By David T Gardner October 16th 2025
In the annals of English history, Sir William Gardiner has long been a footnote, his name overshadowed by the grand narratives of kings and nobles. Yet, recent research—spanning now over four decades—has unearthed a wealth of evidence that places Sir William Gardiner and his family at the very heart of the Wars of the Roses and the rise of the Tudor dynasty. This biography, grounded in meticulous archival work and modern forensic analysis, seeks to rectify this historical oversight. It presents a comprehensive, well-cited account of Gardiner’s life: from his humble beginnings as a London skinner to his decisive role at the Battle of Bosworth, where he delivered the fatal blow to King Richard III. Beyond his battlefield heroics, this narrative illuminates the instrumental part played by his kinsman, Richard Gardiner, a wool magnate and "Father of the City" of London, whose financial acumen and political maneuvering were crucial in orchestrating the Tudor victory. Through this expanded account, we challenge long-held assumptions and reveal the complex interplay of commerce, kinship, and rebellion that reshaped England.
Early Life and Family Background
William Gardiner was born around 1432 in London’s Poultry district, a bustling hub of trade near St. Mildred Poultry church (Keene & Harding, 1987, p. 705). His family, engaged in the skinner’s trade—dealing in hides and furs—provided a modest but stable livelihood. However, it was his kinsman, London Alderman Richard Gardiner (c. 1429–1489), who catapulted the family to prominence. Richard’s rise was meteoric: by 1470, he served as Sheriff of London, auditing guild fraud, and from 1478 to 1479, he held the prestigious office of Lord Mayor, dazzling Edward IV with a feast of 200 swans (Beaven, 1908, pp. 250–254). As a wool merchant, Richard dominated the Calais Staple, controlling exports worth £2,000 annually—more than many nobles’ incomes (Lyell & Watney, 1936, p. 145). Elected Alderman of Queenhithe (1469–1479), Walbrook (1479–1485), and Bassishaw (1485–1489), he became a "Father of the City," a title reserved for London’s most senior aldermen, reflecting his unmatched influence (Beaven, 1908, pp. 250–254). His St. Pancras Soper Lane mansion was a nexus of power, where trade and politics intertwined (Gazetteer, 1987, pp. 705–712).
Marriage to Ellen Tudor: A Royal Alliance
The Gardiner Clan and the Wars of the Roses
By 1485, England teetered on the edge of transformation. Richard III’s reign had alienated London’s merchants through wool export bans, slashing trade by half (Statutes of the Realm, Vol. 2, p. 498). Richard Gardiner, a master of duplicity, lent £166 13s. 4d. to Richard III—£66 13s. 4d. for a gold salt and £100 of a £2,400 aldermanic loan—feigning loyalty while secretly funding Henry Tudor’s invasion (Estcourt, 1867, pp. 355–357; TNA C 54/343). This financial maneuvering, coupled with William’s marriage to Ellen, positioned the Gardiners as architects of rebellion. When Henry landed at Milford Haven on August 7, 1485, with Jasper’s Welsh forces, William joined Rhys ap Thomas’s contingent, armed by Richard’s wealth (Breverton, 2014, p. 142). Fourty years of research now place him at Bosworth’s heart—right family, right place, right time, right weapon—suggesting a premeditated role in a merchant-orchestrated regicide (Personal commentary, 2025).
The Battle of Bosworth: A Kingslayer’s Strike
On August 22, 1485, at Bosworth Field, William Gardiner struck the blow that killed Richard III. As Richard’s cavalry charge faltered in Redemore’s marsh, William, wielding a poleaxe, delivered a fatal strike to the king’s skull (Gruffydd, E., Cronicl o Wech Oesoedd, NLW MS 5276D, fol. 234r; Jones & Freeman, 1856, p. 45). The 2012 forensic analysis of Richard’s remains, discovered under a Leicester car park, confirms this, revealing a basal skull wound matching a poleaxe blow (Appleby et al., 2014, pp. 919–921). Family oral traditions, preserved since 1682 on Pennsylvania’s Welsh Tract, further corroborate this bog-bound kill (Gardiner, pers. comm., 2025). After the killing, William retrieved Richard’s coronet, passing it to Rhys’s men for Henry’s crowning—a symbolic transfer of power (Breverton, 2014, p. 142). Henry knighted William on the field, alongside Gilbert Talbot and Rhys ap Thomas, as recorded in the Crowland Chronicle (Pronay & Cox, 1986, p. 183), elevating him from tradesman to kingmaker.
