Press Release: A Global Historical Breakthrough – The Lost Ledgers of Bosworth and Henry VII Rewrite the Wars of the Roses in Real Time
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2025
Contact: David Gardner, 727-457-6390, gardnerflorida@gmail.com
Global Historical Breakthrough: The Biggest Find in 540 Years – Historian David Gardner and Research Team Rewrite the Wars of the Roses in Real Time with The Lost Ledgers of Bosworth and Henry VII
London, UK – In a quiet corner of historical research, a seismic shift is unfolding—one that hasn’t been felt since the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, 540 years ago. American historian David Gardner, working from his home in New Orleans, and his research team have unearthed The Lost Ledgers of Bosworth and Henry VII, a collection within a larger archive of thousands of documents, that don’t just tell the story of the Wars of the Roses—they rewrite it in real time. This is the biggest historical find in over half a millennium, a discovery that has never been seen before, where history is being written as we speak, and David Gardner and his team are at the forefront, crafting this new narrative with every record they bring to light. Sourced from The National Archives (TNA), British Library (BL), and National Library of Wales (NLW), these ledgers, misfiled for 540 years as “Cardynyr” and corrected using OCR technology, expose a merchant-driven rebellion that noble chronicles like Anglica Historia (Polydore Vergil, 1534) and Crowland Chronicle (1486) never recorded, fundamentally altering the narrative of the Wars of the Roses.
The ledgers meticulously document the until-now untold story of the fall of King Richard III and the rise of Henry VII, covering the years 1450 to 1540, a treasure trove of information that is rewriting English history in real time. The find is unprecedented, allowing never-before-seen views of the events from the perspective of the coup plotters who orchestrated Richard III’s downfall, offering an intimate look at the strategies, risks, and alliances that shaped the rebellion. This massive find finally documents the Battle of Bosworth in unparalleled detail, offering a day-by-day account of the rebellion’s funding, logistics, and armory that led to Henry Tudor’s victory, with Gardner expecting it to yield up to 10,000 never-before-seen documents—an archival wellspring that could illuminate the shadows of history for generations to come. These initial records are just the beginning, with Gardner estimating 4000–9000 more “lost children” waiting to be uncovered within this vast collection, promising an even greater rewriting of history. The journey began with a bedtime story Gardner’s grandmother told him—a tale of a skinner named William Gardiner who slew a king, sparking a 40-year quest that led to this monumental discovery.
The ledgers contain a treasure trove of history-altering revelations, including 10 findings that reshape our understanding of the Wars of the Roses. They name William Gardiner, Henry Tudor’s bodyguard, as Richard III’s killer, a role supported by his provision of weapons for Henry’s forces (citation 386) and further detailed in records like BL Add MS 15667, which states, “Wyllyam Gardynyr slew ye IIIrd Rychard wyth ye poleaxe” (f. 12r), a blow confirmed by eleven documents in BL Harleian MS 479 and linked to the gash on Richard’s skull from the 2012 Leicester dig (The Lancet, Buckley et al., 2014). They record the bribe Henry Tudor paid to secure the Stanleys’ support, a strategic move that turned the tide at Bosworth, documented in payments to Lancastrian agents as early as 1483 (citation 302), showing a coup d’état years in the making. The ledgers reveal a merchant-driven rebellion, with William and his brother Richard Gardiner, a wool magnate dubbed “Father of the City” (TNA C 54/343, m. 10), funding Henry’s rebellion with over £3,500 from 1482 to 1485 (citations 334–351). Richard’s £80 wool shipment to Henry in Brittany in 1482 (citation 301) and £100 payment to Lancastrian agents in 1483 (citation 302) show early support, while William’s £405 in August 1485 for troop armor, weapons, and provisions (citations 335, 341, 344, 346, 348) and Richard’s £1,350 for transport and logistics (citations 334, 336, 340, 343, 349, 351) ensured Henry’s forces were battle-ready at Bosworth. The ledgers also trace the Gardiners’ legacy under Henry VII, with Thomas Gardiner, son of Ellen Tudor (Jasper Tudor’s daughter), serving as the king’s chaplain, priest of the Lady Chapel, and Chamberlain of Westminster Abbey, donating £50 as a novice monk in 1493 (citation 305) and allocating £60 as Prior of Tynemouth in 1520 (citation 306), tying the family to Tudor rule, while a 1500 trade entry hints at a broader network through John Gardiner (citation 307).
“This is the biggest find in 540 years,” says David Gardner. “It all started with my grandmother’s bedtime story about William Gardiner, a skinner who killed a king. That story led us to these ledgers, which prove the Gardiners were the backbone of Henry’s victory—arming, feeding, and moving his forces to Bosworth. We’re not just telling the Wars of the Roses; we’re rewriting English history in real time, showing how merchants, not nobles, turned the tide. With thousands more documents to come, history books will need to be revised.”
David Gardner and his research team are writing history in real time, and the public is invited to witness this unprecedented process at https://wyllyam.kingslayerscourt.com, where history is being written as the unfolding story of the Gardiners and the Wars of the Roses is documented with each new discovery. This is just the beginning. For more information or to request interviews, contact David Gardner at 727-457-6390 or gardnerflorida@gmail.com.
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