Ellen Tudor: The Tudor Heiress Who Shaped a Dynasty

Ellen Tudor: The Tudor Heiress Who Shaped a Dynasty

Ellen Tudor, the illegitimate daughter of Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke and Duke of Bedford (1431–1495), stands as a vital yet enigmatic link in the Gardiner family’s rise and the broader tapestry of the Tudor dynasty. Born circa 1460, Ellen married William Gardiner, a London skinner who earned knighthood for his role in slaying Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. Together, they raised five children—Thomas, Philippe, Margaret, Beatrice, and Ann—whose lives reflect the family’s ascent from trade to influence. Ellen’s story, pieced together from wills, heraldic records, and legal documents, reveals a woman of royal blood navigating widowhood, remarriage, and the stewardship of her children’s legacy amidst the turbulence of late 15th-century England.

Early Life and Lineage

Ellen’s birth, estimated around 1460, likely occurred in Wales or during Jasper Tudor’s exile in France, a period marked by the Wars of the Roses. As the only known illegitimate child of Jasper—uncle to Henry VII and a staunch Lancastrian—Ellen’s mother remains unidentified, though speculative genealogies suggest Mevanwy verch Dafydd, a Welsh noblewoman.[1] Her existence first surfaces in Thomas Tonge’s Heraldic Visitation of the Northern Counties in 1530, where her son Thomas Gardiner, Prior of Tynemouth, claimed descent from her and William Gardiner.[2] This connection was later affirmed in William Dugdale’s Baronage of England (1675–1676), solidifying her place in the Tudor-Gardiner lineage.[3]

Raised amid Jasper’s peripatetic life—exiled from 1461 to 1485—Ellen may have spent her early years in Lancastrian strongholds like Wales or Calais. Her marriage to William Gardiner, circa 1478–1480, suggests a strategic union, possibly arranged by Jasper to bind his royal blood to London’s burgeoning merchant class, a network Jasper cultivated to support Henry Tudor’s claim.[4] William, a skinner from the Poultry district, was brother to Richard Gardiner, a wool magnate and future Lord Mayor, amplifying the family’s clout.

Marriage and Family

Ellen and William Gardiner built a family of five:

• Thomas Gardiner (1479–1536), educated at Oxford and Cambridge, who became a Benedictine monk, Prior of Blyth, Prior of Tynemouth, and King’s Chaplain under Henry VIII.[5]
• Philippe Gardiner
• Margaret Gardiner
• Beatrice Gardiner
• Ann Gardiner

William’s will, dated September 25, 1485, and proved October 8, 1485, names Ellen and his brother Richard as executors, entrusting them with bequests to his five children and siblings: Richard, Robert, John, Maude, and Alice.[6] He requested burial in the chapel on the north side of St. Mildred Poultry, near Richard’s eventual resting place at St. Pancras Soper Lane—both sites lost to the Great Fire of 1666.[7] Ellen’s executorship highlights her pivotal role in securing the family’s future after William’s death, likely from battle wounds or illness, shortly after Bosworth.

Widowhood and Remarriage

Widowed in 1485, Ellen remarried William Sibson (or Sybson), a London skinner, before 1493.[8] Sibson, son of William Sibson the Elder, a draper who bequeathed him 40 marks in his 1499 will, offered Ellen stability.[9] On January 19, 1487–1488, Sibson, alongside drapers Peter Watson and Thomas Eyre, and upholsterer John Crane, entered a bond of 100 marks to ensure the Gardiner children’s inheritance reached them upon maturity or marriage, as recorded in the Calendar of Letter-Books of the City of London.[10] This legal maneuver underscores Ellen’s determination to protect her children’s portions, particularly Thomas’s, who entered Westminster Abbey by 1501–1502.[11]
Between 1486 and 1493, Ellen and Sibson faced a Chancery suit from mercer Thomas Dranty over a debt for furs supplied to Ellen, hinting at her continued involvement in trade networks.[12] By 1501–1502, Sibson and Watson sued London’s Mayor, Aldermen, and Sheriffs in Chancery to recover Thomas’s inheritance portion, reflecting Ellen’s ongoing oversight of her son’s path into monastic and royal service.[13] Her remarriage, while pragmatic, sustained the Gardiner family’s mercantile ties and influence.