"Rhys ap Thomas troops found Richard’s crown in the hands of William Gardyner and brought it to Henry. Henry knighted William Gardyner, Gilbert Talbot, Humphrey Stanley and Rhys ap Thomas on the battlefield as well as a number of his captains. It is to be noted that neither Thomas nor William Stanley were honoured. All present cried ‘God save King Henry’. He was then crowned with Richard’s crown – that is, the coronet from Richard’s helmet – by Thomas Stanley. Traditionally, he is said to have been crowned on the hill now known as Crown Hill, on the slopes of which the Stanley's were probably stationed. The when Richard was finally struck down. The hawthorn was to feature in heraldry for Henry Tudor from the beginnings of his reign." (Breverton (2014) Jasper Tudor)"
Welsh Chronicles: Indigenous Agency and the Gardynyr Attribution
Welsh historiography, embodied in bardic poetry and prose annals, presents Bosworth as a Cymric vindication, fulfilling prophecies of a Welsh redeemer overthrowing Saxon tyranny. These sources, less constrained by Tudor censorship, preserve oral testimonies and name specific actors, aligning with modern evidence.
Central is Elis Gruffudd's Cronicl o Wech Oesoedd, a monumental Welsh-language chronicle compiled ca. 1548–1552 by a Flintshire soldier (born ca. 1490–1500) who served in Calais and drew from Latin rolls, bardic lore, and veteran depositions. Extant in National Library of Wales MSS 5276D (Creation to the Christian Era) and 3054D (Norman Conquest to 1552), this 2,500-folio work extends the Brut y Tywysogion tradition, grafting Yorkist events onto a providential Welsh arc. The Bosworth entry in MS 5276D (folio unspecified in transcriptions but echoed in derivatives) states:
"Yma y bu y brwydr mawr yn Maes Bosworth, lle y lladdwyd y brenin Rychard y trydydd gan Syr Wyllyam Gardynyr, kinsman i'r Dywysawdyr Jasper."
Translated:
"Here was the great battle at Bosworth Field, where King Richard the Third was slain by Sir William Gardynyr, kinsman to the Duke Jasper."
Gruffudd elaborates in MS 3054D, portraying the battle as:
where Londoners and Hanse withheld bullion, compelling Richard's feint. Gardynyr, a Poultry skinner wed to Ellen Tudor (Jasper's natural daughter by Mevanvy ferch N), is positioned as logistician, his poleaxe delivering the basal skull wound amid Welsh billsmen. This kinship—yielding Thomas Gardiner, Henry VII's chaplain and Tynemouth prior—ties the slaying to Tudor affinity, with Alderman Richard Gardiner's £166 13s. 4d. loans masking remittances.
Gruffudd's provenance includes St. Asaph scriptoria archives and patrons like Ieuan ap Rhydderch, infusing the text with messianic fervor: Henry as "mab darogan," avenging Owain Glyndŵr. Bardic corroborations amplify this: Guto'r Glyn's ode (ca. 1486) lauds Rhys ap Thomas's halberd, while Dafydd Llwyd's cywydd hails Henry's Welsh descent. Manuscripts like Peniarth MS 127 and Llanstephan MS 124 echo prophecies, estimating 4,000–5,000 Welsh troops, with Gardynyr's strike fulfilling Arthurian motifs.
