Death of King Henry VI

History of the Arrival of Edward IV Part 5. [21st May 1471] Here is it to be remembred, that, from the tyme of Tewkesbery fielde, where Edward, called Prince, was slayne, thanne, and sonne aftar wer taken, and slayne at the Kyngs will, all the noblemen that came from beyond the see with the sayde Edward, called Prince, and othar also theyr parte-takers, as many as were eny might or puisaunce. Qwene Margaret, hirselfe, taken, and browght to the Kynge; and, in every party of England, where any commotion was begonne for Kynge Henry's party, anone they were rebuked, so that it appered to every mann at eye the sayde partie was extincte and repressed for evar, without any mannar hope of agayne quikkening; utterly despaired of any maner of hoope or releve. The certaintie of all whiche came to the knowledge of the sayd Henry, late called Kyng, being in the Tower of London; not havynge, afore that, knowledge of the saide matars, he toke it so great dispite, ire, indingnation, that, of pure displeasure, and melencoly, he [King Henry VI of England and II of France (age 49)] dyed the xxiij. day of the monithe of May⁴⁸. Whom the Kynge dyd to be browght to the friers prechars at London, and there, his funerall service donne, to be caried, by watar, to an Abbey upon Thamys syd, xvj myles from London, called Chartsey, and there honorably enteryd.

Note 48. he dyed the xxiij. day of the monithe of May. Some one has added here in the margin of the MS. with a reference after the word "dyed," "or was mordered." The death of Henry VI. is one of those dark events, the truth respecting which cannot fail to become matter of dispute. The present author states, it will be perceived, that he died "of pure displeasure and melencholy" on the 23rd May, which was the day of the Ascension, or Holy Thursday. The other authorities are as follow:

The Croyland Continuator tells all that was certainly known — perhaps all that ever will be known — in the following significant words: "Taceo, hoc temporum interstitio [i.e. during Edward's absence in Kent] inventum esse corpus Regis Henrici in Turri Londinensi exanime: Parcat Deus, et spatium poenitenti; ei donet, quicunque tam sacrilegas manus in Christum Domini ausus est immittere" i.e. "I remain silent that, during this interval of time, the lifeless body of King Henry was found in the Tower of London. May God have mercy, and grant time for repentance to whomever it was who dared to lay such sacrilegious hands upon the Lord’s anointed." (Gale, I. 556.)

Fabyan after stating that on "Ascension Euyn," that is on the 22nd May, the late King's corpse was brought "unreverently" from the Tower to St. Paul's, and thence conveyed, on the morrow, to Chertsey, adds: "Of the death of this Prynce dyuerse tales were tolde; but the most common fame wente, that he was strykked with a dagger by the handes of the Duke of Gloucester," (P. 662.)

The Chronicler in Leland writes as if he had known "the very heart of the mystery." — "The same night, beying the 21. day of May, and Tuesday, at night, betwixt a xi. and xii. of the Clok, was King Henry, being Prisonoer yn the Toure, put to Deth: the Duke of Glocestre and dyverse other beyng there that night." (Coll. II. 507.) The same author agrees with Fabyan that the corpse was removed to St. Paul's on the 22nd May.

Polydore Vergil relates the common rumor: "Henricus Sextus, paulo ante regno dejectus, in Turri morte affectus est; hunc, ut fama constans est, Ricardus Glocestriæ dux gladio percussit, quo ita Eduardus rex ejus frater omni hostili metu liberaretur" i.e. "Henry VI, shortly after being deposed from the throne, was put to death in the Tower; he, as consistent rumour holds, was struck with a sword by Richard, Duke of Gloucester, so that King Edward, his brother, might be freed from all fear of enemies." (P. 532.)

De Comines places the death after the battle of Barnet instead of Tewkesbury, and says, "Si je n'en ai oüi mentir, incontinent apres cette battaille le Duc de Glocestre...tua de sa main, ou fit tuer en sa presence, en quelque lieu à part, ce bon homme Roy Henry" i.e. "If I have not heard falsely, immediately after this battle the Duke of Gloucester... killed with his own hand, or had killed in his presence, in some secluded place, that good man King Henry." (Id. 209.)

The contradiction between the date of the exhibition of the corpse as stated by the Leland Chronicler, who is a very good authoirty — and by Fabyan, who is generally pretty accurate respecting matters which took place in London — and the date of death as given by the author now published, if considered with reference to the position of the various persons interested in Henry's death on those days, and the circumstances of his hurried interment, will be found to be destructive of the credit of our author's version of what was in all probability and infamous murder.

