William Gardiner actually signed his name 'William Gardynyr' which
may indicate that he was of Welch origin. Why William Gardiner was
allowed to marry into the Royal family remains unclear, but
historians have hinted that it was because of his aid to Henry VIII,
then Earl of Richmond, in defeating Richard III, in the Battle of
Bosworth Field, near Leicester on 22 August 1485. Jean Molinet, a
Chronicler from Burgundy, covering the battle, described the scene in
this manner. (Taken from the book 'The Making of the Tudor Dynasty,
by Roger Thomas) "During the vigorous hand-to-hand fighting with axe,
sword and pike, both Richard III and Henry Tudor, each surrounded by
a vanguard, watched from the side lines, a safe distance apart.
Richard, so confident of victory that he was wearing his crown, could
observe from a higher level along the hillside, that his own personal
vanguard was superior to Henry's and decided to end the battle
quickly by slaying Henry Tudor. Sir William Stanley was standing by
with an uncommitted force of 3,000 men, ready to rout the losing
side. Richard III spurred his horse and in quick time, with his
vanguard, engaged Henry in combat. As Richard went for Henry to
deliver his mortal blow, one of Henry's men, a Welsh halberdier,
intervened, knocking off Richard's Crown, then giving one mighty
swing, smashed Richard's helmet into his skull. Seeing that their
leader was slain, his vanguard began to withdraw and immediately Sir
William Stanley ordered his men after Richard's fleeing troops, thus
ending the Battle in Henry's favor'. Richard's Crown was recovered
from a thornbush and later placed on the head of Henry Tudor who then
proclaimed himself King of England. This act of slaying Henry's
adversary in an otherwise losing situation was the most important
single effort in the making of the Tudor dynasty, and thus allowed
the marriage of William Gardiner, believed to be the Welsh
halberdier, to Helen Tudor a few months later. (SOURCE: Gardiner
Generations & Relations, Vol. I, by Richard Thomas Gardiner.)