancastrian inheritance, seized the throne in 1399. These bonds were, however, undermined during the reign of Henry VI (1422–61; 1470–1) because of the crown's choice of steward of the duchy. This needs to be addressed first in order to understand better Richard's subsequent relationship with the honour and duchy.

The authority invested in the stewardship of a duchy lordship was far from insubstantial. Indeed, by the late fourteenth century duchy stewards are said to have acted like ‘feudal lords in their respective districts’. As the principal officer within the honorial administration, the steward supervised all other officers and installed them in their posts. In his judicial capacity, the steward presided over courts and inquisitions, judged on boundary disputes and was empowered to seize lands held in service and the goods of outlaws. The steward also had the power to give livery of lands and leases of demesne property.