In April or May of 1671, he visited the Tower of London, dressed as a parson and accompanied by a female companion pretending to be his wife. During this time the Crown Jewels could be viewed on a visit to the Tower by the payment of a fee to the custodian. While viewing the Crown Jewels, Blood's "wife" feigned a stomach complaint and begged the newly appointed Master of the Jewel House, 77-year-old Talbot Edwards, to fetch her some spirits. Given the proximity of the jewel keeper's domestic quarters to the site of the commotion, Edwards' wife invited them upstairs to their apartment to recover, after which Blood and his wife thanked the Edwardses and left.
Over the following days Blood returned to the Tower to visit the Edwardses and present Mrs. Edwards with four pairs of white gloves as a gesture of thanks. As Blood became ingratiated with the family, an offer was made for a fictitious nephew of Blood's to marry the Edwardses' daughter, whom Blood alleged would be eligible, by virtue of the marriage, to an income of several hundred pounds.
On 9 May 1671, in furtherance of the deception, Blood convince Edwards to show the jewels to him, his supposed nephew, and two of his friends while they waited for a dinner which Mrs. Edwards was to put on for Blood and his companions. At the time of the plot the jewel keeper's apartment was located in Martin Tower above a basement where the jewels themselves were kept behind a metal grille. Reports suggest that Blood's accomplices carried canes that concealed rapier blades, as well as dagger and pocket pistols. In entering the Jewel House, one of the men made a pretense of standing watch outside while the others joined Edwards and Blood. The door was then closed and a cloak thrown over Edwards, who was then struck with a mallet, knocked to the floor, bound, gagged and stabbed, in an attempt to subdue him.
After removing the metal grille, Blood used the mallet to flatten out St. Edward's Crown so that he could hide it beneath his clerical coat. Another conspirator, Blood's brother-in-law Hunt, filed the Sceptre with the Cross in two (and it did not fit in their bag), while the third man Parrot stuffed the Sovereign's Orb down his trousers. Meanwhile Edwards refused to stay subdued and fought against his bindings.
Popular reports describe Edwards' son, Whythe, returning from military service in Flanders and happening upon the attempted theft. At the door of the Jewel House, Wythe was met by the impromptu guard who challenged him before the young Edwards entered and went upstairs. The "guard" then alerted his fellow gang members. Around the same time the elder Edwards managed to free the gag and raised the alarm shouting, "Treason! Murder! The crown is stolen!"
As Blood and his gang fled to their horses waiting at St. Catherine's Gate, they dropped the sceptre and fired on the warders who attempted to stop them, wounding one. One drawbridge guard was struck with fear and failed to discharge his musket. As they ran along the Tower wharf it is said they joined the calls for alarm to confuse the guards until they were chased down by a Captain Beckman, a brother-in-law of the younger Edwards. Although Blood shot at him, he missed and was captured before reaching the Iron Gate. Having gallen from his cloak, the crown was found while Blood refused to give up, struggling with his captors and declaring, "It was a gallant attempt, however unsuccessful! It was for a crown!" The globe and orb were recovered although several stones were missing and others were loose. Hunt and Perrot were also taken - but not punished.
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