Fenland Woman: A Silver-Tongued Devil
Claire tells of the silver-tongued thief who stole a king's crown from the Tower of London.
The diamond encrusted Imperial State Crown, displayed in the Tower of London and worn by the Queen at the State Opening of Parliament, was made for Queen Victoria's coronation in 1838.
When it was first stored with the other crown jewels at the Tower the thought that a visitor might steal it must have crossed the Jewel Keeper's mind. After all, it had happened before. In May 1671 the Irish adventurer "Colonel" Thomas Blood almost got away with the crown of Charles II.
Today the crown jewels are held behind glass in a closely guarded and fortified exhibition space. In 1671 they were kept in a ground floor room beneath the apartment of the assistant jewel keeper. The assistant keeper was an elderly ex-soldier called Talbot Edwards, who appears to have had a very trusting nature.
Edwards had the misfortune to meet Blood in April 1671 when the Irishman visited the Tower of London with his wife. Blood was disguised as a parson and used the name Dr. Ayliffe. While viewing the jewels "Mrs. Ayliffe" fell ill and was taken into Edwards' home. Blood seized on the chance to befriend the assistant keeper and it was soon decided that Edwards' daughter would marry Dr. Ayliffe's nephew.
The wedding day was set for May 9. At 7 a.m. the bridegroom, who was really Blood's son, arrived at the Tower with his father and three other men. They asked Edwards if it was possible to see the jewels. The old soldier took Blood and three of his accomplices into the jewel chamber. When the door closed they knocked him over the head and stabbed him.
Blood picked up Charles II's crown and crushed it to hide its shape beneath his cloak. Another man put the royal orb in his breeches. They then fled after being alerted to the unexpected arrival of Edwards' son. The assistant keeper told his son what had happened. Blood was quickly captured and taken back to the Tower.
The strangest part of the story is that Blood wasn't executed for his villainous scheme. He met with Charles II on May 12 and was granted 500 pounds a year. It is sometimes suggested that Blood pleased the king with his Irish charm. The truth, according to his biographer Alan Marshall, is far more interesting. Blood was spared because he was a religious nonconformist with friends in high places. The government needed him to spy on his fellow religious militants.
The Tower of London's most famous thief spent the rest of his life embroiled in political tricks and schemes. He died in 1680.
"He was certainly a character," mused one Beefeater when I asked him about Blood on Nov. 5. "To attempt to steal the crown jewels and live to tell the tale he must have been a silver-tongued devil."
