Fate of ‘The Princes’

The Date of Death of Edward V

The Death of Edward V – New evidence from Colchester

Ashdown-Hill, John

From: Essex Archaeology and History, Vol 35, pp 226-230

Published: 2004

Discussion of an entry in the Colchester Oath Book referring to Edward V as deceased.

A Requiem for King Edward

Davies, C S L

From: The Ricardian, Vol. 9, No. 114

Published: September 1991

Discusses the implications of a requiem mass for ‘King Edward’ celebrated at the Vatican on 23 September 1483.

Notes and Documents: Early Tudor Dates for the Death of Edward V

Gunn, S J

From: Northern History, Vol. 28

Published: 1992

Discusses the likely origin of the note added to the Anlaby Cartulary to the effect that Edward V was murdered on 22nd June.

Did Edward V Outlive His Reign or Did He Outreign His Life?

Hicks, Michael

From: The Ricardian, Vol. 8, No. 108, pp. 342-345

Published: March 1990

Sceptical discussion of the claim made in the Anlaby Cartulary that Edward V died on 22nd June.

The Death of Edward V and the Rebellion of 1483

Morgan, Philip

From: Historical Research, Vol. 68

Published: 1995

On the significance of the king list in the Middleton Collection at Nottingham University library, according to which Edward V reigned until 26th June, and was killed and his body sunk.

The Death of Edward V

Richmond, Colin

From: Northern History, Vol. 25

Published: 1989

Argues for the acceptance of 22nd June 1483 as the date of Edward V’s death, as per the note added to the Anlaby cartulary.

Note: For a different view, see articles in this section by Steven Gunn, Michael Hicks and J A F Thomson.

The Death of Edward V; Dr. Richmond’s Dating Reconsidered

Thomson, J A F

From: Northern History, Vol. 26

Published: 1990

Reviews Colin Richmond’s evidence for the date of Edward’s death (see above) and concludes that 22nd June is not probable.

General Discussions

The Mystery of the Princes in the Tower

Alexander, Marc

From: Majesty, Vol 1, No 4

Published: August 1980

A summary of the mystery, but offering no solutions.

The Majesty of Britain, No. 22: The Princes in the Tower

Alexander, Marc

From: Majesty, Vol. 7, No .9

Published: January 1987

Brief illustrated account of Richard’s life and the mystery of the Princes, revisionist in tone.

From ‘Pearl’ Maiden to Tower Princes: Towards a New History of Medieval Childhood

Attreed, Lorraine

From: Journal of Medieval History, Vol.9

Published: 1983

Suggests that medieval society placed a high value on the lives of children, and that Richard lll earned opprobrium for his supposed treatment of his nephews.

The Bones in the Abbey: Are They the Murdered Princes?

Bramwell, Nigel H; Byard, Roger W

From: American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, Vol. 10, No. 1

Published: 1989

Summarises the Tanner and Wright examination of the bones in 1933 and suggests that improved scientific dating methods could now provide more accurate results.

Richard III and the Princes in the Tower

Cunningham, Elaine

From: Renaissance Magazine, Issue 36, pp. 48-53

Published: 2004

A summary of the cases for and against Richard III, Henry VII and the Duke of Buckingham.

De Prinsen van de Tower

Dorxx, Marja

From: Spiegel Historiael (with English translation)

Published: May 1975

Dutch article on the mystery of the Princes.

A King and His Supporters: Ricardians, the Richard III Society, and Amateur Historians’ Work at Rehabilitating Richard III’s Reputation

Fiscus, Moira

Senior Paper presented to the University of Washington, Tacoma.

Published: 2020

Review of the relationship over the years between “amateur” Ricardians who largely consider Richard as “good” and “professional” Academic Historians who largely consider Richard “bad”. Perhaps controversially, she promotes the view that Ricardians mainly using fiction to influence “popular opinion” about Richard, whilst the Historians rely on using documentary evidence. She glosses over consideration that Ricardians have produced solid historical research, and also of the objectivity, validity and inconsistences (and error!) in the documents used by Academic historians to support their own version of history. As she says in her conclusions, “No one will ever know exactly whose Richard is the right Richard, that answer died at the Battle of Bosworth over 500 years ago. Yet we will get nowhere nearer the truth if historians keep ignoring Ricardians out of hand without considering if Ricardians raise valid ideas and criticisms.

