- James Tyrrell
Sir James Tyrrell (c. 1450 –
May 6 ,1502 ) was an Englishknight , a trusted servant of KingRichard III of England . He is known for 'confessing' to the murders of thePrinces in the Tower under Richard's orders. However, his statement was taken under torture, so the confession can easily be discredited.Tyrrell was the eldest son of Sir William Tyrrell (c. 1415-
February 22 ,1461 ) and Margaret Darcy (c. 1425), married in 1444. Like his father before him, a loyal Yorkist, James was knighted in 1471. He married Anne Arundell onMarch 9 ,1483 . They would later have a son also named James Tyrrell.James was in France in 1485 and played no part in the
Battle of Bosworth Field which signalled the start of the Tudor's reign.In the following year, he returned to England and was pardoned by King Henry VII, who reappointed him governor of
Guisnes (in the English possession ofCalais ). However, in 1501, Tyrrell lent his support to Edmund de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, now the leading Yorkist claimant to the English throne, who was in voluntary exile. When Henry heard of this, Tyrrell was recalled, accused oftreason , and tortured.Thomas More wrote that, during his examination, Tyrrell made his confession as to the murders of Edward V and his brother Richard, 1st Duke of York and implicating two other men, but despite further questioning, was unable to say where the bodies were -- he claimed that they had been moved. He was beheaded onMay 6 , 1502.Legend
He is a participiant in the legend of the Horndon Worm from
East Horndon which he slew using highly polished armour. Because of this he has made an appearance in the "2000AD" story called "London Falling ". In this he is brutally killed by the characterBlack Shuck .External links
* [http://home.cogeco.ca/~richardiii/tyrell.html Sir James Tyrell: Hero or Villain?]
* [http://www.syllysuffolk.co.uk/htm/gipping.htm Sylly Suffolk]
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