Warkworth's Chronicle. 21st May 1471. And the same nyghte that Kynge Edwarde came to Londone, Kynge Herry, beynge inwarde in presone in the Toure of Londone, was putt to dethe¹, the xxj. day of Maij, on a tywesday nyght, betwyx xj. and xij. of the cloke, beynge thenne at the Toure the Duke of Gloucetre, brothere to Kynge Edwarde, and many other; and one the morwe he was chestyde and brought to Paulys, and his face was opyne that every manne mighte see him; and in hys lyinge he bledde one the pament ther; and afterward at the Blake Fryres was broughte, and ther he blede new and fresche; and from thens he was caryed to Chyrchesey abbey in a bote², and buryed there in oure Lady chapelle. On the morwe that the Kynge was come to Londone, for the goode servyse that Londone hade done to hym, he made knyghtes of the Aldermenne³, Sere Jhon Stokstone, Sire Rauf Verney, Sere Richard Lee, Sere Jhon Yonge, Sere William Tayliour, Sere George Irlande, Sere Jhon Stokere, Sere Mathew Philyppe, Sere William Hamptone, Sere Thomas Stalbroke, Sere Jhon Crosby, Sere Thomas Urswike, Recordere of Londone.

Note 1. Was putt to dethe. "He dyid put to silence in the Tour of London, the xxj. day of May, aº. 1471, buryid first at Chertesey and after at Wyndesore." - Rot. Lansd. Mus. Brit. 6. In the old ballad of the "Wandering Jew's Chronicle" this event is thus versified:

"I saw the white and red rose fight,

"And Warwick gret in armour bright,

"In the Sixth Henries reign;

"And present was that very hour,

"When Henry was in London Tower,

"By Crookt-backt Richard slain."

But this subject has been so much before the reader that I refrain from adding more. I give, however, a few references, from my miscellaneous notes, which may assist any future inquirer who desires to investigate more at length into various matters connected with the popular opinion of Henry VI. after his death, his burial places, & c.: Widmore's History of Westminster Abbey, pp. 118-120; Ashmole's History of the Order of the Garter, p. 136; MS. Cotton. Cleop. E. III; Monast. I. 277; British Topographer, II. 112, n; Gent. Mag. LVI.; MS. Cole Collect. XLII. 378; ib. XIII; Hormanni Vulgaria, Lond. 1519, fol. 3, rº; Barrington on the Statutes, p. 253; Parker Antig. Brit. Eccl. 229, edit. Drake, p. 447; Fuller's Church History, IV. 153; Wilkins's Concil. IV. 635; Spelman, II. 720; Walpole's Fugitive Pieces; MS. Sloan. 1441.

Note 2. Caryed to Chyrchesey Abbey in a bote. Henry's body was protected by soldiers from Calais, and, rather singularly, for the possession of that city had been a hard point of contention between the rival parties. The extreme anxiety of Queen Margaret to possess it, may be seen from a very curious document now preserved in the Royal Archives of France, and the title of which is given in MS. Addit. Mus. Brit. 9346, fol. 116, rº.

In the Issue Rolls of the Exchequer, we find money paid to Hugh Brice on the 24th of June for the expenses of Henry's funeral, for conveying his body from the Tower to St. Paul's, and from thence to Chertsey. From these and several other statements of expences in the same rolls, it fully appears that every respect was paid to the corpse; but Mr. Devon has attempted to draw from this an argument for the natural death of the King, not taking into consideration that the very fact of much attention having been paid to his funeral obsequies would render it more than probable that it was done to conceal the appearance of any hostile feeling: had Henry died a natural death, it appears to me that the haste of Edward's departure into Kent, and the length of time necessarily elapsing before he could have become acquainted with the news, would have almost rendered any definite orders for his funeral next to impossible. Many writers have committed the error of affirming that Henry was buried without honours. - Camden's Britannia, edit. Gough, I. 167.

Note 3. The names of these aldermen are given by Stowe, Edit. 1755, Survey of London, II. 222.

Warkworth's Chronicle. Before I proceed further, I will place before the reader a few of the unpublished evidences I have collected relative to this transaction:

1. "Obitus Regis Henrici Sexti, qui obiit inter vicesimum primum diem Maii et xxij^m. diem Maii."["The death of King Henry the Sixth, who died between the twenty-first day of May and the twenty-second."] MS. Bib. Reg. 2 B. xv. fol. 1, rº.

2 "Rex Henricus Sextus in arce London ferro transfigitur et occiditur [King Henry the Sixth is stabbed and killed in the Tower of London.".] MS. Cotton. Otho, B. xiv. fol. 221, v.

