William Stanley (died 1495)

[2] Following the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471, it was he who captured Queen Margaret of Anjou, who led the Lancastrian faction, and he was made a Knight Banneret by the king.

[5] Having been loyal to Richard, Stanley nevertheless changed sides in 1485, and suddenly supported the Lancastrian Henry Tudor's bid for the throne.

Stanley is best known for his action at the Battle of Bosworth, where he decisively attacked the Yorkists under Richard, helping to secure Henry VII's victory.

[2] This was in contrast to the non-committal attitude of his elder brother, Henry's stepfather, who was inhibited by the fact that Richard held his son hostage.

[7] Sir William Stanley appears as a character in three episodes of the 1972 BBC television series about the reign of Henry VII, The Shadow of the Tower, played by John Franklyn-Robbins.