A recent discovery in The National Archives has shed new light on the enduring mystery of the Princes in the Tower. A 1516 entry in a registry of wills reveals that a chain belonging to Edward V, the elder of the two princes, was bequeathed by a member of Sir James Tyrell’s family, raising intriguing questions about its provenance.
The will, written by Lady Margaret Capell, half-sister of Anne Tyrell, the wife of Sir James Tyrell, contains the line: “I bequeath to my sonne Sir Giles his fadres Cheyne which was Yonge kynge Edward the Vth.”
This remarkable piece of evidence was unearthed by Professor Tim Thornton, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Huddersfield, during research at The National Archives. Published in the journal History, the finding offers a rare glimpse into the fate of the princes’ possessions.
“Their clothes, their belongings just seemed to disappear; no one ever seems to refer to them,” Prof Thornton noted. “The debate over Richard III’s responsibility for the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower will no doubt run and run, but we now have a unique reference to the survival of an object that was very personal to Edward V to add into the mix.”
The Princes in the Tower: A Perennial Mystery
Edward V and his younger brother, Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, disappeared in 1483 while in the custody of their uncle, Richard III. Many historians believe they were murdered, possibly on Richard’s orders, although this remains a contentious issue. Sir James Tyrell, a knight who worked for Richard III, was accused by Thomas More of carrying out the killings, though this claim is often dismissed as Tudor propaganda.
The discovery of Edward V’s chain within the possession of Tyrell’s extended family raises intriguing questions about its journey after the prince’s disappearance. Thirty-three years had passed between the time the boys vanished in the Tower of London and the drafting of Lady Margaret Capell’s will.
Sean Cunningham, Head of Collections (Medieval & Early Modern) at The National Archives, commented: “Margaret’s reference to a chain once owned by the uncrowned teenage king Edward V is a new piece of evidence that raises more questions than it answers. It is fascinating to speculate how the Capell family came to own an expensive piece of jewellery that once belonged to Edward during his short life and why it was identified in this specific way, such a long time after his disappearance.”
A Chain of Questions
The chain’s link to Edward V, a figure whose life and death remain shrouded in mystery, provides a tantalising clue but no definitive answers. How did such a personal item end up in the possession of Sir James Tyrell’s extended family? Was it a spoil of war, a gift, or something else entirely?
“It’s exciting to be able to shed further light on one of the most controversial and mysterious episodes in British history,” added Prof Thornton.
The article, “Sir William Capell and A Royal Chain: The Afterlives (and Death) of King Edward V,” by Tim Thornton, appears in History: The Journal of the Historical Association. Click here to read it.
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A recent discovery in The National Archives has shed new light on the enduring mystery of the Princes in the Tower. A 1516 entry in a registry of wills reveals that a chain belonging to Edward V, the elder of the two princes, was bequeathed by a member of Sir James Tyrell’s family, raising intriguing questions about its provenance.
The will, written by Lady Margaret Capell, half-sister of Anne Tyrell, the wife of Sir James Tyrell, contains the line: “I bequeath to my sonne Sir Giles his fadres Cheyne which was Yonge kynge Edward the Vth.”
This remarkable piece of evidence was unearthed by Professor Tim Thornton, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Huddersfield, during research at The National Archives. Published in the journal History, the finding offers a rare glimpse into the fate of the princes’ possessions.
“Their clothes, their belongings just seemed to disappear; no one ever seems to refer to them,” Prof Thornton noted. “The debate over Richard III’s responsibility for the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower will no doubt run and run, but we now have a unique reference to the survival of an object that was very personal to Edward V to add into the mix.”
The Princes in the Tower: A Perennial Mystery
Edward V and his younger brother, Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, disappeared in 1483 while in the custody of their uncle, Richard III. Many historians believe they were murdered, possibly on Richard’s orders, although this remains a contentious issue. Sir James Tyrell, a knight who worked for Richard III, was accused by Thomas More of carrying out the killings, though this claim is often dismissed as Tudor propaganda.
The discovery of Edward V’s chain within the possession of Tyrell’s extended family raises intriguing questions about its journey after the prince’s disappearance. Thirty-three years had passed between the time the boys vanished in the Tower of London and the drafting of Lady Margaret Capell’s will.
Sean Cunningham, Head of Collections (Medieval & Early Modern) at The National Archives, commented: “Margaret’s reference to a chain once owned by the uncrowned teenage king Edward V is a new piece of evidence that raises more questions than it answers. It is fascinating to speculate how the Capell family came to own an expensive piece of jewellery that once belonged to Edward during his short life and why it was identified in this specific way, such a long time after his disappearance.”
A Chain of Questions
The chain’s link to Edward V, a figure whose life and death remain shrouded in mystery, provides a tantalising clue but no definitive answers. How did such a personal item end up in the possession of Sir James Tyrell’s extended family? Was it a spoil of war, a gift, or something else entirely?
“It’s exciting to be able to shed further light on one of the most controversial and mysterious episodes in British history,” added Prof Thornton.
The article, “Sir William Capell and A Royal Chain: The Afterlives (and Death) of King Edward V,” by Tim Thornton, appears in History: The Journal of the Historical Association. Click here to read it.
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