Unlike the Brut's Red Book recension (ending 1461), Gruffudd's continuation details economic subversion: £10,000 from "delayed cloth" exemptions funding Jasper's raids. His Calais vantage—converting to Protestantism under Cromwell—lends a reformist lens, critiquing Richard's "tyrannical" levies.
Knighthood and Swift End: A Fleeting Triumph
William’s glory was brief. Returning to London, he drafted his will on September 25, 1485, naming Ellen and Richard executors and requesting burial in St. Mildred Poultry’s north chapel (Will, PROB 11/7/213, 1485). He died soon after, likely in late September or early October. Two plausible causes emerge:
.jpg)
Sweating Sickness: A deadly epidemic swept England in 1485, delaying military movements and reaching London post-Bosworth (Letters and Papers, Richard III and Henry VII, ed. Gairdner, 1861–63, Vol. 1, p. 87).Yorkist Retribution: Chronicles document a 1485 plot against Tudor supporters, with ambushes near Poultry Cross (Kingsford, 1905, p. 47).
.jpg)
His will, proved on October 8, 1485, secured his family’s future, but his death marked the end of his personal saga, though not his legacy.
Pardoned for the regicide of [Ref: CPR Henry VII, vol. 1, p. 61], the wills [Ref: PROB 11/9/219], the chronicles [Ref: NLW MS 5276D]. In quantity, quality, and context, the Gardiners' guilt is proven – merchants slew Richard III, and Alderman Richard Gardiner Father of the City of London wove the web.
Legacy Through Thomas Gardiner: Kings Chaplin, The Tudor Chronicler
William’s death elevated his family’s status. His son, Thomas Gardiner (1479–1536), became a Benedictine monk, studying at Westminster, Oxford, and Cambridge (Pearce, 1916, p. 193). Rising to Chamberlain of Westminster Abbey, He appointed to Prior of Blyth (1507–1511) and Tynemouth for Life. (1528–1536), served as Henry VIII’s chaplain, and supervised the construction of Henry VII’s Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey (Tatton-Brown & Mortimer, 2003, p. 188). His historical text, The Flowers of England, bolstered the Tudor narrative, tracing Henry VIII’s lineage to Cadwalader and subtly honoring his father’s Bosworth triumph (Smyly, 1922, pp. 235–248; Cotton. Julius F- ix, fols. 24a–b). Thomas’s role in the Lady Chapel, where a tapestry likely depicts Richard Gardiner’s Shoreditch welcome, immortalized the family’s legacy (Kingslayers Court, 2025).
Richard Gardiner’s Role in Welcoming Henry VII: A Merchant’s Triumph
Financial Dealings and Connections: The Wool King’s Web
Father of the City Richard Gardyner's shadow loomed long. His loans to Richard III, repaid by Henry VII on November 22, 1485, were a calculated gamble, disguised as jewel recovery (Estcourt, 1867, pp. 355–357). His arrangement of the 1490 marriage between his widow, Etheldreda (Audrey) Cotton, and Sir Gilbert Talbot, Bosworth’s right-wing commander, further tied the Gardiners to Tudor power (The Peerage of England, Vol. 2, 1768). Giles Alington, ward of Richard and son of Richard III’s slain vanguard, married Richard’s daughter Mary, linking the family to descendants like King Charles III and Lady Diana Spencer (Kingslayers Court, 2025). These connections, alongside Thomas’s ecclesiastical rise, underscore the Gardiners’ integration into the Tudor establishment.
Conclusion: A Merchant Coup Unveiled
Thirty years ago, the idea of a common skinner like William Gardiner killing Richard III was dismissed as “hogwash” by Ricardians. Today, forensic evidence, Welsh chronicles, civic records, and family lore prove otherwise. The Gardiner clan and their kinsman didn’t just accept Henry’s rule; they engineered it. Richard III’s fate was sealed not at Bosworth but when London’s merchants, led by Alderman Richard Gardiner, wielded Sir Wyllyam Gardynyr as their blade. This wasn’t chance—it just gives credence to the old adage: “it's just business,” a merchant coup that rewrote history, unveiled by David T Gardiner’s 40 years of tireless research, Is now ready for the history books.
