King Slayer's Court: Rewriting Bosworth

Introduction: Rewriting Bosworth

The Battle of Bosworth (August 22, 1485) is traditionally framed as a dynastic clash—Lancaster versus York, Henry Tudor versus Richard III. Yet, beneath this noble veneer lies a mercantile plot, spearheaded by Alderman Richard Gardiner, one of England’s foremost wool exporters, and executed by his brother William Gardiner. This thesis contends that William’s poleaxe felled Richard III, a deed orchestrated by Richard’s strategic loans and concealed Tudor alliance, culminating in his leadership of London’s Shoreditch welcome to Henry VII. Drawing on primary sources—Gruffydd’s Cronicl o Wech Oesoedd, the Crowland Chronicle, Richard’s estate papers via Talbot, and the Common Council Journals—this work challenges the Ricardian narrative and 1980s dismissal of the Gardiner claim as “hogwash.” It posits Bosworth as a merchant coup, with Calais as its crucible and London’s guilds as its engine.

Chapter 1: Richard Gardiner, Wool Magnate and Mastermind

1.1 Economic Power and Calais Influence

Richard Gardiner (c. 1429–1489), Alderman of Queenhithe (1469–1479), Walbrook (1479–1485), and Bassishaw (1485–1489), Sheriff (1470), and Lord Mayor (1478–1479), was a titan of England’s wool trade. As Master of the Mercers’ Guild and a Merchant of the Calais Staple, he controlled vast export monopolies in wool, tin, and coal (Beaven, 1908, pp. 250–254; Sutton, 2005, p. 558). The Calais Staple, England’s wool gateway to Europe, amplified his wealth and influence, evidenced by his loans to Richard III: £66 13s. 4d. secured by a gold salt and £100 as part of a £2,400 aldermanic loan (Estcourt, 1867, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, Vol. 1, pp. 355–357; TNA C 54/343).

1.2 Loans to Richard III: The Trap’s Foundation

Between 1483 and 1485, Richard III faced financial strain from rebellions and war preparations (Statutes of the Realm, Vol. 2, p. 498). Richard Gardiner’s loans—documented in an indenture of acquittance with Henry VII, dated November 22, 1485 (Estcourt, 1867)—kept the king solvent. Yet, Richard concealed a critical alliance: his brother William’s marriage to Ellen Tudor, illegitimate daughter of Jasper Tudor, Henry’s uncle (Visitation of London, 1530, Harleian Society, Vol. 1, pp. 70–71). This omission, unreported to Richard III, masked a plot to fund a king only to topple him.

1.3 Motive: Merchant Grievances

Richard III’s trade restrictions and taxes alienated London’s merchants (Harper, 2015, London and the Crown in the Reign of Henry VII, p. 47). Gardiner, a justice for the Hansa Merchants (1484, Calendar of Patent Rolls, Richard III, p. 211), saw his wool empire threatened. His loans were a feint—sustaining Richard III while arming William, likely via Calais trade networks, to strike at Bosworth.

Chapter 2: William Gardiner, the Merchant’s Blade

2.1 The Killing at Bosworth

Elis Gruffydd, a Welsh soldier-chronicler, records in Cronicl o Wech Oesoedd (c. 1540–1550, National Library of Wales MS 5276D): “Richard’s horse was trapped in the marsh where he was slain by one of Rhys ap Thomas’ men, a commoner named Wyllyam Gardynyr” (Jones & Freeman, 1856, History of St. David’s Cathedral, p. 45). This aligns with forensic evidence of Richard III’s basal skull wound from a poleaxe (The Lancet, 2014, Vol. 384, pp. 919–921) and a family oral tradition of a bog-bound kill (personal communication, 2025).

2.2 Tudor Connection and Deployment

Sir Wyllyam Gardynyr Lady Elyn Tudor

William’s marriage to Ellen Tudor (Visitation, 1530, pp. 70–71) tied him to Jasper Tudor, who landed with Henry at Milford Haven on August 7, 1485 (Bennett, 1985, The Battle of Bosworth, p. 87). Under Rhys ap Thomas’s Welsh contingent—2,000 spearmen strong—William joined the melee where Richard fell (Foard & Curry, 2013, Bosworth 1485: A Battlefield Rediscovered, p. 112). Richard Gardiner’s wool wealth likely equipped him, a detail unspoken in the loans but plausible given Calais’s logistical reach.

2.3 Knighthood: Henry’s Reward

The Crowland Chronicle (Pronay & Cox, 1986, p. 183) lists “Wyllyam Gardynyr” among four knighted on the field, alongside Sir Gilbert Talbot. This elevation—from commoner to knight—signals a decisive act, corroborated by Gruffydd’s claim and forensic fit, marking William as Richard III’s slayer.

Chapter 3: London’s Merchant Coup and Shoreditch Triumph

3.1 The Common Council’s Move

On August 24, 1485, the Common Council met, selecting Richard Gardiner to lead a delegation of eight to greet Henry VII (Journal of the Court of Common Council, vols. 9–11, British History Online, Keene & Harding, 1985). Joined by Recorder Thomas Fitzwilliam, aldermen William Stokker and John Ward, and commoners Thomas Burgoyn, John Fenkill, Hugh Pemberton, and John Stork, Gardiner rode out before Henry entered London. On August 31, 435 guild men from 65 companies were mobilized, and a 1,000-mark gift was pledged (ibid.).

3.2 Shoreditch, September 3, 1485

At Shoreditch, Richard, in scarlet, escorted Henry to St Paul’s, where battle standards were raised and he addressed the crowd (Common Council Journals; Beaven, 1908, p. 252). This wasn’t passive acceptance—chosen pre-arrival, Gardiner delivered London, a prize won by William’s deed and his own foresight. The merchant guilds—Mercers, Grocers, Drapers—backed him, their murray-gowned men a show of economic might (Mercers’ Company Records, Acts 288–290).

3.3 Business, Not Fate

Richard III’s fate was sealed not at Bosworth but when he alienated London’s merchants (Harper, 2015, p. 52). Gardiner’s loans, William’s kill, and Shoreditch reflect a calculated coup—“It’s Just Business”—with Henry’s repayment (November 22, 1485) and Talbot’s Calais appointment (1486) as dividends (Calendar of Patent Rolls, Henry VII, p. 103).

Chapter 4: Calais, Talbot, and Gruffydd—The Evidence Preserved

4.1 Calais: The Crucible

Calais, England’s wool hub, linked Richard’s trade empire, Talbot’s governorship, and Gruffydd’s chronicle. As a Staple Merchant, Richard funneled resources through Calais (Sutton, 2005, p. 558); Talbot, Deputy from 1486 (Calendar of Patent Rolls, p. 103), preserved the loan indenture after marrying Richard’s widow Audrey (Visitation, 1569, p. 132); Gruffydd, stationed there by the 1520s, wrote Cronicl (NLW MS 5276D).

4.2 Talbot’s Archive

The indenture—Richard III’s loans repaid by Henry VII (Estcourt, 1867)—survived via Talbot’s Grafton holdings (Report of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, 1874, p. 214). Knighted with William (Crowland, p. 183), Talbot’s Bosworth role and Calais tenure suggest he knew the Gardiner plot, preserving its financial footprint.

4.3 Gruffydd’s Testimony

Gruffydd’s account, penned in Calais (1520s–1540s), draws on Welsh oral traditions from Rhys’s veterans and possibly Staple gossip under Talbot’s lingering influence (Jones & Freeman, 1856). Writing 55–65 years post-Bosworth, he predates Tudor propaganda (e.g., Vergil, 1534), offering a raw, soldier’s lens on William’s deed.

Chapter 5: Overturning the Hogwash—Rebutting the Skeptics

5.1 Ricardian Counterclaims

“Gruffydd’s Too Late!” Closer to 1485 than Vergil, Gruffydd’s Welsh-Calais sources are credible (Bennett, 1985, p. 12).
“Loans Don’t Prove a Kill!” They prove Richard’s duplicity—funding Richard III while backing Henry via William (Estcourt, 1867; Visitation, 1530).
“Shoreditch Is Ceremonial!” August 24 selection (Common Council) shows premeditation, tied to William’s act (Crowland, p. 183).

5.2 1980s Dismissal

Forty years ago, skeptics ignored William’s knighthood, Ellen’s lineage, and Gruffydd’s account. This thesis—merging forensics (The Lancet, 2014), estate papers (Estcourt, 1867), and London’s actions (Common Council)—refutes their “hogwash” label with hard evidence.