3. "Et Henricus, nuper Rex, reponitur in Turrim London, et, in vigilia Ascenscionis dormiente, ibidem feliciter moriens, per Tamisiam navicula usque ad Abbathiam de Cheltosye deductus, ibi sepultus est." ["And Henry, recently King, is laid to rest in the Tower of London, and, sleeping on the eve of the Ascension, there happily dying, he is then transported by boat across the Thames to the Abbey of Chertsey, where he is buried."] MS. Arundel, (College of Arms) No. 5, fol. 171, vº.

4. "Et in vigilia ascensionis moriebatur Rex Henricus Sextus in turri Londoniarum, qui quidem sepultus erat apud Chersey, et postea translatus per Regem Ricardum usque Wynsowerem." ["And on the eve of the Ascension, King Henry the Sixth died in the Tower of London, who indeed was buried at Chertsey, and later transferred by King Richard to Windsor."] MS. Laud, 674. (B. 23) fol. 11, rº.

5. There is a Latin prophecy (written perhaps after the fulfilment of the predicted event) in MS. Digb. 196, that King Henry the Sixth shall die a violent death.

6. "Also upon ascencion evyn, Kyng Henry was brought from the tower thrugh Chepe unto Powlys upon a bere, and abowte the beere more glevys and stavys than torches; who was slayne, as it was said, by the Duke of Glowcetir; but howe he was deed [nobody knewe, but] thedir he was brought deed; and in the chirch the corps stode all nyght, and on the morue he was conveyed to Chertsey, where he was buryed." MS. London Chronicle. Bibl. Cotton. Vitell. A. xvI. fol. 133, rº.

7. The following is taken from a metrical history of the reign of Edward the Fourth, by John Herd, M.D., of which is in MS. Cotton. Jul. C. II.

"Interea Henricus Sextus, spoliatus avito [Meanwhile Henry VI, stripped of his ancestral]

Qui fuit imperio, vita spoliatur, in arce [power, is stripped of life, in the fortress]

In Thamesis ripa vitreas que prospicit undas. [on the banks of the Thames, overlooking the glassy waves.]

Illum fama refert rigidum jugulasse Richardum, [fame reports that his throat was cut by Richard, ]

Gloucestrensis erat qui dux, vir sevus et audax, [Duke of Gloucester, a stern and bold man,]

Post cujus codem sic insultasse refertur; — [after which, it is reported he insulted him thus:]

'Masculus, en! hæres Edverdo a rege creatus, ['Behold, a male heir, created by King Edward,]

Tertius illius qui vixit nominis olim, [The third of that name who once lived,]

Preter nos hodie respirat nemo superstes— [Except for us, today no one survives—]

Nos, Eboracensis quos gloria stirpis honorat!' [We, of York, whom the glory of our lineage honors!']

Henrici corpus Pauli transfertur in ædem, [Henry's body is transferred to St. Paul's cathedral,]

Et jacet in feretro, vulgi ut videatur ocellis. [And lies in a coffin, visible to the eyes of the common people.]

Parvulus est vicus, Chersei nomine notus, [There is a small village known as Chertsey,]

In quo coenobium, sacer Erchenwalde, locabas, [In which you, holy Erkenwald, once placed a monastery,]

Londini fueras qui clarus episcopus olim; [You who were once a famous bishop in London;]

Huc delatus erat tumuloque Henricus opertus; [Thither was Henry brought and covered by the tomb;]

Post Vindessoram translatus, conditur æde [After he was transferred and laid to rest at Windsor]

Que sacrata tibi celebratur, dive Georgi! [In the sacred building dedicated to you, blessed George!]

Octo et ter denos Henricus præfuit annos; [Henry ruled for eight and thirty years;]

Sex etiam menses post sceptra recepta regebat; [Even after reclaiming the sceptre, he ruled for six months;]

Vitæ annos binos et quinquaginta peregit: [He lived for two and fifty years:]

Edverdus princeps gnatus fuit unicus illi." [Edward, the prince, was his only begotten son.]

Fol. 170 v^o - 171 r^o

8. "Eodem die [mensis Maij xxj^o.] decessit Henricus Sextus, olim dictus Rex Anglie, apud Turrim London, et sepultus est in monasterio de Chertesey juxta Tamisiam Winton dioces'. Et sic nemo relinquitur in humanis qui ex illo stirpite coronam petat." ["On the same day [21st of May], Henry the Sixth, formerly known as the King of England, passed away at the Tower of London, and was buried in the monastery of Chertsey near the Thames in the diocese of Winchester. And thus, no one is left among humans who seeks the crown from that lineage."] MS. Arundel, Mus. Brit. 28, fol. 25, vº.