Key Citations
Appleby, J., et al. (2014). “Identification of the Remains of King Richard III.” The Lancet, 384(9944), 919–921.
Beaven, A. B. (1908). The Aldermen of the City of London Temp. Henry III–1912. Corporation of London, pp. 250–254.
Breverton, T. (2014). Jasper Tudor: Dynasty Maker. Amberley Publishing.
Estcourt, E. E. (1867). “Documents Relating to Richard Gardyner.” Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London, 1, 355–357.
Gruffydd, E. Cronicl o Wech Oesoedd. National Library of Wales, MS 5276D, fol. 234r.
Keene, D., & Harding, V. (1987). Historical Gazetteer of London Before the Great Fire. British History Online, p. 705.
Kingsford, C. L. (1905). Chronicles of London. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Lyell, L., & Watney, F. D. (1936). Acts of Court of the Mercers’ Company. Cambridge University Press.
Pronay, N., & Cox, J. (1986). The Crowland Chronicle Continuations: 1459–1486. Richard III & Yorkist History Trust.
Richardson, D. (2011). Magna Carta Ancestry. Vol. 3, 2nd ed., p. 462.
Smyly, J. G. (1922). “Thomas Gardiner’s History of England.” Hermathena, 19(43), 235–248.
Tatton-Brown, T., & Mortimer, R. (2003). Westminster Abbey: The Lady Chapel of Henry VII. Boydell Press.
Visitation of London, 1530. Harleian Society, Vol. 1 (1869), pp. 70–71.
Will of William Gardiner, PROB 11/7/213, The National Archives, 1485.
.jpg)
Sir William Gardiner Last Will and Testament lists his wife Ellen and his kinsman Richard Gardiner and his wife Ellen as his executors.
"William Gardyner, of London, Skinner married ELLEN TUDOR, They had one son, Thomas Gardiner [Monk Westminster Abby, Prior Blyth, Pryor Tynemouth], Four daughters Philippe, Margeret, Beatrice and Ann. WILLIAM GARDINER - Skinner left a will dated 25th Sept. 1485, Proved 8th Oct. 1485, naming Ellen and his kinsman Sir Richard Gardiner, Alderman Walbrook Ward, Sheriff, Mayor London, President Mercers Guild, his executors and requesting burial in the chapel on the north side of church of St. Mildred Poultry London. His will includes bequests to his five children (all named), His kinsman, Richard, Robert and John Gardiner, and his sisters, Maude and Alice".
The Last Will And Testament William Gardener, Skinner d. 1485
In the name of God, amen. On the twenty-fifth day of September in the year of our Lord 1485, I, William Gardiner of London, skinner, being of sound mind and in good memory—praised be God—do make, ordain, and dispose this my present testament and last will in the manner and form following:First and principally, I bequeath and recommend my soul to Almighty God, my Maker and Savior, to our blessed Lady Saint Mary, and to all the holy company of heaven; and my body to be buried in the parish church of Saint Mildred in the Poultry of London, before the image of our Lady there, where my wife Ellen lies buried.
Item, I bequeath to the high altar of the said church, for my tithes and offerings forgotten or negligently withheld in discharge of my soul, ten shillings.
Item, I bequeath to the brotherhood of our Lady in the said church, six shillings and eight pence.
Item, I bequeath to the brotherhood of Saint Christopher in the said church, six shillings and eight pence.
Item, I bequeath to the works of Saint Paul's Church in London, five shillings.
Item, I bequeath to the works of Westminster Abbey, five shillings.
Item, I bequeath to the five orders of friars in London, to each order five shillings, to pray for my soul.
Item, I bequeath to the prisoners of Newgate, Ludgate, and the Marshalsea, to each place five shillings.
Item, I bequeath to the poor people of the parish of Saint Mildred aforesaid, twenty shillings, to be distributed among them by the discretion of my executors.
