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 6th, 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>
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