Thomas Blood
One of the most audacious rogues in history was Colonel Blood, known as the ‘Man who stole the Crown Jewels’.
Thomas Blood was an Irishman, born in County Meath in 1618, the son of a prosperous blacksmith. He came from a good family, his grandfather who lived in Kilnaboy Castle was a Member of Parliament.
Thomas Blood was an adventurous 17th-century rogue who rose to the heights of notoriety with his daring attempt to steal the Crown Jewels of England from the Tower of London. He had also made attempts to kidnap and kill his enemies during his outrageous criminal career. The field of crime seemed to be an unlikely choice for this son of a respectable blacksmith who had a comfortable upbringing. However, Thomas was highly adventurous and was always on the lookout for excitement which he found by indulging in illegal activities. He was a self-styled colonel who first fought with Royalist forces in the First English Civil War but later switched sides as the war progressed and became a lieutenant on the side of the Roundheads. He once made a plan to kidnap the Duke of Ormonde, James Butler which failed miserably and Blood had to go away in hiding. Now a wanted man in the eyes of law, he changed his disguise, adopted a new identity, and started practising as a doctor! In an extremely bold move, he made another attempt, albeit unsuccessful, of killing James Butler. It was in 1671 that he made a really audacious move by attempting to steal the Crown Jewels along with a companion. He could not however make good his escape and was caught.
In 1679, Blood fell into a dispute with his former patron, George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham. Blood was sued by the duke for £10,000 for insulting him, and was convicted by the King’s Bench in the following year. Blood was granted bail in July, but fell into a coma shortly after and died in August. Such was Blood’s notoriety that after his burial, authorities had his body exhumed to make certain that he had not faked his own death in order to avoid paying his debt to the duke.
Personal Life
He married a girl called Maria Holcroft when he was 20 years old. Maria was the daughter of a gentleman called John Holcroft. The couple had a son, Holcroft Blood who later on became a distinguished military engineer.
He died on 24 August 1680 after falling into a coma. He was so notorious for his trickery that authorities had his body exhumed for confirmation that he was indeed dead.
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