Ralph Neville, 1st earl of Westmorland

Ralph Neville was an English noble who was a close ally of John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster and the fourth son of Edward III (r. 1327-1377).

He was knighted during a French expedition in 1380, succeeded to his father’s barony in 1388, and was created Earl of Westmorland on Sept. 29, 1397. He married Gaunt's bastard daughter, Joan Beaufort, in 1397, a move which transformed his career, especially after Gaunt's eldest son was crowned as King Henry IV (r. 1399-1413).

Neville showed his loyalty to Henry IV in 1405 and 1408 when he helped put down rebellions by the Percy family of Northumberland, a move which was rewarded accordingly with grants of land.

Neville left a fortune of £25,000, about 0.78% of net national income of £3.2m. In 2010 he would be worth £8.6bn.