Yesterday’s
headlines reporting that thieves had stolen keys to the Tower of London
reminded me of one of Lady Colin Campbell’s colourful Irish ancestors, who in
1671 became the only person to have ever stolen the Crown Jewels.
“Colonel”
Thomas Blood was born in Ireland in 1618, the nephew to Lady Colin Campbell’s
great great great great great grandfather. He initially fought for the
Royalists in the English Civil War but switched allegiances to the Roundheads.
After hostilities had ended in England, Cromwell shifted his focus to Ireland
and set sail with a large force of men to assert his leadership. Thomas joined
their number and was given confiscated lands as a reward for his services.
However, he only enjoyed a decade of peace, before the monarchy was restored
and former Royalists regained positions of power.
Like
many of the disgruntled Cromwellians, Thomas feared for his land and his religious
freedom as a non-conformist Protestant, so decided to take action. In 1663,
with a group of sympathisers, he hatched a plot to capture the Duke of Ormond,
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and issue a declaration for religious and property
rights. Later known as Blood's Plot, it failed and most of the group was
arrested. Thomas escaped using various disguises and spent several years on the
run. In 1670 he made another attempt to capture the Duke of Ormond and again he
failed. He then decided on his most daring plan – to steal the Crown Jewels.
His motivation was political, rather than financial, to show the authorities
that they would have no peace until they granted religious tolerance. Using the
guise of a parson, Thomas befriended Talbot Edwards, keeper of the Jewel House.
On 9 May 1671 he visited with some friends, and whilst waiting for dinner,
Thomas persuaded the keeper to show them the jewels, kept in the basement of
the Martin Tower. This was not unusual, as Edwards supplemented his meagre
income by charging visitors to view the jewels. However, on this day the
unsuspecting keeper was knocked to the ground, then bound and gagged, whilst
his supposed new friend and accomplices escaped with the jewels. Edwards
managed to raise the alarm and Thomas's prodigious luck finally ran out; he was
captured and imprisoned in the Tower of London.
Thomas
refused to answer any questions except to the King. He was taken to the palace
and questioned by Charles and other members of the royal family. Despite facing
the ultimate penalty for this act of treason, Thomas mysteriously received a
pardon and left the Tower in July 1671. Some believe the King was amused at his
audacity, others that he must have served him at some time as a secret agent.
The King may have feared an uprising from Blood's followers, and decided he
could be of more help alive, aiding negotiations with the Non-Conformists. To the
disgust of the Duke of Ormond, not only did he escape with his life, but the
King also restored his land in Ireland, worth £500 a year.
For
those wishing to read some more, there is an excellent biography by David C.
Hanrahan, “Colonel Blood: The Man who Stole the Crown Jewels.”
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