Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 52 minutes ago
Did Henry VII’s uncle, Jasper Tudor, have secret illegitimate children, who would have been the cousins of Henry VII and whose descendants would be members of the Tudor line started by Owen Tudor and Katherine of Valois? There has long been a rumour that Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford and Earl of Pembroke, fathered a woman called Helen or Ellen Tudor, who first married William Gardner of London, then William Sibson and was the mother of Thomas Gardiner, Prior of Tynmouth in Northumberland (thanks to the patronage of Mary Boleyn) and monk at Westminster Abbey. There’s even a version which makes Ellen’s son the famous Tudor era figure, Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester and Lord Chancellor.
Other stories say that Jasper had two daughters, both born in Snowdonia, with the second being called Joan. In this version their mother was a Welshwoman named Mevanvy ferch Daffydd of Gwynedd. According to that tale, Joan married William ap Yevan (son of Yevan ap William and Margaret Kemoys) and died giving birth to their twin sons, Morgan and John ap William(s) in Lanishen in 1479. Morgan then grew up to marry Katherine Cromwell in 1499, sister of none other than Thomas Cromwell, the famed minister of Henry VIII and became the ancestor of Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector and the man who was largely responsible for toppling the monarchy in the 17th century.
These are great stories and the existence of Ellen at least has been widely accepted in academic studies of the lives of Jasper and Henry Tudor, appearing in Jasper’s entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and in biographies of Henry VII, including that by S.B. Chrimes. Does any part of this story hold water though? In this Tudor history documentary from History Calling I’m going to reveal the earliest source we have which mentions Ellen Tudor and look at whether Joan Tudor might have existed too. I’ll also look at the marriage of Jasper Tudor to Katherine Woodville, Duchess of Buckingham and sister of Queen Elizabeth Woodville. Enjoy this episode asking the question, did Jasper Tudor had children!
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THE LIFE OF HENRY VII, PART 1
youtu.be/ITszgOAAjuc
THE LIFE OF HENRY VII, PART 2
youtu.be/qXSoPsRZNAM
WERE THOMAS AND OLIVER CROMWELL RELATED?
youtu.be/VvyBw6AP9Bk
THE EXECUTION OF THOMAS CROMWELL
youtu.be/qT5OZYvS77A
GEAR USED
Apple MacBook Pro Laptop (for video editing): amzn.to/3S6IoRK
Blue Yeti Microphone: amzn.to/3FgEDYq
Go-Pro Hero 13 camera: amzn.to/41H4Xnt
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/3vaVxjU
Memory Card: amzn.to/3KeLZZs
DJI Drone: amzn.to/39hROZm
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Open Street Map copyright information
openstreetmap.org/copyright
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
#JasperTudor #JasperTudorDukeOfBedford #JasperTudorEarlOfPembroke
Did Henry VII’s uncle, Jasper Tudor, have secret illegitimate children, who would have been the cousins of Henry VII and whose descendants would be members of the Tudor line started by Owen Tudor and Katherine of Valois? There has long been a rumour that Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford and Earl of Pembroke, fathered a woman called Helen or Ellen Tudor, who first married William Gardner of London, then William Sibson and was the mother of Thomas Gardiner, Prior of Tynmouth in Northumberland (thanks to the patronage of Mary Boleyn) and monk at Westminster Abbey. There’s even a version which makes Ellen’s son the famous Tudor era figure, Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester and Lord Chancellor.
Other stories say that Jasper had two daughters, both born in Snowdonia, with the second being called Joan. In this version their mother was a Welshwoman named Mevanvy ferch Daffydd of Gwynedd. According to that tale, Joan married William ap Yevan (son of Yevan ap William and Margaret Kemoys) and died giving birth to their twin sons, Morgan and John ap William(s) in Lanishen in 1479. Morgan then grew up to marry Katherine Cromwell in 1499, sister of none other than Thomas Cromwell, the famed minister of Henry VIII and became the ancestor of Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector and the man who was largely responsible for toppling the monarchy in the 17th century.
These are great stories and the existence of Ellen at least has been widely accepted in academic studies of the lives of Jasper and Henry Tudor, appearing in Jasper’s entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and in biographies of Henry VII, including that by S.B. Chrimes. Does any part of this story hold water though? In this Tudor history documentary from History Calling I’m going to reveal the earliest source we have which mentions Ellen Tudor and look at whether Joan Tudor might have existed too. I’ll also look at the marriage of Jasper Tudor to Katherine Woodville, Duchess of Buckingham and sister of Queen Elizabeth Woodville. Enjoy this episode asking the question, did Jasper Tudor had children!
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
THE LIFE OF HENRY VII, PART 1
youtu.be/ITszgOAAjuc
THE LIFE OF HENRY VII, PART 2
youtu.be/qXSoPsRZNAM
WERE THOMAS AND OLIVER CROMWELL RELATED?
youtu.be/VvyBw6AP9Bk
THE EXECUTION OF THOMAS CROMWELL
youtu.be/qT5OZYvS77A
GEAR USED
Apple MacBook Pro Laptop (for video editing): amzn.to/3S6IoRK
Blue Yeti Microphone: amzn.to/3FgEDYq
Go-Pro Hero 13 camera: amzn.to/41H4Xnt
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/3vaVxjU
Memory Card: amzn.to/3KeLZZs
DJI Drone: amzn.to/39hROZm
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Open Street Map copyright information
openstreetmap.org/copyright
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
#JasperTudor #JasperTudorDukeOfBedford #JasperTudorEarlOfPembroke
