"Smoking Gun" For The Murder Of The Princes In The Tower? New Evidence Revealed

Title: "Smoking Gun" For The Murder Of The Princes In The Tower? New Evidence Revealed

"A while ago, I mentioned a new documentary on the Tower of London, which promised to explore fresh evidence about the princes in the Tower. Now, we know what the Channel 5 documentary has brought to light.

The highlight is the discovery of the last will of Margaret Capell, dated 1522. This document, found by Tim Thornton, was showcased in the documentary hosted by Tracy Borman, chief curator of Historic Royal Palaces, alongside actor Jason Watkins. Thornton uncovered the document in the National Archives, where it is catalogued as PROB 11/19.

Central to this discovery is a sentence in the will that seemingly confirms the princes were killed. Borman described this as a "smoking gun," pointing to the gravity of the words:

"Also, I bequeath to my son, Sir Giles, his father's chain which was young King Edward the V's."

Margaret Capell was the sister-in-law of Sir James Tyrell, who, according to Thomas More, confessed to the murder of the princes in 1502. She was also the half-sister of Tyrell's wife, Anne. The theory is that Tyrell passed this chain to Margaret’s husband, who then left it to Margaret. She, in turn, bequeathed it to her son. Margaret was married to Sir William Capell, a former Lord Mayor of London, and she was the daughter of Sir John Arundell.

Thornton and Borman propose that this was no ordinary chain but the chain of office as king—a unique item that would definitively identify Edward the Fifth as its owner. Its presence in the Capell family implies someone close to Edward was with him at his end.

So, what does this chain tell us about the fate of the princes in the Tower? The National Archives views the find as realistic yet inconclusive. Sean Cunningham, Head of Collections at the Medieval and Early Modern Institution, commented:

"Margaret's reference to a chain once owned by the uncrowned teenage king Edward the Fifth is a new piece of evidence that raises more questions than it answers. Edward the Fifth vanished from public view within the walls of the Tower in summer 1483—thirty-three years before this will was written. 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."

Let’s examine the possibilities.

First, the information in the will could be incorrect. The chain might not have belonged to Edward at all. Margaret Capell may have misattributed it, or she might have embellished the item’s provenance. Additionally, it might not have been Edward’s chain of office. Still, Margaret’s use of "young King Edward" suggests she believed it was indeed his, not just any Edward's.

Second, possessing Edward’s chain doesn’t necessarily implicate anyone, including Richard the Third, in murder. Even if it were Edward’s chain of office, the real question is how the Capell family acquired it. While the connection to Tyrell suggests he may have passed it on, there’s no definitive proof. It’s also possible Edward escaped the Tower, rendering the chain unnecessary to him, since he wanted to live anonymously.

But what do you think?

#PrincesintheTower #NewEvidence #RichardIII #TracyBorman #TimThornton

My Princes in the Tower Playlist:

   • The  Princes in the Tower  

My Wars of the Roses Playlist:

   • Wars of the Roses and more  

News Reports:

https://www.hud.ac.uk/news/2024/novem...

https://www.televisual.com/news/new-e...

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a...

Music: I used several songs under the Creative-Commons-Licence from the following artists:

Aakash Gandhi

Aaron Kenny

Amulets

Amy Lynn & the Honeymen

Allagro

Asher Fulero

Audionautix

Biz Baz Studio

Blacksmith

Brian Bolger

Causmic

Cooper Cannell

Coyote Hearing

Dan Bodan

Dan Henig

Density&Time

DivKid

DJ Williams

Doug Maxwell

ELPHNT 1

Esther Abrami

French Fuse

Geographer

Godmode

Hainbach

Hanu Dixit

Jeremy Blake

Jimena Contreras

John Patitucci

Kevin MacLeod

Media Right Productions

Mini Wandals

Myuu

Nathan Moore

NEFFEX

Patrick Patrikios

Quincas Moreira

RVKC

Sir Cubworth

Squadda B

SYBS

Telecasted

The 126ers

The 129ers

The Tower of Light

The Westerlies

The Whole Other

Traversing

Trevor Garrod

Twin Musicom

Underbelly & Ty Mayer

Ugonne Onyekwe

VYEN

All videos and pictures are also under the Common Creative licence, publicly avaible or my own.