Mysteries of History (extracts)

Fry, Plantagenet Somerset

Typed copy of Chapter 8 plus extract from the Introduction of the above book

Published: 1957

Revisionist discussion of the crimes attributed to Richard III.

The Sons of Edward IV: A Re-examination of the Evidence on their Deaths and on the Bones in Westminster Abbey

Hammond, P W; White W J

From: Richard III: Loyalty, Lordship and Law, ed. P. W. Hammond

Published: 1986

A review of the written evidence for the disappearance of Edward V and his brother, and a re-assessment by osteo archaeologist Bill White of the 1933 Tanner & Wright study of the bones discovered in the Tower in 1674.

Hidden Assassin: A Medieval Tragedy (The Disappearance of the Princes)

Ingham, Susan

Booklet

Undated

Aims to give a taste of the mystery and suspicion that surrounds the disappearance of Edward V and Richard Duke of York.

Richard III and the Princes in the Tower

Langdon–Davies, John (ed.)

Jackdaw folder No.4

Published: 1971

Collection of facsimiles of documents, etc., relating to Richard lll and the mystery of the Princes.

Regarding the Bones Found in the Tower

Lyne-Pirkis, Dr. R H G

Notes from a lecture given at Church House, Westminster

Presented: 27th February 1963

A modern anatomist questions the findings of the Tanner and Wright investigation of 1933.

The Bastardy of Edward V in 1484: New Evidence of Its Reception in the Inquisitions Post Mortem of William Lord Hastings

McKelvie, Gordon

From: Royal Studies Journal, Vol 3, No 1

Published: 2016

The reference to Edward V as a bastard in the inquisitions post mortem carried out in 1484 into the lands of the late Lord Hastings indicates that Richard’s justification for taking the throne had gained traction in the provinces.

Bones in the Tower: A Discussion of Time, Place and Circumstance

Maurer, Helen

From: The Ricardian, Nos. 111 & 112

Published: December 1990 & March 1991

A two-part study of the bones found in the Tower in 1674 that now reside in the urn in Westminster Abbey. Part 1 deals with the location of the lodgings of Edward V and his brother within the Tower in 1483, and the alleged discoveries of children’s bones in the Tower earlier in the seventeenth century. Part 2 deals with the 1674 discovery and the history of the buildings in that part of the Tower.

Whodunit: the Suspects in the Case

Maurer, Helen

From: Ricardian Register, Vol. 18, No. 3

Published: Summer 1983

Identifies ten possible murderers of the Princes and examines the evidence against them.

Have the Princes’ Bones Been Found in the Tower?

Morgan, John

Typescript

Date: 1962

‘An annotated summary of the contemporary accounts of bones discovered in the Tower of London and alleged to be those of Edward IV’s two sons.’

The Princes in the Tower and Their Doctor

Rhodes, D E

From: EHR, Vol. 77

Published: 1972

On the identity of the Princes’ doctor.

The Riddle of Richard III

Richards, Jeffrey

From: History Today, with subsequent correspondence

Published: August 1983 and January 1984

Rejects most crimes attributed to Richard but concludes he probably did order the murder of the Princes.

Skeletons of the Two Murdered Princes

Robinson, John

From: Notes and Queries,7th Series, Vol. 8

Published: 1889

Notes on various children’s skeletons allegedly found in the Tower.

Murder Foul and Royal – a Reply

Stone, Dr. P T

From: History For All, Vol. 2, Issue 4

Published: August/ September 1999

Response to an article in the previous issue suggesting that Richard probably murdered the Princes. Phil Stone shows More’s account to be an implausible fiction and suggests other possible explanations for the boys’ disappearance.

Why the Princes in the Tower Are Staying Six Feet Under

Travis, Alan

From: The Guardian

Published: Wednesday 6th February 2013

Newspaper article on the release of correspondence from the 1990s relating to the Society’s unsuccessful request for DNA testing of the bones in the urn. Also includes a small summary of the mystery of the Princes’ disappearance.

The White Rose Dies

Tudor, Miles

Booklet

Published: 1991

An investigation by a retired police inspector into ‘The disappearance of the Princes in the Tower; the most baffling mystery and fascinating Royal murder mystery of all time.’

Bones From the Tower – A Reprise

Various

Typescript

1999

A compilation of views from different authors on the bones from the Tower of London.

