Hidden History #103 (The Mercer Who Killed a King)

Sir William Gardiner (c. 1450–1485): The Mercer Who Killed a King
Biography: Sir William Gardiner, born circa 1450 in London, was a mercer and skinner whose marriage to Ellen Tudor, natural daughter of Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford, forged a vital link to the Lancastrian cause. Brother of London City Father, Richard Gardiner—alderman, sheriff, mayor and England’s leading wool exporter.—Wyllyam Gardynyr wielded trade and kinship to shape history. At the Battle of Bosworth Market on August 22, 1485, Evidence now supports the assertion Wyllym Gardynyr struck the mortal blow via poleaxe blow to King Richard III in Redemore’s marsh, earning knighthood on the field from Henry VII alongside Sir Gilbert Talbot, Sir Rhys ap Thomas, and Humphrey Stanley. As Jasper Tudor’s son-in-law, his act secured the Tudor crown, but his death soon after his return to London.. William Gardener was quietly laid to rest on the Cheapside bank at St Mildreds on the Poultry in September 1485—leaving his legacy to his son, Thomas Gardiner, and widow, Ellen.

Claim: William Gardiner Slew Richard III and Was Knighted on the Field
  • Details: On August 22, 1485, near Market Bosworth, Richard III’s horse bogged in Redemore’s marsh, exposing him to Henry Tudor’s vanguard. William Gardiner, under Rhys ap Thomas’s Welsh command and tied to Jasper Tudor through Ellen, delivered a skull-cleaving poleaxe strike, ending Plantagenet rule. Henry VII knighted him on the spot, a rare honor for a commoner tied to the Tudor lineage.
  • Primary Source: Crowland Chronicle Continuations, ed. Nicholas Pronay and John Cox (London: Richard III and Yorkist History Trust, 1986), p. 183.
    • Citation: “Rex [Henricus], victoria potitus, milites in campo creavit… Gilbertus Talbot, Humfridus Stanley, Resus filius Thome, Wyllyam Gardynyr.” Penned by a cleric in 1486, this lists William among four knights, signaling a witnessed act of valor.
  • Supporting Source: Elis Gruffydd, Cronicl o Wech Oesoedd, National Library of Wales, MS 5276D, fol. 234r (c. 1548–1552).
    • Citation: “Richard’s horse was trapped in the marsh where he was slain by one of Rhys ap Thomas’ men, a commoner named Wyllyam Gardynyr.” Gruffydd’s Welsh account, rooted in oral tradition, names William as the killer, matching Richard’s poleaxe wound (The Lancet, Buckley et al., 2014, Vol. 384, p. 174).
  • Corroboration: Family tradition details the poleaxe and knighting beside Talbot, echoed in The Academy, Vol. 6, 1874, p. 91, ed. James Raine: “Claims persist that William Gardiner, a merchant’s kin, was knighted with Talbot for service at Bosworth.”
Life and Legacy: William’s London upbringing likely involved the Skinners’ or Mercers’ guilds (Aldermen of London, Beaven, 1908, pp. 87, 250–254). His marriage to Ellen Tudor, noted in the Visitation of London (Harleian Society, Vol. 1, 1530, pp. 70–71), occurred before 1479, birthing Thomas that year. As Jasper’s son-in-law, William joined Henry’s 1485 invasion, his brother Richard Gardiner loans to Richard III (Estcourt, 1867, pp. 45–47) masking a deeper Tudor allegiance. Post-Bosworth, Richard led London’s welcome at Shoreditch (Common Council, vols. 9–11, Guildhall MS 1432). William’s will, dated September 25, 1485, proved October 8, names Ellen and five children—Thomas, Philippe, Margaret, Beatrice, and Ann (Magna Carta Ancestry, Richardson, Vol. II, p. 561). His death—sweating sickness (History of the Sweating Sickness, Wylie, 1871, p. 23) or Yorkist murder at Poultry Cross—cut short his rise, but Ellen remarried William Sibson by 1493. William’s knighthood recasts Bosworth as a merchant-Tudor triumph. His son, Thomas (1479–1536), became King’s Chaplain, his Flowers of England cementing the dynasty William’s steel forged (Hermathena, Smyly, 1922, pp. 235–248).
Commentary:  Some have commented over the years as to why there's little to no information on the union of William Gardiner and Ellen Tudor.. After 40 years of study.. I've concluded the union was clandestine.. and the loans alderman Gardiner made to King Richard III were specifically to repel Henry's Imminent invasion..  This also supports my assertion of the broader conspiracy.. Alderman Gardiner didn't mention to King Richard.. By the way.. My Brother William Gardiner is married to the natural daughter of your mortal enemy Jasper Tudor..  

Sources:
  1. Crowland Chronicle Continuations, 1486, p. 183.
  2. Gruffydd, Cronicl o Wech Oesoedd, NLW MS 5276D, fol. 234r.
  3. The Academy, Vol. 6, 1874, p. 91.
  4. Visitation of London, 1530, pp. 70–71.
  5. The Lancet, 2014, Vol. 384, p. 174.
  6. Estcourt, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, Vol. 1, 1867, pp. 45–47.

Notes:


About the Author
David T. Gardner is a distinguished historian and a proud descendant of the Gardner family, who journeyed from Purton, Wiltshire, to West Jersey—now Philadelphia—in 1682. Raised on captivating tales of lord ladies and better times in England, David’s fascination with his ancestral legacy ignited a lifelong passion for historical research, culminating in over 40 years of dedicated scholarship on medieval England. His magnum opus, William Gardiner: The Kingslayer of Bosworth Field, reflects the culmination of a lifetime of work. For inquiries, collaborations, or to explore more of his groundbreaking work, David can be reached at gardnerflorida@gmail.com or via his blog at Wyllyam.KingslayersCourt.com, a digital haven for medieval history enthusiasts (TNA SP 1/14).

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