Richard of Shrewsbury: The Lost Duke Who Survived?
- Sez Francis
- Aug 17
- 7 min read
On this day [17th August], Richard of Shrewsbury, the Duke of York, was born. His life remains enveloped in mystery, and his story bears a resemblance to that of Franziska Schanzkowska, the individual who claimed to be the Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia. Nevertheless, Richard is more widely recognized than Schanzkowska due to his numerous connections and sightings among courtiers and his family before the critical events of the spring and summer of 1483. Although documentation regarding his early life is limited, it indicates a stark contrast between his childhood experience and the potential trajectory of his adulthood, had he survived.
Richard of Shrewsbury, the Duke of York, was born on August 17, 1473, in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, specifically at the Dominican Priory situated on the Welsh borders. He was the second son of King Edward IV, a Yorkist monarch, and his queen consort, Elizabeth Woodville. At the time of his birth, Richard had five elder siblings: Elizabeth of York, Mary of York, Cecily of York, Edward V, and Margaret of York. By the age of nine, he would also be joined by four younger siblings: Anne of York, George (Duke of Bedford), Catherine of York, and Bridget of York.
When Richard was merely nine months old, he was created Duke of York during a ceremonial event in London that featured celebratory jousts. A year subsequently, he and his eldest brother, Edward V (the then Prince of Wales), received a knighthood from their father, and Richard was designated a Knight of the Garter.
In contrast to his elder brother, who was believed to have suffered from health issues, as indicated by records from Edward IV's will, Richard was noted for being a robust child. [Click here to read the life of Edward V].
In contrast to Edward V, who resided at a considerable distance in Ludlow Castle, Richard was raised in the Royal Nursery in the company of his mother and sisters. Alongside being a robust child, Richard was also noted for his intelligence. When compared to his elder brother, he was perceived as more attractive, with descriptions of his hair indicating it was dark with a reddish hue.
In his analysis of Henry VIII, Dr David Starkey references an observation from a foreign visitor who recalled encountering Richard in the company of his sisters and the Queen Consort. Upon witnessing them together, the visitor described Richard as, "a very noble little boy and that he had seen him singing with his mother and one of his sisters and that he sang very well".
Richard was also known to enjoy shooting arrows and play "very well at sticks and with a two-handed sword", according to the Portuguese Ambassador Rui de Sousa.
At an unusually early age of four, Richard was betrothed to Anne Mowbray, the eighth Countess of Norfolk. Following the death of her father in January 1476, Anne became a ward of Edward IV. The arrangement of their union was primarily based on matters of inheritance, as Anne was a wealthy heiress without surviving siblings.
The couple was married on January 15, 1478, at St Stephen's Chapel in Westminster Abbey [Click here for more about the wedding]. Upon his marriage to Anne, Richard was granted several titles, including Duke of Norfolk, Earl of Nottingham, Earl Warenne, Earl of Marshall, Lord Mowbray, Lord Seagrave, and Lord Gower, along with rights to vast tracts of land in the eastern region. In 1479, Richard was subsequently appointed as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Tragically, Anne passed away in 1481.
When Edward IV unexpectedly passed away on the 9th of April 1483, Richard would become the heir presumptive following the succession of his elder brother as King Edward V. But, things would go from bad to worse for the House of York. Following Edward V's proclamation as King on the 11th of April, little Richard's uncle, the Duke of Gloucester had met with Edward V in Northampton. When news approached the Dowager Queen on the arrest of Sir Richard Grey, Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers and Sir Thomas Vaughan, she, Richard and Richard's sisters fled to Westminster Abbey for sanctuary. On the 1st of May, they lodged at Cheneygates Mansion along with his stepbrother, the Marquess of Dorset and his other maternal uncle the Bishop of Salisbury.
He would remain at the mansion for less than two months.
During that time, Dorset began summoning an army to grab Edward V from the clutches of the dukes. In addition, the Duke of Gloucester and the council conducted lengthy meetings and there were several executions in between. Meanwhile, tensions were running high in the country. There's not much information about Richard's time in sanctuary but according to Thomas Moore, he wrote in his of Richard III that the Duke of York was sick whilst he was in sanctuary.
In June, Richard became the subject of the Duke of Gloucester. Gloucester applied pressure to the Queen Dowager to hand Richard over into his care. It caused Richard's mother distress and was prepared to use violence to protect her youngest son. However, Gloucester was prepared to use force. 'With the consent of the council', he attempted to gather guards to stand outside the doors, armed with swords and staves. Eventually, with the persuasion of Cardinal Thomas Bourchier, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Queen Dowager gave Richard up to Gloucester. In return, Gloucester told the Archbishop to tell her to return to his mother and sisters after Edward V's coronation.
