Thomas Blood

Thomas Blood was born in 1618, the son of an Irish blacksmith. Not much is known about his early life apart from the fact that he was on the side of the Roundheads during the English Civil War. Just exactly what he did or where he did it during the war isn't known, but it was probably something to do with espionage. Whatever it was, he must have been successful at it because he was rewarded for his services with considerable estates in Ireland. But easy come, easy go. When the monarchy was restored in 1660, Blood lost his lands and his position, and the Irishman became an embittered terrorist with a dark genius for ruthless schemes designed to disrupt and intimidate his aristocratic enemies. He was a mysterious individual who expressed no particular allegiance to any religion or political wing unless it suited his own ends.

In 1633, Blood and his cronies planned to kidnap the Duke of Ormonde, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, at Dublin Castle. They might have succeeded if they had not been betrayed. All the gang except Blood were captured and thrown into prison. A price was put on Blood's head - dead or alive. This didn't seem to worry the Colonel for he attempted - unsuccessfully - to free his co-conspirators, and was forced to flee to Holland.

In 1639, Blood was active among the 'Fifth Monarchy Men', a religious sect led by Thomas Venner. This was an extreme Puritan sect active during the time of the Commonwealth and Protectorate in England. They strongly believed in the imminent coming of Jesus to rule the earth. His monarchy was to be the fifth of the kingdoms described in the Book of Daniel. According to their interpretation, the first four kingdoms were the Assyrian, Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. The Fifth Monarchy Men objected to the Established Church and believed it their duty to establish Christ's reign, by force if necessary. They attempted an uprising in 1657 and again, after the restoration of the monarchy, in 1661. Venner was subsequently captured and executed. Blood got away scot free. The Irishman had an uncanny habit of staying with rebellious groups until they were about to be eradicated. When he joined the Covenanters - the Scottish Presbyterians who opposed the introduction of Charles I's religious policies into Scotland - Blood was right behind the movement and sat at the table with the leaders. But a few days before the going got tough and a confrontation with the King's troops was imminent he suddenly disappeared.

In 1667, Blood heard that an old militant acquaintance of his, a Captain Mason, was being taken under guard to a prison in York. With three accomplices, Blood rode up to the soldiers and opened fire on them. Captain Mason was rescued, and, though badly-wounded, Blood led him to safety. The reward for Blood's capture was increased to £500, but the Irishman still managed to evade capture, and, assuming the role of a medical practitioner, he lived for a while quietly at Rumford in Kent, under the name of Thomas Allen.

In 1670, Blood turned up in the middle of London, where he perpetrated another audacious crime. Together with five companions, he waylaid the coach carrying the Duke of Ormonde as it passed through St. James's Street. Blood, and his son-in-law, Thomas Hunt, took the Duke from his coach intending to take him to the common gibbet at Tyburn to revenge the death of those of Blood's companions hanged earlier in Ireland. However, the Duke was fortunately rescued after Blood rode ahead to arrange the rope on the gallows. Somehow the whole gang escaped. An account of this exploit was immediately published by the authorities, together with a Royal Proclamation offering a reward of one thousand pounds for apprehending any of the persons concerned, a reward that was never claimed.

In the following year came the event for which Blood is best remembered - the attempted theft of the Crown Jewels. For several weeks, disguised as a parson, he had been getting regularly acquainted with Talbot Edwards, the 77-year-old keeper of the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London, in order to win his confidence, and it wasn't long before the 'parson' became thoroughly trusted and held as being completely above suspicion. On May 9th at seven o'clock in the morning, Blood turned up in his clergyman guise for the last time with three accomplices. Again, the aged keeper greeted Blood with respect. The keeper's daughter was around, so to keep her attention diverted, Blood introduced her to his 'nephew' - who was in fact the youngest of the group, a fairly handsome man of about twenty-five. As the couple began to chat, Blood steered the small-talk to the subject of the Jewels, and for some reason the keeper took Blood and the other two accomplices to the chamber of Martin Tower where the jewels were kept. Once inside the chamber, the old man turned to lock the door behind them when Blood suddenly pulled a cloak over his head. The keeper struggled, so a gag was rammed into his mouth. Still the old man strived to free himself, so one of the thieves battered his head with a mallet before callously plunging a dagger into his stomach. The Colonel then used the mallet to flatten St. Edward's Crown so that he could hide it in his coat. Another thief cut the sceptre in two so that he could hide it in his clothing, while the robber who had murdered the keeper put the orb down his trousers.

Then things started to go wrong. The keeper's son turned up and bumped into Blood's 'nephew', who was acting suspiciously like a lookout. The son attacked Blood's accomplice, but was coshed and gagged by him. The lookout then rushed to the chamber to warn the others. Blood and his men instantly made a dash out of the chamber, and in the panic, the sceptre was dropped and left behind. The son of the murdered keeper regained consciousness, tore the gag from his mouth, and raised the alarm, shouting, "Treason! Murder! The crown is stolen!" One of the yeoman warders answered the alert and challenged Blood squarely. The Colonel levelled his flintlock at him and blasted a hole in his chest, killing him instantly. As the fleeing gang headed for the Tower Wharf, they encountered another guard, who, when he saw Blood and his men approaching, got cold feet, dropped his musket and stepped aside, letting the thieves pass unchallenged. The Tower was suddenly swarming with soldiers, and Blood's three accomplices were soon captured. The Colonel's escape route was blocked by Captain Beckman, a fearless Civil War veteran, and he was the only man who ever managed to subdue the Irish daredevil. Blood was escorted to a cell in the Tower and interrogated for hours, but the prisoner insisted he would talk to no one but the king about his deeds.

Two days later Blood's request was granted, and he was taken to Whitehall, where he had a lengthy conversation with King Charles II. Blood was taken back to the Tower, but was later inexplicably released and given a Royal pardon - as well as a 'pension' of £500. Blood's confiscated estates in Ireland were also restored to him. Not long after all this, the English author and diarist John Evelyn was invited to dine at the king's table. When he arrived at the dinner, he was astounded to see Thomas Blood seated near the king. This didn't make sense to Evelyn, who knew that the Irishman had served as a parliamentarian in the Civil War and had made numerous kidnap attempts on the nobility. Yet, despite these crimes of treason, and the attempted theft and damaging of the Crown Jewels and the murder of the old keeper who looked after them, Blood was apparently still highly regarded by the king.

Over the next nine years the Colonel's favour at court waxed and waned. But in 1679 his phenomenal luck ran out. He quarrelled with his former patron the Duke of Buckingham. Buckingham demanded £10,000 for some insulting remarks Blood had made about his character. At this point Blood retired to his house in Bowling Alley, in Westminster, trying to find a solution to his troubles. Unfortunately he found that his friends were deserting him, and this, combined with other and more grievous disappointments caused his health to fail. The Duke never got paid as Blood died on August 24th. 1670 at the age of 62.

One final note - the name Blood was not a pseudonym as some people seem to think. His family name was Blood.

Bill Hutchings