James Tyrell's Imprisonment in the Tower of London

 Perhaps one of the most astonishing examples of morbid irony surrounding the Tower of London begins with the Tower’s most infamous mystery concerning the “Princes in the Tower”. The Princes in the Tower refers to the imprisonment of Edward V and his younger brother Richard by Richard of Gloucester, later renamed King Richard III of England, under the pretenses of being illegitimate children of the previous King Edward IV. The last documented sighting of the two young princes in the tower was c. 1483; however, renovations to the tower in 1674 led to the discovery of two small skeletal remains buried beneath the stairs and were later positively identified as belonging to Edward and Richard. The specified tower, originally referred to as the Garden Tower, was renamed the Bloody Tower in accordance with the deaths of the two princes.

               Considerable speculation has been appropriated in determining the culprits responsible for the murders but frequent records demonstrate that Sir James Tyrrell, on direct orders from Richard III, was principally involved in the abduction and subsequent murders of Edward and Richard. Son of Sir William Tyrrell, James was in particular favor with Richard III and was initially characterized by his irrevocable loyalty to Richard prior to his crowning. Following his service in the war with Scotland in 1482, Richard awarded James the title of knight-bannerette in addition to Richard’s previously held position as the office of the constable. The Historie of Kyng Rycharde the Thirde provides questionable evidence in the form of lettered correspondences between Richard and James which allegedly implements him in the furtive murder plot of the two princes. <Archbold> Following the disappearance of Edward and the young Richard from the tower, Richard III bestowed upon James additional honors including: commissioner of Buckingham estates, duchy of Cornwall, sheriff and lordship of Wenlock, and steward of the lordships of Newport Wenlock, Kevoeth Meredith, Lavenitherry, and Lanthoesant for life. <Archbold>Despite the titles awarded to him by Richard III it was rumored that his allegiances to the King faltered towards the end of his reign which may have attributed to his eventual incarceration in the Tower of London.

Validated evidence divulges that in 1499 James harbored the fugitive Edmund da la Pole, earl of Suffolk, in his attempt to flee England. Henry VII, the newly coroneted king, sent Sir Richard Guildford and Richard Hatton to apprehend Edmund at James’ estate in Guisnes and upon arrival, James’ was ordered to accompany them back to the tower where he was later pardoned. Following another attempted escape by Suffolk in 1501, James was obligated to surrender his acquired properties and was accused of being a traitor due to the aid he had previously granted Suffolk in 1499 and imprisoned in the Tower along with his son William Tyrell. James was later beheaded atop Tower Hill on May 6^th, 1502. The picture to the left, reveals an engraving William carved into the walls of the Beauchamp Tower while imprisoned there with his father. <Archbold>