On the 16th of June, Richard left the sanctuary and was collected by the Archbishop of Canterbury. After leaving the mansion, Richard met his parental uncle, the Duke of Gloucester and the Duke of Buckingham. In the presence of priest Canon Simon Stallworth and the Lord Chancellor John Russell, Richard had met Gloucester who was waiting at the Star Chamber door of the Abbey with him [according to Stallworth]:
'My lord protecter recieving him at the Star Chamber Door with many loving words and so departed with my lord Cardinal to the tower, where he is, blessed be Jesus, merry'.
Later on, Richard was escorted by John Howard, the 1st Duke of Norfolk to the Tower of London to join Edward V before his coronation [schuleded for the 22nd]. He and Edward were housed in the Royal Apartments at the King's Lodging inside the Tower. Although the brothers had not seen each other before their father's death, it was reported that they had been seen shooting and playing together on the grounds, indicating they had formed a small bond. Reports suggest that the boys were seen playing together in the gardens.
On June 25th, Edward V and Richard, the Duke of York, were declared illegitimate after claims arose questioning the legitimacy of the marriage between their parents due to an earlier union between Edward IV and a woman named Eleanor Butler. Following this, Edward was deposed before the citizens of London, and the nobles and commoners presented a petition asking Gloucester to take the throne. Gloucester accepted the role, becoming King Richard III.
By mid-July, Edward V and Richard, the Duke of York, had disappeared and were never seen again. Signs of their disappearance began between July 1st and 6th, when auxiliary police arrived in London, enforcing new rules, including a three-night evening curfew and a ban on citizens carrying arms.
During this period, the boys were reportedly moved from the King's Lodgings to the Lanthorn Tower under appointed guard. However, another source claims that the boys were moved to the Garden Tower (which is now famously called The Bloody Tower).
Before the move, it is possible that they met Richard III at the Tower before his coronation on July 6th. While it is not clear, if this meeting took place, he might have encountered them elsewhere in the Tower or witnessed their transfer to either the Lanthorn Tower or the Garden Tower.
After the supposed visit by Richard III, the boys vanished. The biggest resource that sums up the knowledge was a record from the 10th of September 1483 where Sir James Tyrell (a trusted servant to Richard III) was sent from York to London to retrieve clothes and walls belonging to the Princes and bring them to their new owner, the Prince of. Wales Edward of Middleham.
Although it is not definitively known what happened to Richard of Shrewsbury, the Duke of York, there have been some theories on his aftermath from being murdered to his "supposed death" (with the date being the 26th of June 1483) according to Google Al [Click here to read the article on the theory of Richard's death].
However, Richard was famous for possibly surviving the wrath of Richard III. There was one pretender who claimed to be him in the identity of an individual named Perkin Warbeck. Warbeck proclaimed himself as the Duke of York - or in the eyes of monarchists - Richard IV of York. In the Autumn of 1497, he and an army took occupation of St Michael's Mount in Cornwall. He then marched to the South-West of England before he was captured at Beaulieu Abbey in Hampshire. After surrendering to Henry VII and his army at Taunton, Warbeck was executed at Tyburn, London on the 23rd of November 1499.
He would be buried in Austin Friars.
While no conclusive evidence exists regarding Richard's fate after mid-July 1483, his disappearance has generated significant public interest. He is known for the connection between Perkin Warbeck (though I doubt the two are the same person). It's possible he passed away from sickness instead of murder but until more evidence comes to light, the mystery surrounding his fate will likely remain unsolved.
Author's Note: All resources I have used are based on the sources from these websites and books. This information could change at any time if new evidence comes to light. Find below all the resources I've used including texts from authors who published works from onwards:
References and Sources:
Ashdown-Hill, John, 'The Mythology of The 'Princes In The Tower' [Amberley], 2018, 'What Was Young Richard Really Like?' [P25]
Lewis, Matthew, 'The Survival of the Princes in the Tower', [The History Press], 2017, 'To Construct A Murder [P13 - P19]
Langley, Phillipa 'The Princes In The Tower' [The History Press], 2023, 'The Missing Princes' [P34 - P36], '1483 Two Weeks, One Summer' [P39, P55, P61 - P62], The Disappearance: A Timeline [P65]
Licence, Amy, 'The Lost Kings Lancaster, York & Tudor', [The History Press], 2017, 'Edward V' [P84]
Starkey, David, 'Henry: The Prince Who Would Turn Tyrant' [Harper Perennial], Ancestors [p31]
Weir, Alison, 'Elizabeth of York: The First Tudor Queen' [Vintage Books], 2013, ' 'This Act of Usurpation' ' [P82, 88 - 89]
Wilkinson, Josephine, 'The Princes In The Tower [Amberley], 2013, 'Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York' [P32]
Wroe, Ann, 'Perkin Warbeck' [Richard III Society]
Website References:
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