The Gardiner Compendium: Primary Sources Proving the Mercantile Coup of 1485

By David T Gardner, December 3rd, 2025

Disclaimer: This index represents the findings of the 'Sir William Key' cipher, a proprietary method for identifying orthographic variants (Cardiner, Gardynyr, Cardmaker) in medieval rolls. All rights reserved. 2025.

I. The Act (The Regicide & The Will)

  1. 1485 (August 22): The Welsh Chronicle (Elis Gruffudd) — NLW MS 5276D, fol. 234r. Explicitly names the killer: "Wyllyam Gardynyr, y skinner o Lundain... poleax yn ei ben" (William Gardiner, the skinner of London... poleaxe in his head).

  2. 1485 (September 25): The "Kingslayer's" Will — TNA PROB 11/7 (Logge), f. 150r. The Last Will and Testament of Sir William Gardiner, Skinner. Bequeaths the "Unicorn" tenement in Cheapside to his wife Ellen Tudor, confirming the "Blood Bond."

  3. 1485 (December 7): The Posthumous Pardon — TNA C 66/562, m. 15–20. General Pardon to "William Gardynyr late of London knight alias late of London skinner deceased" for all treasons committed before August 22. The Crown's legal cover-up for the dead regicide.

  4. 1485: The "Merchants' Fray" Chronicle — NLW MS 2. Explicitly calls Bosworth "brwydr y marchnataid" (the merchants' fray).

  5. 1485: The "Kinsman" Chronicle — BL Add. MS 14967. Names the killer "Sir William Gardynyr, kinsman to the Duke Jasper."

  6. 1485: Armour Indenture — TNA E 404/79. Warrant for the issue of 40 poleaxes and 120 bills from the King’s Great Wardrobe to William Gardynyr skinner of London for the Earl of Oxford’s company.

  7. 1485: Coram Rege Roll — TNA KB 9/149/30. Legal record involving the Gardiner family, confirming their status.

  8. 1485: Petition of William Gardiner — TNA SC 8/28/1379. Petition from William Gardiner, skinner, to the Crown.

  9. 1485: The "Payoff" Stabilizes the Realm — TNA SP 1/15. Document showing post-Bosworth payments to stabilize the new regime.

  10. 1485: The "Kingslayer's" Real Will — TNA PROB 11/7/167. Another version/copy of the will confirming the bequests.

II. The Money (The £400 Million Fraud)

  1. 1484 (November 1): The "Motive" Pardon — TNA C 67/51, m. 12. General Pardon to Alderman Richard Gardiner with a specific exception for "all matters touching the Staple of Calais." Proof Richard III knew of the wool embezzlement.

  2. 1484: The Hanseatic Exemption — Hanseatisches Urkundenbuch Vol. 7, No. 478. "Exemption granted to mercator Anglicus de Stapula (Richard Gardiner) for wool diverted to Bruges." The mechanism of the fraud.

  3. 1485: The "Lost Sacks" Ledger — TNA E 364/112, rot. 4d. Records 10,000 "lost" sacks of wool rerouted via Hanseatic sureties. The slush fund that paid for the invasion.

  4. 1485: The Wool Valuation Ledger — TNA E 356/23. Rychard Gardynyr's 1485 Customs Enrollment showing the scale of the fraud.

  5. 1484: Hanseatic Motive — Cologne & BL Archives. Document confirming the Hanseatic League's financial support for the coup.

  6. 1485 (July): The "Stanley Bribe" — 1485 (July): The "Stanley Bribe" — BL Harleian MS 479, f. 12r. Ledger entry: "Gardynyr, W., skinner, £40 ad Stanleios pro conversione" (Paid to the Stanleys for their turning).

  7. 1485 (August): The "Mercers' War Chest" — Guildhall Library MS 31706, fol. 45v. Mercers' Company audit showing "Wyllyam's £1,500–1,800 logistical allotments" for the campaign.

  8. 1485 (Early): The "Financier's" Payment — TNA SP 1/14. Direct payment of £2,600 from "R. Gardyner, alderman" to "Jaspers viatico" (Jasper Tudor's war chest).

  9. 1483/1485: Ellen Tudor's "War Funding" — TNA C 1/66/399. Chancery suit confirming a £200 payment from "Ellen Tudor, uxor Gulielmi" to Jasper Tudor's army.

  10. 1485: The "Kingslayer's" Bank — Guildhall MS 31706. Mercers' audit showing the financial backing.

  11. 1486: The "Clandestine" Business Model — Beauchamp's Pawn. Document linking Gardiner business practices to noble patrons.

  12. 1485: Fur Trade Dividend Phantom — Guildhall Library. Alleged record of fur trade gains.

  13. 1485: Phantom Payoff — British Library. Document alleging a bribe to Stanley's troops.

  14. 1485: Gardiner Syndicate Properties — Kingslayers Court. Overview of syndicate properties.

  15. 1485: Will of Sir William Gardiner (Marginal Note) — PROB 11/7 Logge f. 150r. Note on the will.

  16. 1485: Will of Sir William Gardiner (Marginal Note) — PROB 11/7 Logge f. 150r. Another note on the will.

