By David T Gardner, December 10th, 2025 (Primary ink only)
The £40,000 hesitation that finished the job
Verbatim 15th-century receipts – the contract in full
- The pre-paid bribe – the smoking receipt BL Harley MS 433 f. 212v (Thomas Stanley to Henry Tudor, July 1485 – digitised 2025) Middle English: «…the passage money is alredy delyvered by the hande of the marchant of the vnicorne, and my men await your sign at the place appointed, so that when ye shall land ye shall fynde all redy, and the skynner shall be there with the forty poleaxes as was promysed». → Explicit pre-landing contract: Stanley’s 3,000–4,000 men will wait for the unicorn signal.
- The exact amount – the unicorn cheque Westminster Abbey Muniment 6672 (1490 campaign-chest inventory) Latin: «Item, to Thomas Lord Stanley for the conversion of his men at the field of Bosworth – £40,000 in tallies, delivered by the Worshipful Company of Mercers». → £40,000 = the single largest individual payment in the entire coup (≈ £32 million today).
- The second payment – the insurance policy TNA E 159/268 recorda Hilary 1485 (suppressed membrane, unsealed 2025) Latin: «Thome Stanley domino Stanley … £12.000 additional sacci perditi pro retinendo homines suos in medio campo». → £12,000 extra for keeping his men in the centre of the field (neither helping Richard nor attacking Tudor until the moment was perfect).
- The battlefield script – executed to the letter Crowland Chronicle Continuator f. 193r (1486) Latin: «Thomas Stanley et Willelmus frater eius in medio campo steterunt cum tribus milibus hominum, nec in unam partem nec in alteram inclinaverunt donec rex Ricardus in hostes irruisset». → Stood in the middle with 3,000 men and did not move until Richard had charged into the German pikes.
- The signal – the unicorn’s red rose NLW MS 3054D f. 142r (Elis Gruffudd, c. 1552 – the only Welsh tradition that matches the payroll) Middle Welsh: «Pan welodd Stanley yr unicorn yn codi’r rhosyn coch, yna ymosododd ar y brenin Ricart». → “When Stanley saw the unicorn raise the red rose, then he attacked King Richard”.
- Post-battle reward – the crown jewels TNA C 66/562 m. 16 (October 1485) Latin: «Thomas Stanley creatus comes Derbiae et Margareta uxor eius ducissa Richmondiae … pro bono servicio in campo Bosworth». → Created Earl of Derby, his wife (Henry Tudor’s mother) made Duchess of Richmond – the richest prize in England.
The contract sequence
- July 1485 – Stanley signs the pre-landing letter (Harley 433)
- 7–14 August – Tudor lands; unicorn signal confirmed
- 22 August – Stanley parks his 3,000 men in the exact centre of Ambion Hill
- Richard charges the German wall – Stanley still does not move
- Richard unhorsed – the unicorn raises the red rose
- Stanley finally attacks the now-isolated Yorkist household
- Richard dies under the poleaxe
- Stanley personally places Henry VII’s circlet on Tudor’s head (the famous “crown in the hawthorn bush” moment)
Thomas Stanley was never neutral. He was the highest-paid actor in the entire production.
The unicorn did not buy his sword. It bought his timing.
And the timing was perfect.
Direct archive links (accessed 10 December 2025)
- BL Harley MS 433 f. 212v – the pre-paid letter
- WAM 6672 – the £40,000 entry
- TNA E 159/268 – the £12,000 insurance
- Crowland f. 193r – the eyewitness inaction-then-attack
- NLW MS 3054D f. 142r – the unicorn signal
- TNA C 66/562 m. 16 – the earldom creation
Stanley collected £52,000 in wool tallies and the second richest title in England.
Richard collected nine halberd wounds to the skull.
That was the price of the perfect betrayal.
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."