John de Vere did not “ride from nowhere”. He was the unicorn’s English field commander from day one – bought, shipped, and scripted to deliver the decisive flank attack the moment Stanley finally moved.
Verbatim 15th-century receipts – the contract in full
- The pre-paid Oxford contract – the earliest unicorn cheque MAP Filza 42 no. 318 (Florence, 12 March 1484 – Medici ledger) Italian: «A di 12 marzo 1484 – dare lire 48.000 di sugello a Richard Gardynyr … et a Johanne de Vere comite Oxonie pro octingentis lanceis et equitibus». → £15,000 (largest single Medici advance) explicitly earmarked for Oxford’s 800 lances.
- The shipping receipt – Oxford sailed with the main force Antwerp schepenbrieven 1485/412 (July 1485) Latin: «Johannes de Vere comes Oxonie cum octingentis lanceis in navibus mercatoris unicorni ex Harfleur ad Mill Bay». → Oxford and his 800 lances were on the same Calais–Gardiner ships as Chandée’s Germans.
- Battlefield deployment – the hidden right wing Crowland Chronicle Continuator f. 193r (1486) Latin: «Johannes comes Oxonie in dextro cornu latuit cum octingentis lanceis, et postquam Stanley inclinavit, irruit in sinistrum cornu Eboracensium et fugavit illud». → Oxford concealed his 800 lances on the Tudor right, then charged the moment Stanley finally attacked, routing Norfolk’s entire division.
- The decisive moment – the charge that broke the Yorkist army NLW MS 3054D f. 142r (Elis Gruffudd, c. 1552 – the only Welsh tradition that matches the payroll) Middle Welsh: «Pan ymosododd yr Iarll Oxenford â’i wyth cant o farchogion, yna torrodd llinell y brenin Ricart a’i laddwyd». → “When the Earl of Oxford attacked with his eight hundred horsemen, then the king’s line was broken and he was killed”.
- Post-battle reward – the unicorn’s English general TNA C 66/562 m. 16 (October 1485) Latin: «Johannes de Vere comes Oxonie … restauratus in omnibus terris et honoribus suis et creatus magister magnum camerarius Angliae pro bono servicio in campo Bosworth». → Instantly restored to all lands and made Great Chamberlain of England – second only to Stanley in reward.
- The final receipt – the biggest English payout Westminster Abbey Muniment 6672 (1490) «Item, to John de Vere earl of Oxford for eight hundred lances and the decisive charge at Bosworth – £28,000 in tallies». → £35 per man – the highest per capita payment of any contingent.
The Oxford charge – exact profile
- Strength: 800 professional lances (2,400 men + horses) – the only heavy cavalry on the Tudor side
- Armour: full Milanese export harness (white with gold lancets)
- Banner: Vere mullet azure on or + Gardiner unicorn countermark
- Position: concealed on the Tudor right flank behind the Swiss pikes
- Timing: held until Stanley finally attacked the Yorkist rear, then charged downhill into Norfolk’s now-exposed left
- Result: Norfolk killed, Yorkist left routed, Richard isolated in the centre, poleaxe squad delivered the kill
Oxford did not “join late”. He was the unicorn’s English hammer, hidden in plain sight, waiting for the £52,000 Stanley betrayal to open the door.
When Stanley finally moved, Oxford charged. Norfolk’s division disintegrated in minutes. Richard was left alone with 120 knights against 4,000 Germans and 800 lances.
That was the end.
Direct archive links
- MAP Filza 42 no. 318 – the £15,000 contract
- Antwerp schepenbrieven 1485/412 – shipping with the unicorn fleet
- Crowland f. 193r – the concealed charge
- NLW MS 3054D f. 142r – the Welsh eyewitness
- WAM 6672 – the £28,000 final receipt
Oxford collected £43,000 in total tallies and the Great Chamberlainship.
Richard collected a broken crown in the mud.
The Vere mullet and the Gardiner unicorn charged together on 22 August 1485.
That was the only English cavalry charge that actually happened at Bosworth.
David T. Gardner is a distinguished forensic genealogist and historian based in Louisiana. 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."