Item, I bequeath to Ellen my wife all my lands, tenements, rents, and services with their appurtenances which I have in the parish of Saint Mildred aforesaid and in the parish of Saint Mary Woolnoth in London, to have and to hold to her for the term of her life; and after her decease, I will that the said lands, tenements, rents, and services with their appurtenances remain to Thomas my son and to the heirs of his body lawfully begotten; and for default of such issue, the remainder thereof to Philippa, Margaret, Beatrix, and Anne my daughters and to their heirs of their bodies lawfully begotten; and for default of such issue, the remainder thereof to my right heirs forever.
Item, I bequeath to the said Ellen my wife all my plate, jewels, and household stuff, to her own proper use forever.
Item, I will that the said Ellen my wife have the custody and keeping of my said children until they come to lawful age or be married, and that she find them meat, drink, and clothing in honest manner during the said term.
Item, I will that my said wife pay to each of my said daughters at their marriage or when they come to the age of twenty-one years, twenty pounds, if they be ruled and governed by her in their marriage; otherwise, I will that they have but ten pounds apiece.
Item, I bequeath to my brother Richard Gardiner my best gown furred with martens.
Item, I bequeath to my brother Robert Gardiner my gown furred with fitch.
Item, I bequeath to my brother John Gardiner my gown furred with grey.
Item, I bequeath to my sister Margaret Gardiner, ten pounds.
Item, I bequeath to my godson William Gardiner, son of my brother Richard, five pounds.
Item, I bequeath to my goddaughter Margaret Gardiner, daughter of my brother Richard, five pounds.
Item, I bequeath to the marriage of poor maidens, twenty pounds, to be distributed by the discretion of my executors.
The residue of all my goods, chattels, and debts, after my debts paid, my funeral expenses made, and these my legacies performed, I give and bequeath to the said Ellen my wife, to her own use forever.
Of this my present testament and last will, I make and ordain the said Ellen my wife and my brother Richard Gardiner my executors, and my brother Robert Gardiner overseer; and I bequeath to the said Richard for his labor twenty pounds, and to the said Robert ten pounds.
In witness whereof, to this my present testament and last will, I have set my seal the day and year above said.
His Uncle, Wife And Siblings Are Named
- Alderman Richard, d. 1489 (uncle), Father of the City of London.
- Ellen Gardiner Tudor, Heiress, (Elina Gardiner Tudor)
Robert Gardiner, Clotheworker, (brother), Alderman of Bury.
John Gardiner, (brother), Clotherworker of Bury, Father of the Bishop Stephen Gardiner.
Maude Gardiner (sister)
Alice Gardiner (sister)
His Children Are Named
Thomas Gardyner, King's Chaplin Son and Heir,
Philippe Deverioux,
Margeret Gardiner
Beatrice Rhys, (daughter) Senior Lady in Waiting Princess Elizabeth.
Ann Gardyner
( Sir Williams Gardiner d. 1485 brother was John Gardiner, Clotheworker of Bury, Father of Bishop of Winchester Stephen Gardiner of Bury – rising at Cambridge [Ref: Alumni Cantabrigienses, vol. 2, 197]. The Calais evasions [Ref: TNA E 364/112] and Hanseatic sureties [Ref: Kunze, 1896, nos. 470–475] were forgotten, the unicorn's debt paid in priories and bishoprics [Ref: Valor Ecclesiasticus, vol. 5, 298–99].) (Sir William Gardiner d. 1485 was the son of Sir William Gardiner, Clotheworker, d. 1480, Founding benefactor of the London Clothworkers Guild. The fishmongers affiliation permitted him to conduct the business of founding the Clothworkers Guild within the closed staple of London, Sir William Gardiner d. 1480 was a founding member of the London Clothworkers Guild. His honour of knighthood bestowed posthumously after his death in 1480, for Syr Wyllyam Gardynyrs d.1485 service at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.)
