strengthened the Lancastrian ties with the Yorkists: Cecily, who was the second contender for the throne from the House of York after her elder sister, found herself married to a man close to the king, who would not allow to draw her into political games against Henry VII. After the celebrations at the beginning of 1488, traces of Cecily are lost for some time. She probably retired from the court and stayed in one of her husband's estates. Despite the large difference in age, the marriage was successful, and two daughters were born: Elizabeth, named after the queen, and Anne, named after Cecily's younger sister Anne of York. There is a version that the couple had three children, but there is no reliable data on the third child. It is known that Cecily was engaged in the upbringing and education of her children herself, so she stayed at home when her husband left for the court to fulfil his duties. In 1491, John Welles was going to accompany his nephew on an expedition to France. A special act of Parliament delegated to her for this time the right to receive royal payments for her husband and use all his possessions. The king himself, in preparation for the campaign, signed a will in which Cecily's husband was named one of his fiefs. In 1492, John attended the funeral of Cecily's mother Queen Dowager Elizabeth Woodville, but the viscountess herself was absent, probably due to illness or pregnancy. Until 1498, little is known about Cecily's life. During this period (presumably in 1498) her eldest daughter Elizabeth Welles died, shortly before her betrothal with John Stanley, heir to George Stanley, 9th Baron Strange. It is known that in 1494 Cecily appeared in documents as a legatee under the will of her grandmother and namesake Cecily Neville, Dowager Duchess of York. Widowhood In 1498 (or 1499 according to other sources) Cecily, who was about thirty years old, was widowed. John fell ill with pleurisy – a disease that was not known about in England at that time and did not respond to conventional treatment. While on his deathbed, Viscount Welles signed a will, according to which he left all his property for life to his wife; he also requested in his will that he be buried where Cecily herself, the king, queen and the King's mother would deem fit. Welles died on 9 February