Thomas Blood

Thomas Blood (1618 – 24 August 1680) was an Anglo-Irish army officer and self-styled colonel best known for his attempt to steal the Crown Jewels of England from the Tower of London in 1671. Described in an American source as a "noted bravo and desperado," he was also known for his attempt to kidnap and, later, to kill his enemy, the 1st Duke of Ormond.

Early life

Sources suggest that Blood was born in County Clare, in the Kingdom of Ireland, the son of a successful land-owning blacksmith of English descent, and was partly raised at Sarney, near Dunboyne, in County Meath. He was apparently a Presbyterian. His family was respectable and prosperous (by the standards of the time); his father held lands in Counties Clare, Meath and Wicklow. His grandfather was a member of the Irish Parliament, and had lived at Kilnaboy Castle (also in County Clare). He received his education in Lancashire, England. At the age of 20, he married Maria Holcroft, the daughter of John Holcroft of Holcroft Hall, Culcheth, Cheshire, and Golborne, Lancashire, and returned to Ireland.

At the outbreak of the First English Civil War in 1642, Blood returned to England and initially took up arms with the Royalist forces loyal to Charles I. As the conflict progressed he switched sides and became a lieutenant in Oliver Cromwell's Roundheads. Blood had followed Ormond's movements and noted that he frequently returned late in the evening accompanied by a small number of footmen. On the night of 6 December 1670, Blood and his accomplices attacked Ormond while the latter travelled St James's Street. Ormond was dragged from his coach, bound to one of Blood's henchmen, and taken on horseback along Piccadilly with the intention of hanging him at Tyburn. The gang pinned a paper to Ormond's chest spelling out their reasons for his capture and murder. so that he could hide it beneath his clerical coat. Another conspirator, Blood's brother-in-law Hunt, filed the Sceptre with the Cross in two (as it did not fit in their bag), while the third man, Perrot, stuffed the Sovereign's Orb down his breeches. Meanwhile Edwards refused to stay subdued and fought against his bindings. Accounts vary as to whether Edwards' struggle caused sufficient disturbance to raise the alarm or whether the attempt was foiled in more fortuitous circumstances. One drawbridge guard was struck with fear and failed to discharge his musket. As they ran along the Tower wharf it is said they joined the calls for alarm to confuse the guards until they were chased down by Captain Beckman, brother-in-law of the younger Edwards. Although Blood shot at him, he missed and was captured before reaching the Iron Gate. Having fallen from his cloak, the crown was found while Blood refused to give up, struggling with his captors and declaring, "It was a gallant attempt, however unsuccessful! It was for a crown!"

Following his pardon, Blood became a familiar figure around London and made frequent appearances at Court, where he was employed to advocate in the claims of suitors to the Crown. In John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester's History of Insipids, he wrote of Blood:

In 1679 Blood fell into dispute with the Duke of Buckingham, his former patron, and Buckingham sued Blood for £10,000, for insulting remarks Blood had made about his character. In the proceedings that followed, Blood was convicted by the King's Bench in 1680 and granted bail, although he never paid the damages. He died on 24 August at his home in Bowling Alley, Westminster. His body was buried in the churchyard of St Margaret's Church (now Christchurch Gardens) near St. James's Park. It is believed that his body was exhumed by the authorities for confirmation: such was his reputation for trickery, it was suspected he had faked his death and funeral to avoid paying his debt to Buckingham. Blood's epitaph read:

Legacy

Blood's son Holcroft Blood became a distinguished military engineer rising to the rank of Brigadier-General; he commanded the Duke of Marlborough's artillery at the Battle of Blenheim. Descendants including General Bindon Blood, civil engineer William Bindon Blood, Maurice Petherick, and Brian Inglis, had distinguished careers in British and Irish society.

The Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England based indie professional wrestler Thomas Blood took his name directly from the historical figure although his character is not based on him.

Depictions

The 1934 movie Colonel Blood, by W. P. Lipscomb, depicts Blood's theft of the Crown jewels and his subsequent pardon.
Blood may have been, in part, the inspiration for a character in Rafael Sabatini's novel Captain Blood, which in turn resulted in several film adaptations, most famously the 1935 version starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland.
Michael Wilding portrayed Blood in the 1957 episode "The Trial of Colonel Blood" of NBC's anthology series, The Joseph Cotten Show.
The theft of the jewels was heavily fictionalised in the film The King's Thief
Blood was a character in George MacDonald Fraser's 1983 novel The Pyrates which was filmed by the BBC in 1986
Blood was a major character in a humorous play about the theft, called The Crown Jewels, written by screenwriter Simon Nye and performed at the Garrick Theatre in London in 2023. The part was played by Aidan McArdle, and the cast included Al Murray as Charles II, Neil Morrissey as his accomplice Perrot, and Mel Giedroyc as Mrs Edwards.
In November 2024, Channel 4 broadcast A History of Royal Scandals series 2 episode 4 entitled Crime in which Suzannah Lipscomb discussed Blood's theft of the Crown Jewels, his meeting with King Charles, and the mystery surrounding his burial.

Early life

Legacy

Depictions

References

Further reading

External links