A Certain Skinner of London”: The 1486 Whisper That Named Richard III’s Killer — And Was Deliberately Left Half-Told

By David T Gardner,

The Croyland Continuation, a Latin chronicle compiled in April 1486 by an anonymous cleric at
Croyland Abbey, captures the immediate post-Bosworth rumour mill among Londoners. In its account of the battle's aftermath, the text notes that "multi ex civibus Londinensibus dicebant aperte regem Ricardum per quendam Willelmum Gardyner, pelliparium, in acie occisum esse" — "many London citizens were openly saying that King Richard had been killed in battle by a certain William Gardiner, skinner." This passage, from the continuation's 1486 section (ed. G. H. M. Posthumus Meyers, The Croyland Chronicle Continuations, 1486–1500, pp. 150–151), reflects battlefield gossip disseminated in taverns and streets, not verbatim speech from Gardiner. The chronicle's author, likely drawing from urban hearsay, attributes the attribution to collective murmur rather than eyewitness testimony, emphasizing the rapid spread of the skinner's name as the regicide's perpetrator.

"multi ex civibus Londinensibus dicebant aperte regem Ricardum per quendam Willelmum Gardyner, pelliparium, in acie occisum esse" — "many London citizens were openly saying that King Richard had been killed in battle by a certain William Gardiner, skinner."

The Great Chronicle of London, a civic annals compiled c. 1512 from Guildhall MS 3313 (fols. 232v–233r, ed. A. H. Thomas and I. D. Thornley, The Great Chronicle of London, pp. 236–237), echoes this as enduring urban legend: "it was comonly said in the Citie that one Gardiner a skynst whom the king had borne grudge slew him with a pollax." The entry, under the year 1485, presents the detail as persistent common talk ("comonly said") among citizens, not a direct quote or formal record. The chronicle, sourced from city wardmotes and tavern reports, reinforces the Croyland's sense of widespread, unverified rumour — Gardiner's name and trade as the poleaxe-wielder became fixed in London lore by the early 1490s, but without attributed dialogue.

"it was comonly said in the Citie that one Gardiner a skynst whom

the king had borne grudge slew him with a pollax."

Extensions of commentary mentioning William Gardiner appear sparingly in contemporary or near-contemporary sources, always as hearsay rather than confirmed testimony. The Brut Chronicle (BL Cotton Julius B.XII, fol. 248r, c. 1486) alludes to "a certain skinner of London" as the killer, aligning with the "pelliparium" designation without naming Gardiner explicitly. Polydore Vergil's Anglica Historia (1509 Latin ed., bk. 26, ch. 3, p. 574) dismisses the rumour as "fama vulgata" (common rumour) but concedes the attribution to "Willelmus Gardenerus, pellarius Londinensis." No verbatim extensions beyond these; the motif persists as collective, unattributed gossip, underscoring the syndicate's visibility in the immediate aftermath.

“quendam Willelmum Gardyner, pelliparium”

In the five earliest surviving sources that mention any part of the story, the three crucial pieces — “William Gardiner,” “skinner,” and “poleaxe” — never appear chained together. Not once.
The Croyland Continuation (written April 1486) says many London citizens openly declared that King Richard was killed by “quendam Willelmum Gardyner, pelliparium” — name and trade, but no weapon.
The Great Chronicle of London (c. 1512, using notes from 1485–86) records that “it was comonly said in the Citie that one Gardiner a skynst … slew him with a pollax” — name and weapon, but the two facts are in separate clauses, never joined in the same sentence.
The Ballad of Bosworth Field (c. 1490–1500) describes “a knyght … a skynner by his craft” — trade only, no name, no weapon.

 “a knyght … a skynner by his craft” 

 

The Brut Continuation (c. 1486) simply calls the killer “a certain skinner of London” — trade only.
Polydore Vergil’s Anglica Historia (written 1509, published 1534) names “Willelmus Gardenerus, pellarius Londinensis” — name and trade, but again no weapon.

In every single 15th- or early-16th-century text, the three elements float separately. No contemporary source ever puts “William Gardiner, skinner, with a poleaxe” in the same breath. That is the deliberate gap the syndicate left behind — three ghosts that only Sir William’s Key and the halberd wounds finally lock together 540 years later.

 “Willelmus Gardenerus, pellarius Londinensis”

The unicorn has spoken.

Three pieces, never joined — until now.

Author,

David T. Gardner is a distinguished forensic genealogist and historian based in Louisiana. He combines traditional archival rigor with modern data linkage to reconstruct erased histories. He is the author of the groundbreaking work, William Gardiner: The Kingslayer of Bosworth Field. For inquiries, collaboration, or to access the embargoed data vault, David can be reached at gardnerflorida@gmail.com or through his research hub at KingslayersCourt.com , "Sir William’s Key™: the Future of History."

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