#yorkists

Caius Tyrrell, Lord of Sorrow’s End by Isaac Villacres

[ [f. 9v.] [The Pinners' 'Charter' 1463] (fn. 5)]

“Edward, by the grace of God king of England and France and lord of Ireland to the sheriffs of London and Middlesex... And also furthermore that where the artificers handcraftsmen and women resident and inhabiting and dwelling in the King's most noble and famous city of London and in other cities, towns, boroughs and villages within his noble realm of England and lordship of Wales have piteously shown and complained in the said parliament that they all, in general and everyone of them, be greatly impoverished, grievously hurt and hindered of their daily increase and daily living by the great multitude of divers goods and wares pertaining to their crafts and occupations being full wrought and ready made for sale, as both by the hands of strangers being the king's enemies as others brought in to the said realm and Wales from beyond the sea and by merchant strangers as well as denizens and other persons whereof the most part in substance is deceptive and not wrought in regard for any man's occupation or profit; wherefore the said artificers may not live by their crafts and occupations as they did in days passed, but many of them, householders as well as journeymen, servants and apprentices in great number are at this time unoccupied and live in great idleness, poverty and ruin.

Therefore the king our sovereign lord, in consideration of the above, to the pleasure of God and the eschewing of idleness, mother of all vices and mischiefs, and in amendment of the common weal of this his land hath, by the said advice and assent of his lords, spiritual and temporal, and commons in the said parliament assembled and by authority of the same ordained and [f. 10] established that no merchant, the king's born subject, denizen or stranger, nor any other person, after the next feast of St. Michael the Archangel, may bring, send or convey or cause to be brought, conveyed or sent, into this realm of England and lordship of Wales, that is any of the wares or things written below, that is to say: woollen bonnets, woollen cloth, laces, corses [bands?], ribbons, fringes of silk and of thread, threaded laces, thrown silk or silk in any wise embroidered, golden laces, tires [trimmings?] of silk or of gold, saddles, stirrups or any harness belonging to saddlers, spurs, bosses of bridles (moleyns), andirons, gridirons, any manner of locks, hammers, pincers, firetongs, dripping pans, dice, tennis balls, points, laces, purses, gloves, girdles, harness for girdles of iron, or latten or steel or tin or alloy (alkomay); nor anything wrought of any tawed leather, any manner of leatherware, tawed boots, shoes, galoshes or cockes (cork-soled sandals?), knives, daggers or woodknives, bodkins, shears for tailors, scissors, razors, sheaths, cards for playing, pins, pattens, packneedles; any manner of painted ware, forcers, caskets, rings of copper gilt, or latten, chafing dishes, candlesticks hanging or standing, washing bowls, chafing bowls, (fn. 6) sacring bells, rings for curtains, ladles, skimmers, counterfeit basins, ewers, hats, brushes, cards for wool or white wire, or anything to be offered or sold within this realm or Wales by way of merchandise upon pain of forfeiting everyone of them, at any time: and as often as they are found in the hands of any person or persons, to be sold: the one half thereof to our sovereign lord the king and the other half to him that seizeth it first for the king: the seizer's half to be delivered to him [through] the escheator of the shire or of the place where the seizer shall be, and by indenture between them to be made and the escheator to answer for the same in his account [f. 10v.].

Provided also that all wares and goods made and wrought in Ireland or Wales may be brought and sold in this realm of England, as they were wont before the making of this ordinance.

Provided always that if any of the aforesaid wares or goods made out of this land be taken over the sea without fraud or collusion or come into this realm or Wales by way of wreck, that they in no wise be included within this ordinance but that they may be sold within this realm or Wales, this ordinance notwithstanding.

