Warbeck

Warbeck, PERKIN, a pretender to the crown of England, acknowledged in his own confession that he was a native of Tournay, son of one John Osbeck. In 1490 he appeared at the court of the Duchess of Burgundy, sister of Edward IV. of England, and here professed to be Richard Duke of York, the younger of the two sons of Edward IV. murdered in the Tower. This prince was born in 1472, and the claimant would no doubt be about the same age. In 1491 he landed at Cork, where he was welcomed. Next year he was received at the court of Charles VIII. of France as Duke of York; and from the court of Burgundy, where he was treated as nephew of the duchess, he made an ineffectual landing in Kent (July 1495). He next went to Ireland, then to Scotland, where James IV. gave him his kinswoman, Catherine Gordon, the daughter of the Earl of Huntly, in marriage. In 1498 he sailed by Ireland to Cornwall in order to profit by the disaffection there, attempted to besiege Exeter, then went on to Taunton, but ran away with un-Plantagenet poultry by night to the sanctuary at Beaulieu in Hampshire. He surrendered on promise of pardon, and was subjected to an easy imprisonment. Next year he managed to escape, but was caught at Sheen. He was thrown into the Tower, and it was more than probable an opportunity was purposely afforded him to plot an escape with the imprisoned Earl of Warwick. He was executed in November 1499, as was also the ill-fated Warwick. Thus, says Bacon, did 'this winding ivy of a Plantagenet kill the true tree itself.' See James Gairdner's appendix to his History of Richard III. (1878).