Richard III


Painted During Richard III's lifetime.  Skull of Richard III  Reconstruction

*Discovery of Skeleton
of Richard III*

B. October 2nd 1452   D. August 22nd 1485.

HOME

Richard III
Genealogy
Lancaster's Reign
War of The Roses
Yorkist Reign
The King Maker
Death of Edward IV
Richard, Duke of Gloucester
Richard: Protector
Buckingham's Revolt
Battle of Bosworth
Discovery of Skeleton of Richard III


Scientists have confimed that 500 year-old remains found under a car park in Leicester are those of Richard III.

University of Leicester researchers say tests on a battle-scarred skeleton unearthed last year prove 'beyond reasonable doubt' that it is the King.

"Richard III, the last Plantagenet King of England, has been found,' the University's deputy registrar, Richard Taylor, said.

And how did this all begin?

A Ricardian and screenwriter, Philippa Langley was convinced that Richard's grave had not been desecrated during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Philippa LangleyAfter the battle, there was some evidence that his body was placed in the Newarke at Leicester, i.e. the Church of the Annunciation of Mary the Virgin.

The church at the Newarke had long-standing Lancastrian associations and it has been documented that Richard III remains were moved to the Greyfriars in the friary's Church.

As I mentioned in the previous chapter,that although his remains were finally buried in the chapel of the Greyfriars, his bones supposedly were dug up and thrown into the River Soar.

In 1538, Henry VIII decreed the Dissolution of the Monasteries and England's abbeys and other religious houses were demolished. