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 over three decades—has unearthed a wealth of evidence that places 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 brother, 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 elder brother, 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 Brothers 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). Thirty years of research now place him at Bosworth’s heart—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)"
Knighthood and Swift End: A Fleeting Triumph
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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).
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.
Legacy Through Thomas Gardiner: 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). He rose to Prior of Blyth (1507–1511) and Tynemouth (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
Richard’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 skinner like William Gardiner killing Richard III was dismissed as “hogwash” by Ricardians (Personal commentary, 2025). Today, forensic evidence, Welsh chronicles, civic records, and family lore prove otherwise. The Gardiners 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 Richard Gardiner, wielded William as their blade. This wasn’t chance—it was “just business,” a merchant coup that rewrote history, unveiled by David Gardiner’s 40 years of research, 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.
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Sir William Gardiner Last Will and Testament lists his wife Ellen and his brother 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 brother 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 brothers, Richard, Robert and John Gardiner, and his sisters, Maude and Alice".
His Siblings Are Named
Richard Gardiner
Robert Gardiner
John Gardiner
Maude Gardiner
Alice Gardiner
His Children Are Named
Thomas Gardyner, King's Chaplin Son and Heir
Philippe Gardyner
Margeret Gardiner
Beatrice Gardyner
Ann Gardyner
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.