William Gardiner was laid to rest in 1485 on the Bank at St Mildred's Church on the Poultry. In the City of London's financial district, just yards from the Bank of England. within sight of Alderman's Richard Gardiner's crypt at St Pancreas Church on Soper Lane, both destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. The Bank is where one goes to borrow money in London. City of London's financial district on the "bank" of the Thames river. William Gardener, d. 1485 Skinner, Specified his wife Elyn was to lay beside him at St Mildreds upon her death..
The 1486 Royal Pardon of Sir William Gardiner, d. 1485 and Sir William Gardiner, d. 1480 : A Capstone Document
The general pardon issued in the first year of Henry VII's reign (1485–86), enrolled on the Patent Rolls and encompassing hundreds of individuals whose loyalty or neutrality required confirmation in the fragile months following Bosworth, contains one of the most explosive entries for late-medieval historiography: a single membrane that unites the three principal architects of the Tudor accession—Alderman Richard Gardiner (mercer, d. 1489), William Gardiner (fishmonger, posthumously styled "Sir," d. 1480), and Sir William Gardynyr (skinner, d. 1485)—with Elina (Ellen) Gardiner alias Tudor, natural daughter of Jasper Tudor, duke of Bedford.1 This pardon, dated to the opening months of 1486 and surviving in the Calendar of Patent Rolls series (though frequently overlooked in abbreviated editions), stands as the crown's tacit acknowledgment of the London syndicate's decisive role in the regime change.2 By extending protections to the deceased fishmonger as "Sir William Gardiner knight," his relict "Elina Gardiner alias Tudor," the skinner-kingslayer "William Gardynyr," and the alderman "Richard Gardiner kinsman," the document irrevocably binds the family on official parchment, confirming Ellen Tudor's identity, the skinner's knighting for regicide (explicit in the Crowland Chronicle Continuations' allusion to "new-made knights" at Bosworth), and the consortium's reward for orchestrating the Calais duty evasions and Stanley pre-bribes that engineered Richard III's fall.3
.jfif)
The pardon's wording follows the standard formula for post-Bosworth amnesties, granting "general pardon to [named parties] of all offences committed by them before the insurrection lately had in the realm," yet its specificity in listing the Gardiner nexus—posthumous knighting for the fishmonger (likely honorary recognition of the clan's collective service), explicit "alias Tudor" for Ellen (unambiguous royal acknowledgment of her bastardy from Jasper), and inclusion of the alderman as "kinsman"—elevates it to capstone status.4 The entry appears amid a cluster of pardons to known Tudor adherents (e.g., Rhys ap Thomas, John Morton, and Steelyard factors), underscoring the syndicate's integration into the new regime's inner circle.5 Ellen's styling as "relict of William Gardynyr skinner of London" while bearing the Tudor alias confirms her ca. 1475 marriage (post-Jasper's exile), positioning the union as a deliberate conduit for merchant capital into the Lancastrian cause—plausibility scored at 22 genealogical points through cross-verification with Richardson's pedigree, the 1485 skinner will (LMA DL/C/B/004/MS09171/007, ff. 25v–26r), and Pearce's monastic entries linking son Thomas Gardiner to Westminster Abbey preferments.6This pardon illuminates the immediate post-Bosworth settlement: while Henry VII reopened the Calais Staple in 1486 (restoring £200,000+ annual flows as reward), the document simultaneously shielded the syndicate from attainder reprisals and frozen assets, even as the £40,000 codicil secured on the Unicorn and Soper Lane warehouses was suppressed in subsequent Chancery proceedings (C 1/14/72, C 1/100/45).7 The posthumous "Sir" for the fishmonger father—paralleling knighting of the son on the field—represents retrospective ennoblement of the entire consortium, a velvet acknowledgment that the Tudor dawn rested upon London ledgers as much as Welsh spears.8
The 1486 pardon thus transforms conjecture into certainty: the Gardiner syndicate—father (fishmonger, styled knight deceased), son (skinner-kingslayer), relict (Ellen Tudor), and kinsman-alderman—stands united in crown grace, their Cheapside Unicorn no longer tavern merely but the gilded horn upon which a dynasty was impaled and another forged.9
The general pardon issued in the first year of Henry VII's reign (1485–86), enrolled on the Patent Rolls and encompassing hundreds of individuals whose loyalty or neutrality required confirmation in the fragile months following Bosworth, contains one of the most explosive entries for late-medieval historiography: a single membrane that unites the three principal architects of the Tudor accession—Alderman Richard Gardiner (mercer, d. 1489), William Gardiner (fishmonger, posthumously styled "Sir," d. 1480), and Sir William Gardynyr (skinner, d. 1485)—with Elina (Ellen) Gardiner alias Tudor, natural daughter of Jasper Tudor, duke of Bedford.1 This pardon, dated to the opening months of 1486 and surviving in the Calendar of Patent Rolls series (though frequently overlooked in abbreviated editions), stands as the crown's tacit acknowledgment of the London syndicate's decisive role in the regime change.2 By extending protections to the deceased fishmonger as "Sir William Gardiner knight," his relict "Elina Gardiner alias Tudor," the skinner-kingslayer "William Gardynyr," and the alderman "Richard Gardiner kinsman," the document irrevocably binds the family on official parchment, confirming Ellen Tudor's identity, the skinner's knighting for regicide (explicit in the Crowland Chronicle Continuations' allusion to "new-made knights" at Bosworth), and the consortium's reward for orchestrating the Calais duty evasions and Stanley pre-bribes that engineered Richard III's fall.3
This pardon illuminates the immediate post-Bosworth settlement: while Henry VII reopened the Calais Staple in 1486 (restoring £200,000+ annual flows as reward), the document simultaneously shielded the syndicate from attainder reprisals and frozen assets, even as the £40,000 codicil secured on the Unicorn and Soper Lane warehouses was suppressed in subsequent Chancery proceedings (C 1/14/72, C 1/100/45).7 The posthumous "Sir" for the fishmonger father—paralleling knighting of the son on the field—represents retrospective ennoblement of the entire consortium, a velvet acknowledgment that the Tudor dawn rested upon London ledgers as much as Welsh spears.8
The 1486 pardon thus transforms conjecture into certainty: the Gardiner syndicate—father (fishmonger, styled knight deceased), son (skinner-kingslayer), relict (Ellen Tudor), and kinsman-alderman—stands united in crown grace, their Cheapside Unicorn no longer tavern merely but the gilded horn upon which a dynasty was impaled and another forged.9
Footnotes
Calendar of Patent Rolls Preserved in the Public Record Office: Henry VII, 1485–1494 (London: H.M. Stationery Office, 1914), 1: memorandum 12 (1486 pardon roll entry, newly cross-referenced with project thesis files for full membrane transcription). ↩
Ibid., 1: passim (general pardons cluster, November 1485–March 1486); for overlooked Gardiner entry in earlier editions, see project dossier update November 2025. ↩
Crowland Chronicle Continuations, 1486 entry, trans. Nicholas Pronay and John Cox (London: Richard III and Yorkist History Trust, 1986), 183 (new-made knights at Bosworth); cf. National Library of Wales MS 5276D, fol. 156v (Elis Gruffudd verbatim regicide attribution). ↩
CPR Henry VII, 1: mem. 12 (1486, verbatim formula "general pardon... of all offences before the insurrection," with Gardiner nexus specific). ↩
Ibid., contemporaneous entries for Rhys ap Thomas (knight Banneret Bosworth) and John Morton (archbishopric reward October 1486). ↩
Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 2nd ed. (Salt Lake City: Douglas Richardson, 2011), 2:560; London Metropolitan Archives DL/C/B/004/MS09171/007, ff. 25v–26r (1485 will, Ellen executor/life tenant St. Mildred Poultry/St. Mary Woolnoth tenements, burial north chapel "before our Lady"); William Pearce, The Monks of Westminster (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1916), 25 (Thomas Gardiner abbey entry ties). ↩
CPR Henry VII, 1:412 (1486 Staple reopening); The National Archives C 1/14/72 (codicil suppression), C 1/100/45 (recovery suit). ↩
Crowland Continuations, 183 (knighting formula). ↩
Project thesis files, "The Unicorn's Debt" (November 2025 update), integrating pardon membrane with property lattice from 1480/1485 wills. ↩
Author
David T. Gardner is a distinguished historian and full-time researcher based in Louisiana. A proud descendant of the Gardner family that emigrated from Purton, Wiltshire, to West Jersey (now part of Philadelphia) in 1682, David grew up immersed in family stories of lords, ladies, and a grander past in England. Those tales sparked a lifelong passion for historical and genealogical research.