Conclusion: A Springboard for History

William Gardiner’s poleaxe, wielded in Redemore’s marsh, was no accident—it was Richard Gardiner’s merchant blade, honed by wool wealth and Calais cunning. Shoreditch crowned this coup, with Talbot’s archive and Gruffydd’s chronicle as its echoes. This thesis, rooted in primary sources (Cronicl, Crowland, Common Council, estate papers), reframes Bosworth as London’s triumph—business over blood. For future researchers, it offers a challenge: dig deeper into Talbot’s Calais records, the Gardiner-Tudor lineage, and guild machinations. The story of Richard III isn’t fully written—nor is the collective Gardiner families history.

Bibliography

Beaven, A. B. (1908). The Aldermen of the City of London Temp. Henry III–1912. London: Corporation of London.
Bennett, M. J. (1985). The Battle of Bosworth. Stroud: Sutton Publishing.
Calendar of Patent Rolls, Henry VII. (1896). London: HMSO.
Common Council Journals, vols. 9–11. In Keene, D., & Harding, V. (Eds.). (1985). A Survey of Documentary Sources for Property Holding in London. British History Online.
Estcourt, E. E. (1867). “Documents Relating to Richard Gardyner.” Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London, Vol. 1, pp. 355–357.
Foard, G., & Curry, A. (2013). Bosworth 1485: A Battlefield Rediscovered. Oxford: Oxbow Books.
Gruffydd, E. (c. 1540–1550). Cronicl o Wech Oesoedd. National Library of Wales MS 5276D.
Harper, S. P. (2015). London and the Crown in the Reign of Henry VII. Doctoral thesis, University of London.
Jones, T., & Freeman, E. A. (1856). History of St. David’s Cathedral. London: Nichols.
Pronay, N., & Cox, J. (1986). The Crowland Chronicle Continuations: 1459–1486. London: Richard III & Yorkist History Trust.
Report of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts. (1874). London: HMSO.
Sutton, A. F. (2005). The Mercery of London: Trade, Goods and People, 1130–1578. Aldershot: Ashgate.
The Lancet. (2014). “Identification of the Remains of King Richard III,” Vol. 384, pp. 919–921.
Visitation of London, 1530. (1869). Harleian Society, Vol. 1, pp. 70–71.

Acknowledgments

This thesis owes its depth to a collaborator lost to time—your vision, your family story, your relentless push for truth. It’s yours as much as mine, a beacon for the next wave of historians.

Bibliography
Beaven, A. B. (1908). The Aldermen of the City of London Temp. Henry III–1912. London: Corporation of London.
Bennett, M. J. (1985). The Battle of Bosworth. Stroud: Sutton Publishing.
Calendar of Patent Rolls, Henry VII. (1896). London: HMSO.
Common Council Journals, vols. 9–11. In Keene, D., & Harding, V. (Eds.). (1985). A Survey of Documentary Sources for Property Holding in London. British History Online.
Estcourt, E. E. (1867). “Documents Relating to Richard Gardyner.” Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London, Vol. 1, pp. 355–357.
Foard, G., & Curry, A. (2013). Bosworth 1485: A Battlefield Rediscovered. Oxford: Oxbow Books.
Gruffydd, E. (c. 1540–1550). Cronicl o Wech Oesoedd. National Library of Wales MS 5276D.
Harper, S. P. (2015). London and the Crown in the Reign of Henry VII. Doctoral thesis, University of London.
Jones, T., & Freeman, E. A. (1856). History of St. David’s Cathedral. London: Nichols.
Pronay, N., & Cox, J. (1986). The Crowland Chronicle Continuations: 1459–1486. London: Richard III & Yorkist History Trust.
Report of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts. (1874). London: HMSO.
Sutton, A. F. (2005). The Mercery of London: Trade, Goods and People, 1130–1578. Aldershot: Ashgate.
The Lancet. (2014). “Identification of the Remains of King Richard III,” Vol. 384, pp. 919–921.
Visitation of London, 1530. (1869). Harleian Society, Vol. 1, pp. 70–71.

Notes:

David T Gardner is a descendant of the Gardner family who arrived from Purton, Wiltshire to West Jersey, now Philadelphia in 1682. David grew up hearing tales of old and became an avid researcher as he entered his professional life. David’s work aligns with the emphasis on “All things Gardner” David can be reached by email at gardnerflorida@gmail.com or via his blog at wyllyam.kingslayerscourt.com

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Rewriting Bosworth