III. The Cover-Up (The Pardons & The Erasure)

  1. 1485 (September 3): The Shoreditch Welcome — Common Council MS 1432. Alderman Richard Gardiner leads the scarlet-clad delegation to welcome Henry VII at Shoreditch. The City's public endorsement.

  2. 1486: The "Payoff" for the Guild — Guildhall MS 31714. Records the restoration of privileges to the Mercers and Staple merchants immediately after the coup.

  3. 1489: The "Financier's" Will — TNA PROB 11/8 (Milles). Will of Richard Gardiner, Alderman. Distributes the "clandestine" fortune, including bequests to Etheldreda Cotton (later Talbot).

  4. 1490: The "Payoff" Alliance — TNA C 1/110/30. Chancery pleading: "Gilbert Talbot, knight, and Audry, his wife... executrix... of Richard Gardener." Proves the Gardiner fortune was merged with the Talbot nobility.

  5. 1507/1509: The Ecclesiastical Payoff — VCH Nottinghamshire 2:83–87. Thomas Gardiner (son of the Kingslayer) appointed Prior of Blyth (1507) and Tynemouth (1509) by the Crown.

  6. 1485: Batch of Twelve Tudor Pardons — The National Archives. Clustered enrollments of pardons.

  7. 1485: Block Pardon to Burgoyne et al. — TNA C 66/562. Pardon to Thomas Burgoyne and others linked to Gardiner.

  8. 1486: Block Pardon to Orphans — TNA C 66/563. Pardon to the five orphans of Sir William Gardynyr.

  9. 1486: Second General Pardon — TNA C 67/53. Pardon to the entire Gardiner syndicate.

  10. 1484: Patent Roll Exceptions — TNA C 67/51. General pardon exceptions for Richard Gardiner.

  11. 1485: Pardon Roll Henry VII — TNA C 67/52. Another pardon roll from the first year of Henry VII's reign.

  12. 1486: The "Clandestine" Business Model — Beauchamp's Pawn. 39. 1486: Block Pardon to Orphans — TNA C 66/563. Pardon to the five orphans of Sir William Gardynyr. 40. 1486: Patent Roll Block Pardon — TNA C 66/563. ...1485: Patent Roll Block Pardon — TNA C 66/562. Pardons for Gardiner associates.

  13. 1485: Posthumous General Pardon (Archival Locator) — The National Archives. Locator for the posthumous pardon.

  14. 1485: Posthumous General Pardon (Verbatim Enrollment) — The National Archives. Verbatim text of the posthumous pardon.

  15. 1485: Posthumous General Pardon (English Translation) — The National Archives. English translation of the posthumous pardon.

  16. 1485: Grok Internal Cheat Sheet — Kingslayers Court. Definitive family tree.

  17. 1485: Stephen Gardiner — Kingslayers Court. Genealogical reconstruction.

  18. 1485: TNA E 404/79 – £1000 warrant to William Gardiner — The National Archives. Warrant for £1000.

  19. 1484: TNA C 67/51 Patent Roll 2 Richard III — The National Archives. Patent Roll.

  20. 1484: TNA C 67/51: Patent Roll 2 Richard III, General Pardon Exceptions — The National Archives. Exceptions.

  21. 1484: TNA C 67/51 – Richard III pardon with Calais exception — The National Archives. Pardon with exception.

  22. 1485: TNA C 67/52 (Pardon Roll Henry VII) — The National Archives. Pardon Roll.

  23. 1485: TNA SC 8/28/1379 – Petition of William Gardiner skinner — The National Archives. Petition.


Author's Note: These documents are indexed using the "Forty-Name Cipher" method. Future scholars must search for variants such as Cardynyr, Gardynyr, and Cardmaker to locate the originals in the archives. The throne falls at dawn.

About the Author

David T. Gardner is a distinguished forensic genealogist and historian based in Louisiana. A direct descendant of the Purton Gardiners (who emigrated to West Jersey in 1682), he combines traditional archival rigor with modern data linkage to reconstruct erased histories. He is the author of the groundbreaking work, William Gardiner: The Kingslayer of Bosworth Field. For inquiries, collaboration, or to access the embargoed data vault, David can be reached at gardnerflorida@gmail.com or through his research hub at KingslayersCourt.com.

"Sir William’s Key™: the Future of History."

Citation & Legal Status Dataset: The Unicorns Debt Vol #1 | DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17670478 Copyright: © 2025 David T. Gardner, https://wyllyam.kingslayerscourt.com/p/the-gardiner-compendium-50-primary.html – First Publication. All original analysis, narrative chaining, and family reconstructions are protected by worldwide copyright. Data Status: Embargoed via Zenodo until 25 Nov 2028. Metadata is discoverable; full file access is restricted to the author until the open-access release date. License: Upon release, data becomes CC BY 4.0. Commercial use is strictly prohibited without written license. Citation: Gardiner, David T. (2025). The Unicorns Debt Volume #1: Mercantile Architects of the Tudor Ascension, 1448–2022 [Dataset].



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