Princes, Cuttings about

Various

Cuttings from The Sphere, The Illustrated London News, The Times and The British Medical Journal

Published: 1933, 1989 & 1991

Assorted brief articles on the question of the Princes.

The Princes in the Tower

White, Geoffrey H

Appendix J of The Complete Peerage, Vol. 12, Part 2

Published: 1959

Useful summary of the evidence against Richard III and Henry VII.

The Princes in the Tower

Wigram, Isolde

Typescript

1964

Defence of Richard III.

The Mystery of the White Tower

Williamson, Audrey

From: Sunday Times Magazine

Published: 11 March 1973

Re-examines the evidence but comes to no conclusions.

Richard III: Murderer or Scapegoat?

Wilson, Colin

From: Wilson’s Unresolved Mysteries

Published: 1995

Explores the mystery of the Princes’ disappearance.

The Mystery of the Princes

Wilson, Derek; Ashdown-Hill, John; Hicks, Michael; Wilson, Josephine; Weir, Alison; Lewis, Matthew; Pollard, A J

From: History of Royals, Issue 18, pp 14-27.

Published: August 2017.

The various authors present the various theories of what happened to the princes. Together they provide a good summary of what was known in 2017 about what we know (and do not know) about the fate of the Princes. A good starting point with a bit more than superficial details.

Who Killed the Little Princes in the Tower? A Ricardian Murder Mystery

Wood, Charles T

From: Harvard Magazine, Vol. 80, No. 3, with subsequent correspondence

Published: January/February, March/April and May/June 1978

A not entirely serious review of the possible murderers.

Buckingham as the possible murderer

Richard III and the Princes in the Tower

Cunningham, Elaine

From: Renaissance Magazine, Issue 36, pp 48-53

Published: 2004

A summary of the cases for and against Richard III, Henry VII and the Duke of Buckingham.

Who Murdered the ‘Little Princes’?

Kendall, Paul Murray

Appendix I of Kendall’s Richard the Third

Published: 1955

Detailed overview of the evidence then available regarding the boys’ disappearance.

Henry VII as the possible murderer

Did Henry VII murder the Princes?

Gairdner, James

From: EHR, Vol 6, No 23

Published: July 1891

A defence of the traditional view, answering Markham’s article in the previous issue (see Biographical: Richard III: General).

The Princes in the Tower

Gribble, Leonard

Chapter 6 of Gribble’s Famous Historical Mysteries

Published: 1969

Suggests Henry VII may have had the Princes murdered.

The Fate of the Princes: a Re-assessment of the Known Facts

Jespers, Gilberte Van der Steen- See under Steen-Jespers.

The Fate of the Princes: A Re-assessment of the Known Facts

Steen-Jespers, Gilberte Van der

Bound text of a lecture

Presentation: 1985

Highly conjectural – suggests that Edward V died of natural causes in 1484 and that Richard Duke of York was murdered on Henry VII’s orders in 1486.

The Princes in the Tower

Williamson, Hugh Ross

Chapter 3 of Williamson’s Historical Whodunits

Published: 1955

Suggests Henry VII may have murdered the Princes.

John Howard as the possible murderer

The Princes in the Tower

Bindoff, S T

Typed resumes of lectures given at the Folger Library and the National Portrait Gallery

Presentation: 22nd April 1961 (Folger) & 24th July 1973 (NPG)

Suggesting that John Howard may have murdered the Princes.

The Princes in the Tower

Blakeney, T S; Lamb, V B

Typed copies of article by Blakeney from Amateur Historian, with a rejoinder by Lamb

Published: Spring 1960 (Blakeney) & Autumn 1961 (Lamb)

Blakeney suggests that John Howard may have murdered the Princes, whilst Lamb points out that, once the errors in Blakeney’s article are corrected, Howard is left with no motive.

John Howard, Duke of Norfolk: A Possible Murderer of the Princes?

Crawford, Anne

From: Richard III: Crown and People, ed. J. Petre

Published: 1985

Article first published in The Ricardian, Vol. 5, No., 70, September 1980. Argues that none of the evidence that has been put forward in favour of Howard’s murder of the Princes stands up to scrutiny.

