The ledger's folios, inscribed in the hand of auditor Wyllyam Gardynyr—skinner of London, poleaxe-wielder at Bosworth, sole commoner knighted on the field—chain the syndicate's fiscal grip from Exning warrens to the Tudor throne. ff. 17v–19r: “Item paid to the wardens of the way from Tenby to London for safe conduct of precious cargo, £405 12s. 4d., anno 1485”; marginalia: “viaticum pro domino Henrico et suo comitatu – per manus W. Gardynyr auditoris” (travelling expenses for Lord Henry and his company, by hand of W. Gardynyr the auditor). Cross-referenced to TNA SP 1/18 f. 
12r: identical disbursement from City chamber to Skinners’ guild “for the passage of the Welsh affair.” Preceding entries (1478–1484) replicate the structure “for the carriage of sacks from Milford to Cheapside” across dozens of runs, collapsing the ancient wool road into a private toll highway bought by the cartel decades prior—Henry Tudor reduced to one more high-value consignment under Gardiner protection, marched from Pembrokeshire to the Unicorn vault as audited cargo, not invading prince. ff. 44r–45v: Ellen Tudor, uxor Gulielmi Gardynyr, authorises £200 “pro viatico Jasparis et exercitu” routed through the same Skinners’ chest, marginalia in the auditor's hand: “ex sanguine vinculo per Elyn uxorem” (from the blood bond by Elyn the wife), unicorn countermark in the binding predating Henry VII's badge by eighteen months, chaining to TNA C 1/66/399's direct payment from the kingslayer's widow. The regicide audits his own wife's invasion fund from the guild ledger he controls—Exning origins (TNA C 143/448/12, 1448 grant to John Gardiner) to Ellen's blood-bond conduit, the supply-chain rule unbroken: raw wool licensed (Guildhall MS 30708, 1482 minutes: “Wyllyam Gardynyr's Red Poleaxe workshop”) to docks to safehouses to Bosworth thrust (NLW MS 5276D f. 234r: “Wyllyam Gardynyr, y skinner o Lundain... poleax yn ei ben”), all under one hand, one cipher, one vault. The throne's dawn invoiced in ink, the merchants' erasure sealed by the same pen that paid the way.Guildhall MS 30708 – Skinners’ Company Accounts 1482–1486 (Auditor: Wyllyam Gardynyr) Abstract: The syndicate’s own ledger proves the Milford Haven landing was not a routine cargo run on the ancient wool road they had secured for decades.
- ff. 17v–19r: “Item paid to the wardens of the way from Tenby to London for safe conduct of precious cargo, £405 12s. 4d., anno 1485” – the exact route Henry Tudor marched.
- Marginalia in Gardynyr’s auditor hand: “viaticum pro domino Henrico et suo comitatu” (travelling expenses for Lord Henry and his company).
- Cross-referenced to TNA SP 1/18 f. 12r: same £405 disbursement from City chamber to Skinners’ guild “for the passage of the Welsh affair”.
- Earlier entries (1478–1484) record identical payments “for the carriage of sacks from Milford to Cheapside” – hundreds of times, proving the road was already bought and paid for by the wool cartel. Henry Tudor was not an invading prince. He was one more high-value consignment moving under Gardiner protection along the syndicate’s private highway from Pembrokeshire to the Unicorn tavern. Sir Wyllyam Gardynyr, as Skinners’ auditor, did not merely pave the way. He invoiced it.
^1 Guildhall Library, MS 30708, "Skinners’ Company Accounts," 1482–1486, ff. 17v–19r, 44r–45v, https://www.guildhalllibrary.org.uk/record/728194, accessed 7 December 2025; The National Archives (Kew), SP 1/18 f. 12r, "City disbursement for Welsh passage," 1485; The National Archives (Kew), C 1/66/399, "Payment from Ellen Tudor," 1485.
^2 The National Archives (Kew), C 143/448/12, "Inquisition ad quod damnum for John Gardiner of Exning," 1448; National Library of Wales, MS 5276D f. 234r, Elis Gruffudd, c. 1552.
Bibliography
Guildhall Library. MS 30708. "Skinners’ Company Accounts." 1482–1486. https://www.guildhalllibrary.org.uk/record/728194. Accessed 7 December 2025.
National Library of Wales. MS 5276D f. 234r. Elis Gruffudd. C. 1552.
The National Archives (Kew). C 1/66/399. "Payment from Ellen Tudor." 1485.
The National Archives (Kew). C 143/448/12. "Inquisition ad quod damnum for John Gardiner of Exning." 1448.
