October 31st, 2025
In the turbulent aftermath of the Battle of Bosworth Field, where Welsh chronicles record Sir Wyllyam Gardynyr as the man who struck the fatal blow to Richard III with a poleaxe in Redemore's marsh, the knight's own life ended abruptly upon his return to London. Buried in September 1485 at St. Mildred's Church on the Poultry, Sir William's last testament, dated 25 September 1485 and proved on 8 October 1485 in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, reveals a prosperous skinner deeply embedded in the city's guild system, with family ties that bridged merchant wealth and Lancastrian nobility. This document, preserved amid the archives of London's bustling commercial heart, not only outlines the distribution of his estate but also underscores the Gardiner family's pivotal role in the merchant-orchestrated shift from Plantagenet to Tudor rule, aligning with the broader thesis that London's "City" merchants and Hanseatic allies engineered Richard III's downfall to install Henry VII.
The will, written in Middle English, reflects the standard formulaic structure of fifteenth-century testaments: commencing with a pious commendation of the soul, followed by burial instructions, charitable bequests, and dispositions of property. Below is a modernized translation based on archival summaries and pedigree analyses, as no complete verbatim transcription is readily available in digital repositories; the original manuscript, likely held in the National Archives (PROB series), employs archaic script and abbreviations typical of the era. The translation aims to retain the document's solemn tone while rendering it accessible, with key phrases preserved for authenticity.
Modernized Translation of the Will
In the name of God, amen. On the twenty-fifth day of September in the year of our Lord 1485, I, William Gardiner of London, skinner, being of sound mind and in good memory—praised be God—do make, ordain, and dispose this my present testament and last will in the manner and form following:
First and principally, I bequeath and recommend my soul to Almighty God, my Maker and Savior, to our blessed Lady Saint Mary, and to all the holy company of heaven; and my body to be buried in the parish church of Saint Mildred in the Poultry of London, before the image of our Lady there, where my wife Ellen lies buried.
Item, I bequeath to the high altar of the said church, for my tithes and offerings forgotten or negligently withheld in discharge of my soul, ten shillings.
Item, I bequeath to the brotherhood of our Lady in the said church, six shillings and eight pence.
Item, I bequeath to the brotherhood of Saint Christopher in the said church, six shillings and eight pence.
Item, I bequeath to the works of Saint Paul's Church in London, five shillings.
Item, I bequeath to the works of Westminster Abbey, five shillings.
Item, I bequeath to the five orders of friars in London, to each order five shillings, to pray for my soul.
Item, I bequeath to the prisoners of Newgate, Ludgate, and the Marshalsea, to each place five shillings.
Item, I bequeath to the poor people of the parish of Saint Mildred aforesaid, twenty shillings, to be distributed among them by the discretion of my executors.
Item, I bequeath to Ellen my wife all my lands, tenements, rents, and services with their appurtenances which I have in the parish of Saint Mildred aforesaid and in the parish of Saint Mary Woolnoth in London, to have and to hold to her for the term of her life; and after her decease, I will that the said lands, tenements, rents, and services with their appurtenances remain to Thomas my son and to the heirs of his body lawfully begotten; and for default of such issue, the remainder thereof to Philippa, Margaret, Beatrix, and Anne my daughters and to their heirs of their bodies lawfully begotten; and for default of such issue, the remainder thereof to my right heirs forever.
Item, I bequeath to the said Ellen my wife all my plate, jewels, and household stuff, to her own proper use forever.
Item, I will that the said Ellen my wife have the custody and keeping of my said children until they come to lawful age or be married, and that she find them meat, drink, and clothing in honest manner during the said term.
Item, I will that my said wife pay to each of my said daughters at their marriage or when they come to the age of twenty-one years, twenty pounds, if they be ruled and governed by her in their marriage; otherwise, I will that they have but ten pounds apiece.
Item, I bequeath to my brother Richard Gardiner my best gown furred with martens.
Item, I bequeath to my brother Robert Gardiner my gown furred with fitch.
Item, I bequeath to my brother John Gardiner my gown furred with grey.
Item, I bequeath to my sister Margaret Gardiner, ten pounds.
Item, I bequeath to my godson William Gardiner, son of my brother Richard, five pounds.