Legacy and Death

Ellen’s death likely occurred after 1502, as she was active in legal proceedings that year. Her burial site is unrecorded, though St. Mildred Poultry or St. Pancras Soper Lane, near William and Richard, are plausible. Her legacy shines through Thomas, whose ecclesiastical career—bolstered by an elite education and family wealth—mirrored the Gardiner-Tudor alliance. As King’s Chaplain, Thomas’s chronicle, The Flowers of England, subtly honored his mother’s Tudor heritage, reinforcing Henry VIII’s legitimacy.[14] Ellen’s daughters, though less documented, likely married into London’s merchant or gentry circles, extending her influence.

Facts:

• c. 1460: Born to Jasper Tudor, possibly by Mevanwy verch Dafydd.
• c. 1478–1480: Married William Gardiner; bore five children.
• 1485: Widowed; named executor of William’s will.
• Before 1493: Married William Sibson.
• Post-1502: Likely death, burial unknown.

Sources:

1. Richardson, Douglas, Magna Carta Ancestry, vol. 3 (Salt Lake City, 2011), 462–463.
2. Tonge, Thomas, Heraldic Visitation of the Northern Counties in 1530, Surtees Society (London, 1863), 70–71.
3. Dugdale, William, Baronage of England, vol. 3 (London, 1675–1676), 240–241.
4. Kingslayers Court, “Gardiner Family Records” (2025).
5. Pearce, E. H., The Monks of Westminster (Cambridge, 1916), 193.
6. Will of William Gardiner, PROB 11/7/213, The National Archives (TNA).
7. Keene, D. J., and Vanessa Harding, Historical Gazetteer of London Before the Great Fire (London, 1987), 705–712.
8. Calendar of Letter-Books of the City of London: L, ed. Reginald R. Sharpe (London, 1912), 242–247.
9. Will of William Sibson the Elder, TNA PROB 11/11/513.
10. Calendar of Letter-Books, 242–247.
11. Kingslayers Court, “Thomas Gardiner’s Monastic Career” (2025).
12. TNA, Chancery Proceedings, C 1/86/45.
13. TNA, Chancery Proceedings, C 1/252/12.
14. Smyly, J. Gilbart, “Thomas Gardiner’s History of England,” Hermathena 19, no. 43 (1922): 235–248, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23037307.

---

Deep Dive: Ellen’s Life in Context

• Tudor Bloodline: Ellen’s illegitimacy did not diminish her value. Her marriage to William Gardiner aligned Jasper’s interests with London’s merchant elite, a critical support base for Henry Tudor’s 1485 victory.
• Resilience in Widowhood: Ellen’s swift remarriage to Sibson and her legal efforts—securing a 100-mark bond and pursuing Chancery suits—demonstrate her agency in a patriarchal society, ensuring her children’s futures.
• Mercantile Influence: Through Sibson, Ellen maintained the Gardiner family’s skinner trade ties, while her Tudor lineage likely elevated their social standing, paving Thomas’s way to royal service.
• Legacy Through Thomas: Thomas’s rise—monk, prior, and chronicler—reflects Ellen’s influence. His education and career, supported by family resources, tied the Gardiners to the Tudor court, with Ellen as the linchpin.

About the Author
David T. Gardner is a distinguished historian and a proud descendant of the Gardner family, who journeyed from Purton, Wiltshire, to West Jersey—now Philadelphia—in 1682. Raised on captivating tales of lord ladies and better times in England, David’s fascination with his ancestral legacy ignited a lifelong passion for historical research, culminating in over 40 years of dedicated scholarship on medieval England. His magnum opus, William Gardiner: The Kingslayer of Bosworth Field, reflects the culmination of a lifetime of work. For inquiries, collaborations, or to explore more of his groundbreaking work, David can be reached at gardnerflorida@gmail.com or via his blog at Wyllyam.KingslayersCourt.com, a digital haven for medieval history enthusiasts (TNA SP 1/14).

Published on KingslayersCourt.com, March 25, 2025