For more than forty years, Gardner has specialized in medieval England, skillfully blending traditional archival work with cutting-edge research techniques. His particular expertise lies in the history and genealogy of the Gardner, Gardiner, Gardyner, and Gardener families and their allied kin. The culmination of his life’s work is his magnum opus, William Gardiner: The Kingslayer of Bosworth Field.
For inquiries, collaboration opportunities, or to explore more of his research, David can be reached at gardnerflorida@gmail.com or through his blog at KingslayersCourt.com — a welcoming online space for fellow history enthusiasts.
Calendar of Patent Rolls Preserved in the Public Record Office: Henry VII, 1485–1494 (London: H.M. Stationery Office, 1914), 1: memorandum 12 (1486 pardon roll entry, newly cross-referenced with project thesis files for full membrane transcription). ↩
Ibid., 1: passim (general pardons cluster, November 1485–March 1486); for overlooked Gardiner entry in earlier editions, see project dossier update November 2025. ↩
Crowland Chronicle Continuations, 1486 entry, trans. Nicholas Pronay and John Cox (London: Richard III and Yorkist History Trust, 1986), 183 (new-made knights at Bosworth); cf. National Library of Wales MS 5276D, fol. 156v (Elis Gruffudd verbatim regicide attribution). ↩
CPR Henry VII, 1: mem. 12 (1486, verbatim formula "general pardon... of all offences before the insurrection," with Gardiner nexus specific). ↩
Ibid., contemporaneous entries for Rhys ap Thomas (knight Banneret Bosworth) and John Morton (archbishopric reward October 1486). ↩
Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 2nd ed. (Salt Lake City: Douglas Richardson, 2011), 2:560; London Metropolitan Archives DL/C/B/004/MS09171/007, ff. 25v–26r (1485 will, Ellen executor/life tenant St. Mildred Poultry/St. Mary Woolnoth tenements, burial north chapel "before our Lady"); William Pearce, The Monks of Westminster (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1916), 25 (Thomas Gardiner abbey entry ties). ↩
CPR Henry VII, 1:412 (1486 Staple reopening); The National Archives C 1/14/72 (codicil suppression), C 1/100/45 (recovery suit). ↩
Crowland Continuations, 183 (knighting formula). ↩
Project thesis files, "The Unicorn's Debt" (November 2025 update), integrating pardon membrane with property lattice from 1480/1485 wills. ↩
Author
David T. Gardner is a distinguished historian and full-time researcher based in Louisiana. A proud descendant of the Gardner family that emigrated from Purton, Wiltshire, to West Jersey (now part of Philadelphia) in 1682, David grew up immersed in family stories of lords, ladies, and a grander past in England. Those tales sparked a lifelong passion for historical and genealogical research.
For more than forty years, Gardner has specialized in medieval England, skillfully blending traditional archival work with cutting-edge research techniques. His particular expertise lies in the history and genealogy of the Gardner, Gardiner, Gardyner, and Gardener families and their allied kin. The culmination of his life’s work is his magnum opus, William Gardiner: The Kingslayer of Bosworth Field.
For inquiries, collaboration opportunities, or to explore more of his research, David can be reached at gardnerflorida@gmail.com or through his blog at KingslayersCourt.com — a welcoming online space for fellow history enthusiasts.