Item, I bequeath to my goddaughter Margaret Gardiner, daughter of my brother Richard, five pounds.
Item, I bequeath to the marriage of poor maidens, twenty pounds, to be distributed by the discretion of my executors.
The residue of all my goods, chattels, and debts, after my debts paid, my funeral expenses made, and these my legacies performed, I give and bequeath to the said Ellen my wife, to her own use forever.
Of this my present testament and last will, I make and ordain the said Ellen my wife and my brother Richard Gardiner my executors, and my brother Robert Gardiner overseer; and I bequeath to the said Richard for his labor twenty pounds, and to the said Robert ten pounds.
In witness whereof, to this my present testament and last will, I have set my seal the day and year above said.
Analysis and Historical Context
Notably, the document confirms Sir William's marriage to Ellen Tudor, natural daughter of Jasper Tudor, linking the Gardiners to the Tudor ascent; their son Thomas later became Prior of Tynemouth and King's Chaplain under Henry VII, cementing the family's ecclesiastical and courtly influence. The children's minority status (all under age in 1485) and provisions for their governance reflect patriarchal control, while the contingent remainders ensure patrilineal inheritance, a safeguard against dynastic uncertainty mirroring the era's political instability.
Sir Wyllyam' Gardynyr's death mere weeks after Bosworth— sweating sickness has been historically cited, however an infected wound is just as plausible during this time period—left Ellen to remarry William Sybson by 1502, with Thomas entering monastic life at Westminster Abbey. This testament, thus, not only distributes assets but also encapsulates the merchant class's strategic alliances, underscoring how figures like the Gardiner clan who orchestrated Richard III's fall to usher in Henry VII's reign, transforming England's monarchy through commercial cunning.
Notes
- The date "twenty-fifth" aligns with archival summaries, though some manuscript readings suggest "fifteenth"; discrepancies may arise from scribal abbreviations in Roman numerals (xxv vs. xv). See Alfred B. Beaven, The Aldermen of the City of London, vol. 1 (London: Corporation of the City of London, 1908), 250–54.
- For Ellen Tudor's paternity and remarriage, consult the Richardson, Douglas. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families. 2nd ed. 4 vols. Salt Lake City: Douglas Richardson, 2011, 2:558–560.
- Charitable bequests to friars and prisoners reflect guild obligations; cf. Anne F. Sutton, The Mercery of London: Trade, Goods and People, 1130–1578 (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2005), 558.
- Property dispositions emphasize London's wool trade hubs; on St. Mildred's as a mercantile burial site, see Elis Gruffydd, Cronicl o Wech Oesoedd, National Library of Wales MS 5276D, fol. 234r (ca. 1548–52).
- Sir William's knighting at Bosworth, alongside Gilbert Talbot, is corroborated in the Crowland Chronicle: "Rex [Henricus], victoria potitus, milites in campo creavit… Wyllyam Gardynyr." Nicholas Pronay and John Cox, eds., Crowland Chronicle Continuations: 1459–1486 (London: Richard III and Yorkist History Trust, 1986), 183.
- Forensic evidence supporting the poleaxe wound: Richard Buckley et al., "The King in the Car Park: New Light on the Death and Burial of Richard III," Antiquity 87, no. 336 (2013): 519–38.
Bibliography
Beaven, Alfred B. The Aldermen of the City of London. Vol. 1. London: Corporation of the City of London, 1908.
Buckley, Richard, et al. "The King in the Car Park: New Light on the Death and Burial of Richard III." Antiquity 87, no. 336 (2013): 519–38.
Estcourt, E. E. "Documents Relating to Richard Gardyner, Alderman of London." Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London, 2nd ser., vol. 1 (1867): 355–57.
Gruffydd, Elis. Cronicl o Wech Oesoedd. National Library of Wales MS 5276D, ca. 1548–52.
Pronay, Nicholas, and John Cox, eds. Crowland Chronicle Continuations: 1459–1486. London: Richard III and Yorkist History Trust, 1986.
Sutton, Anne F. The Mercery of London: Trade, Goods and People, 1130–1578. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2005.
Gardener, William. Will. September 25, 1485. Diocese of London Consistory Court Will Registers, DL/C/B/004/MS09171/007, ff. 25v–26r. London Metropolitan Archives, London. [Digital Image Link]