Whether Richard’s Granting away the Princes’ Titles Indicates that They Were Dead

From: Richard III: Crown and People, ed. J. Petre

Published: 1985

(1) Bastardy and the Princes

Ede-Borrett, S L

(2) Bastardy and Prince Richard of York

Petre, J G

A note first published as a note in The Ricardian, Vol. 4, No. 63, December 1978, plus a revised version of a further note published in Vol. 5, No. 64, March 1979. The authors discuss whether Richard III’s grant of the duchy of Norfolk to Lord Howard is proof that Richard, Duke of York, was dead before that date.

Did John Howard Dispose of the Princes in the Tower? A Further Detailed Elaboration of the Theory

Newman, P R

Bound typescript

Undated but probably early 1960s

Highly speculative essay, contending that Howard murdered the Princes in the Tower between 10th and 30th October 1483.

Extract on John Howard’s Possible Connection with the Murder of the Princes

Ryan, G H; Redstone, L J F

From: Ryan & Redstone’s Timperley of Hintlesham

Published: 1931

Extract from the chapter dealing with the Timperleys’ relations with the House of Norfolk, in which the authors discuss the theory that Howard killed the Princes.

Rise and Fall

Tucker, Melvin J

Extract from Chapter 2 of Tucker’s Life of Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey and Second Duke of Norfolk, 1443-1524

Published: 1964

Tucker’s speculations as to the roles of Thomas Howard and his father in the deaths of Hastings and the Princes.

Richard III as the possible murderer

The Little Princes in the Tower

Brooke-Hunt, Violet

Chapter 8 of Brooke-Hunt’s Prisoners of the Tower of London

Published: 1901

Takes the traditional approach.

The Murder of the Princes

Collis, Louis

Typed copy of extract from Collis’ Seven in the Tower

Published: 1958

The traditional story

Did Henry VII Murder the Princes?

Gairdner, James

From: EHR, Vol. 6, No. 23

Published: July 1891

A defence of the traditional view, answering Markham’s article in the previous issue (see Biographical: Richard III: General).

Did Edward V Suffer from Histiocytosis X?

Hargreaves, A S; MacLeod R I

From: The Journal of Royal Society of Medicine, Vol. 87

Published: February 1994

Argues that the bony pathological changes observed in the mandible of the elder skeleton in the urn are consistent with the effects of histiocytosis X, an infiltrative and destructive disease that affects bone and soft tissue.

The Mystery of Richard III

Harriss, Gerald

Hatfield House booklet No. 3

Published: 1952?

Brief account of Richard’s life, concluding that ‘there is strong presumption that they (the Princes) died in 1483-4.’

Murder in the Tower

Megan, Charles P

Text of talk given to the Chicago Literary Club

Presentation: 1 May 1939

The story of the Princes, with quotations from literature from 15th to 20th centuries; accepts Tanner and Wright’s conclusions.

Anne Mowbray and the Princes in the Tower: a Study in Identity

Molleson, Theya

From: London Archaeologist, Vol. 5, No. 10

Published: Spring 1987

Suggests that the skeletons examined by Tanner and Wright are male, related to each other and to Anne Mowbray and about the right ages to be the Princes, with a death date in 1484.

Epitaph in Westminster Abbey of Edward V and Richard Duke of York

Pettigrew, F J

From: Chronicles of the Tombs: A Select Collection of Epitaphs

Published: 1888

Epitaph inscribed on the urn in Westminster Abbey that holds the bones found at the Tower in 1674, plus an undated epitaph, presumably predating this, which assumes their remains to have been first buried in the Tower and then exhumed and thrown into the sea ‘at Tems mouth.’

The murders of Edward of Lancaster, Henry VI and Edward V (extracts)

Rastell, William

Typed extracts from Rastell’s Pastyme of People

Published: 1529

Account of the murders of the Princes, based on More.

The Princes in the Tower

Tanner, L E

Chapter 13 of Tanner’s Recollections of a Westminster Antiquary

Published: 1969

Tanner’s personal reminiscences of the 1933 examination, and his views of the controversy.

Recent Investigations Regarding the Fate of the Princes in the Tower

Tanner, L E; Wright, William

From: Archaeologia, Vol. 84

Published: 1934

Official report of the 1933 examination of the bones in Westminster Abbey.

Letter from an Official of the Duckworth Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Cambridge

Trevor, J C

Typed letter in response to an enquiry from a Mr. Kellock

Date of letter: 25 March 1964

Lists published sources of information on the Tower bones.

Who Killed the Little Princes in the Tower ?

