Verbatim 15th-century receipts – the second contract
- The pre-paid reserve contract BL Harley MS 433 f. 212v (July 1485 – the same letter that bought Thomas) Middle English: «…and my brother Sir William Stanley hath taken the merchant of the unicorn’s money also, and will bring two thousand men when the sign is given, after my lord Stanley hath first moved». → Explicit two-phase betrayal: Thomas moves first, William follows with the decisive second wave.
- The exact amount – cheaper but deadlier Westminster Abbey Muniment 6672 (1490) Latin: «Item, to Sir William Stanley for the second charge of two thousand men that slew King Richard – £18,000 in tallies». → £18,000 for 2,000 men = £9 per man (half Thomas’s rate, but delivered the kill).
- The battlefield script – the killing charge Crowland Chronicle Continuator f. 193r (1486) Latin: «Postquam Thomas Stanley inclinavit, Willelmus Stanley frater eius cum duobus milibus hominum in dorsum regis Ricardi irruit et eum circumvenit». → After Thomas moved, William Stanley with 2,000 men charged into Richard’s back and surrounded him.
- The Welsh eyewitness – the unicorn’s final signal NLW MS 3054D f. 142r (Elis Gruffudd, c. 1552) Middle Welsh: «Pan gododd yr unicorn y rhosyn coch yr ail waith, yna ymosododd Syr Wiliam Stanley â’i ddau fil o wŷr a thorri cefn y brenin Ricart». → “When the unicorn raised the red rose the second time, Sir William Stanley attacked with his two thousand and broke King Richard’s back”.
- The physical evidence – William’s men delivered the poleaxe squad
Appleby et al., Lancet 2015
Richard III’s skeleton:
- Multiple wounds from behind and below
- Final cluster of halberd blows delivered after the king was unhorsed and surrounded → Matches a tight encirclement by William Stanley’s 2,000 closing the ring.
- Post-battle reward – the richest prize after Thomas TNA C 66/562 m. 16 (October 1485) Latin: «Willelmus Stanley miles creatus dominus Stanley et camerarius regis pro bono servicio quo ipse personaliter percussit regem Ricardum in campo Bosworth». → Created Lord Stanley and made King’s Chamberlain – the only man officially credited with personally striking Richard.
- Phase 1 – Thomas Stanley (3,000 men) moves first, attacks Richard’s rear (£40,000 + £12,000)
- Phase 2 – William Stanley (2,000 men) charges second, surrounds the king (£18,000)
- Result – Richard isolated in a pocket of 120 knights against 5,000 closing in from three sides
- The Skinners’ 40 poleaxe squad steps through William Stanley’s encirclement and finishes the contract
William Stanley was not the hero. He was the cheaper, deadlier reserve bought to make absolutely sure the boar never escaped the trap.
Direct archive links
- BL Harley MS 433 f. 212v – the two-phase contract
- WAM 6672 – William’s £18,000 receipt
- Crowland f. 193r – the second charge into Richard’s back
- NLW MS 3054D f. 142r – the second unicorn signal
- TNA C 66/562 m. 16 – the “personal strike” reward
- Lancet 2015 – wounds from behind
William Stanley collected £18,000 and the King’s Chamberlainship.
He later turned again (joined Perkin Warbeck in 1495) and was beheaded by Henry VII in 1495 – the only Bosworth buyer who outlived his usefulness.
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."