And he also has ordained by the said authority that the masters or wardens for the time being of every craft and mystery in every city, borough, town and village where any such craft and mystery is used to have sufficient power and authority in every city, borough, town or village whereat they before the time being were master or wardens of any such craft or mystery; and the mayor of such city, town, borough or village for the time being, if there be any mayor thereof, or the bailiff or bailiffs of such city, borough or village for the time being, if any bailiffs or bailiff thereof be, and no mayor or sergeant or other officer to them assigned by the said mayor, bailiff or bailiffs; and in every city, borough, town or village where any such craft or mystery is used wherein be no masters or wardens of any such craft or mystery, that the masters or wardens of crafts or mysteries of the city, borough, town or village thereto next adjoining, and the constable of such city, town, borough or village have power and authority to search in their own crafts and mysteries offering for sale any of the said goods as well within the cities, boroughs, towns or villages of this realm and Wales and within the liberties and franchises of the same cities, towns, boroughs and villages, at all reasonable times, [f. 11] by day or night, in fairs, markets, open shops and warehouses and all manner such chaffer, wares and merchandise to each of their crafts and mysteries appertaining; as shall be made by any manner of alien craftsmen or women or any other person within this realm or Wales or shall, at any time, be occupied by any of the same crafts or mysteries in whose hands they may be found.

Provided always that the said masters or wardens and others named in this ordinance as searchers do not enter into any place exempt by privilege, franchise, grant or custom to make pins, any search as it is aforesaid [except by the oversight of] the officer of every such exempt place where any such search shall happen to be made.

And if the said searchers find by the same search that such chaffers, wares or merchandise, or any part thereof, be not clean, true and [sale]able chaffer, wares or merchandise, and truly made and wrought as it ought to be, and that duly proved, that then it will be lawful for such searchers to take and seize as things forfeited all such chaffer, wares or merchandise that so shall be found not good, clean, true and [sale]able, not truly wrought, the one half thereof to belong to the king our said sovereign lord and the other half to such masters or wardens that have searched and found it.

And that this ordinance shall stand and be in force as long as it shall please the king our said sovereign lord.

[Latin] Let it be publicly proclaimed for our part where it is most expedient within your bailiwick, both within the liberty and outside, from time to time as often as is necessary, and let it be held and observed in all and singular its articles according to the form noted above. Westminster 28 July 3 Edward IV [1463].

[In a later hand] This charter was granted to the pinmakers of London the 28 July in the third year of King Edward the fourth 1464 [recte 1463].

Wait what? When did I ever say Richard III had a weak claim to the throne? I might have said all claims are irrelevant and that Richard III might have usurped. 

That is not at all the same thing as me saying Richard III’s claim is weak, Richard III was the legitimate son of Richard Duke of York (Who would have been King if he lived) and from the eldest legitimate line of Edward III by this point. That is an extremely strong claim to the English throne, much stronger then Henry VII was by any means. 

Also I don’t believe I have ever said people would rather have had Edward IV’s sons on the throne, first of that’s just not true. House York rallied around Richard III in 1483, those who supported Edward V and his siblings was mostly Woodvilles and William Hastings. Richard had little opposition in House York  to take the crown. Maybe if the boys were older more support would have come, but Yorkists did not want put their support behind two young boys when they had a older proven ruler like Richard III. 

The Yorkists majority was okay with deeming Edward IV’s children bastards and having them not inherit. This goes for Edward V and Prince Richard Duke of York as well. None of the Yorkists truly fought for them. 

Henry VII proposing to marry Elizabeth of York was more about gaining the Woodvilles support then about gaining Yorkists support. After Richard III was dead, the Earl of Warwick locked up, and John de la Pole (Richard III’s nephew and heir) joined the court of Henry VII it became more important to Yorkists that Henry keep this promise to marry Elizabeth. Prior to that no Yorkist joined Henry VII based on his promise to marry Elizabeth. Sure during the Battle of Bosworth some Yorkists made decisions that would help them surivie the battle afterwards, (Like say Northumberland) but I don’t believe at all it was based on Henry’s pledge to marry Elizabeth. In fact even after his pledge to marry Elizabeth, the Woodvilles seemed a bit uninterested in the marriage between the two, as Elizabeth Woodville’s son Thomas Grey attempted to leave Henry VII and seek a pardon with Richard III. 

First, Yorkists supported, or at least were allies with Henry Tudor before his solemn promise to marry Elizabeth of York at Christmas 1483. This announcement didn't trigger an immediate wave of support and merely confirmed a well-known plan.