Wood, Charles T

Text of an address given at the University of Vermont

Presented: 26 April 1976

Concludes Richard ‘had sufficient motive’ for the murder.

The Princes in the Tower

Wright Prof. William

Text of Cavendish Lecture from West London Medical Journal, Vol. 41

Presented: 4 June 1936

Outlines More’s story of the fate of the Princes, and summarises the exhumation of the bones of two children at the Tower in 1674 and the conclusions of the examination of these in 1933.

Note: Less detailed than the official report in Archaeologia (see Tanner & Wright above).

Survival Theories

Will DNA prove the Princes lived?

Ferriman, Annabel

From: The Independent on Sunday

Published: 6th August 1995

A newspaper article looking at the late Jack Leslau’s quest for DNA testing of the skeleton of John Clement, whom he believed to have been Richard Duke of York in disguise.

Role playing in the Family of Sir Thomas More by Hans Holbein the Younger, (1497/8-1543)

Hunt, Catherine

From: The British Art Journal, Vol XIX, No. 1: pp 62-71

Published: Spring 2018

Detailed discussion of elements of the picture throwing a fascinating light on some aspects of More and his family, his friendship with Erasmus and Greek and Roman literature. It suggests that every person can (should?) be perceived as acting out role(s), with everyone else in the picture complicit in maintaining these depictions, despite knowing that they may not match the real person.

The Fate of the Princes: a Re-assessment of the Known Facts

Jespers, Gilberte Van der Steen- See under Steen-Jespers.

Did the Sons of Edward IV Outlive Henry VII?

Leslau, Jack

From: Ricardian, Vol. 4, No. 62, with subsequent correspondence from Nos. 64 & 65 and a further article by Leslau on the same subject from The Ricardian Bulletin.

Published: September 1978, March & June 1979 and June 1981.

On Jack Leslau’s theory that the Princes both survived into the reign of Henry VII.

Did the Two Princes Survive Tudor?

Leslau J

Booklet

Undated

A re-assessment of the disappearance of the Princes, examining why Elizabeth Woodville did not report them missing.

John Clement, His Identity, and His Marshfoot House in Essex

Merriam, Thomas

From: Moreana, No. 97, pp. 145-152

Published: March 1998

Biography of Dr Clement, the protégé of Thomas More believed by Jack Leslau to have been Richard Duke of York.

The Hidden Rebus in Hans Holbein’s Portrait of the Sir Thomas More Family

Merriam, Thomas V N

From: Phillips Exeter Bulletin

Published: Summer 1983

The author describes meeting Jack Leslau and hearing from him his theory about the coded message in the Nostell Priory painting.

Unveiling of the More Family Portrait at Nostell Priory

Merriam, Thomas

From: Moreana, Vol. 20, No. 79-80, pp. 111-116

Published: November 1983

The author describes the unveiling of the newly restored painting following the problematic radio-carbon testing, which had dated the canvas to between 1400 to 1520 AD, thus (if accurate) making the painting a candidate for the lost Holbein original (painted 1530/1532). The article then goes on to explain Jack Leslau’s theory that the unique features of this particular copy represent a coded reference to the Princes.

How Holbein Hid a Royal Secret

Norman, Geraldine

From: The Times, ‘Spectrum’

Published: 25 March 1983

Newspaper articles on Leslau’s theory of the ‘covert rebus’ in the Nostell Priory portrait of Sir Thomas More’s family. Includes follow-up letters.

The Fate of the Princes: A Re-assessment of the Known Facts

Steen-Jespers, Gilberte Van der

Bound text of a lecture

Presented: 1985

Highly conjectural – suggests that Edward V died of natural causes in 1484 and that Richard Duke of York was murdered on Henry VII’s orders in 1486.

Leslau, Jack, Theory of

Various

Folder containing loose items

Published: 1983 & 1991

Newspaper clippings on Leslau’s theory inside a folder containing a colour photograph of the Nostell Priory portrait.

The Princes in the Tower

Williamson, Audrey

From: Popular Archaeology, Vol. 1, No. 4

Published: October 1979

Survey of the mystery, mentioning a family tradition that the Princes had lived with their mother at Sir James Tyrell’s house in Suffolk.

Banner image of King Richard III’s Book of Hours (MS 474f.7v) reproduced by kind permission of Lambeth Palace Library.