Elizabeth was born some time around the year 1437, at Grafton Regis, Northamptonshire. Her parents were Sir Richard Woodville and his wife, Jacquetta of Luxembourg, a foreign noblewoman who had first been married to the Duke of Bedford. After her first husband died, Jacquetta fell in love with Sir Richard, who was not very rich or important even though he was a knight. Jacquetta's friends and family felt that it was an unsuitable marriage and that he was not good enough for her. They had fourteen children altogether.