Thomas Blood facts for kids
Thomas Blood (born 1618 – died 1680) was a daring adventurer from Ireland. He was once an officer in the army. He is most famous for trying to steal the Crown Jewels of England from the Tower of London in 1671. He also tried to capture and harm his enemy, the Duke of Ormond.
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Early Life and Adventures
Thomas Blood was born in County Clare, Ireland. His father was a successful blacksmith who owned land. Thomas grew up in a good family and went to school in England. When he was 20, he married Maria Holcroft and went back to Ireland.
When the English Civil War started in 1642, Blood first fought for King Charles I. But then he switched sides and joined Oliver Cromwell's army. After the war, Cromwell gave Blood land and made him a local judge.
However, when King Charles II returned to power in 1660, Blood lost his land. This made him very angry. He decided to cause trouble and unite others who had also lost their land.
Plots and Escapes
Blood planned to attack Dublin Castle in Ireland. He wanted to take over the government and capture the Duke of Ormond, who was a very important leader there. But his plan was discovered just before it happened. Blood managed to escape and hide in the mountains. He then fled to the Netherlands. Some people think he swore to get back at Ormond for this.
While in the Netherlands, Blood became friends with Admiral de Ruyter, who was an enemy of England. Blood was also involved in a Scottish uprising in 1666. Later, he became linked to a rich and powerful man named George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham. Some believed Buckingham used Blood to cause problems for his own enemies.
Return to England and More Daring Plans
Even though he was a wanted man, Blood returned to England in 1670. He pretended to be a doctor in London. He then made a second attempt to get the Duke of Ormond.
Ormond lived in London and often came home late with only a few servants. On December 6, 1670, Blood and his helpers attacked Ormond. They pulled him from his carriage and tied him up. They planned to hang him far away in a place called Tyburn. They even pinned a paper to his chest explaining why they were doing it. But Ormond managed to free himself with the help of a servant and escaped.
No one suspected Blood at first. The King offered a reward for the attackers. Ormond's son, Thomas, even accused the Duke of Buckingham of being behind the attack.
The Crown Jewels Heist
Blood didn't stay hidden for long. Within six months, he made his most famous attempt: trying to steal the Crown Jewels.
In April or May 1671, Blood visited the Tower of London. He was dressed as a priest and had a woman with him who pretended to be his wife. You could see the Crown Jewels by paying a small fee to the keeper, 77-year-old Talbot Edwards.
While looking at the jewels, Blood's "wife" pretended to have a stomach ache. She asked Edwards to get her some medicine. Edwards' wife invited them to their apartment upstairs to rest. Blood and his "wife" thanked them and left.
Over the next few days, Blood kept visiting the Edwards family. He even gave Mrs. Edwards four pairs of white gloves as a thank you. Blood became very friendly with the family. He even suggested that his made-up nephew should marry the Edwards' daughter. He claimed the marriage would bring the daughter a lot of money.
On May 9, 1671, Blood convinced Edwards to show the jewels to him, his "nephew," and two friends. They were waiting for dinner that Mrs. Edwards was preparing. The jewels were kept in a basement below Edwards' apartment, behind a metal gate. Blood's helpers had walking sticks that hid swords and small pistols.
One man pretended to stand guard outside while the others joined Edwards and Blood inside. They closed the door. They threw a cloak over Edwards, hit him with a hammer, and tied him up. They also stabbed him a little to keep him quiet.
After removing the metal gate, Blood used the hammer to flatten St. Edward's Crown. He wanted to hide it under his coat. Another helper, Blood's brother-in-law Hunt, sawed the Sceptre with the Cross in two because it was too long for their bag. The third man, Perrot, stuffed the Sovereign's Orb into his pants.
But Edwards refused to stay quiet. He struggled against his ropes. His struggle caused enough noise to raise the alarm.
Edwards' son, Wythe, was returning from military service. He came to the Jewel House door and was stopped by the fake guard. Wythe went upstairs anyway. The "guard" then warned his friends. Around the same time, the elder Edwards managed to free his gag. He shouted, "Treason! Murder! The crown is stolen!"
Blood and his gang ran to their horses waiting at a nearby gate. They dropped the sceptre and shot at the guards trying to stop them, wounding one. One guard was too scared to fire his gun. As they ran along the Tower wharf, they even shouted the alarm themselves to confuse the real guards.
Finally, Captain Beckman, who was the younger Edwards' brother-in-law, chased them down. Blood shot at him but missed. Blood was captured before he could escape. The crown fell from his cloak. He struggled with his captors and shouted, "It was a brave try, even if it failed! It was for a crown!" The orb was also found, but some jewels were missing or loose. Hunt and Perrot were also caught, but they were not punished.
The King's Surprising Decision
After he was caught, Blood said he would only speak to the King. So, he was taken to the palace in chains. King Charles, Prince Rupert, and others questioned him. King Charles asked Blood, "What if I let you live?" Blood replied, "I would try to earn it, Sire!"
To the Duke of Ormond's shock, Blood was not only forgiven but also given land in Ireland worth £500 a year! Meanwhile, Edwards' family was promised less than £300 by the King, but they never got all of it. Edwards went back to his job at the Tower, telling visitors his story of the attempted theft. He died in 1674 and is buried in the chapel at the Tower of London.
No one knows exactly why the King pardoned Blood. Some historians think the King feared that Blood's followers might start an uprising if he was punished. Others believe the King liked daring adventurers like Blood. He might have been amused when Blood claimed the jewels were only worth £6,000, not the £100,000 the Crown said they were worth.
There's also a story that Blood told the King he had once planned to kill him while he was bathing in the Thames. But Blood said he changed his mind because he felt "awe of majesty" (great respect for the King). Some even think the King might have secretly agreed to Blood's actions because the King needed money at the time.
After his pardon, Blood became a well-known person in London. He often visited the King's Court. He was even hired to help people who wanted to make requests to the King. A writer named John Wilmot wrote about Blood:
Blood, that wears treason in his face,
Villain complete in parson's gown,
How much he is at court in grace
For stealing Ormond and the crown!
Since loyalty does no man good,
Let's steal the King, and outdo Blood!
In 1679, Blood had a disagreement with the Duke of Buckingham, who had once helped him. Buckingham sued Blood for £10,000 because Blood had said insulting things about him. Blood was found guilty in court in 1680 but was allowed out on bail. He never paid the money.
Later Life and Death
Blood was released from prison in July 1680. He fell into a coma by August 22 and died on August 24 at his home in Westminster. He was buried in the churchyard of St Margaret's Church. People were so surprised by his death that authorities dug up his body to make sure he wasn't faking it! They thought he might be pretending to be dead to avoid paying his debt to Buckingham.
Blood's tombstone read:
Here lies the man who boldly hath run through
More villainies than England ever knew;
And ne'er to any friend he had was true.
Here let him then by all unpitied lie,
And let's rejoice his time was come to die.
Blood's Family Legacy
Thomas Blood's son, Holcroft Blood, became a famous military engineer. He rose to the rank of Brigadier-General and led the Duke of Marlborough's artillery in a big battle called Blenheim. Many of Blood's later family members also had important careers in British and Irish society.
Depictions in Media
- The 1934 movie Colonel Blood shows Blood's attempt to steal the Crown Jewels and how he was pardoned.
- Blood might have inspired a character in the novel Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini. This book was made into several movies, including the famous 1935 film starring Errol Flynn.
- Michael Wilding played Blood in a 1957 TV show episode called "The Trial of Colonel Blood."
- Blood was a main character in a funny play about the theft called The Crown Jewels. It was performed in London in 2023.
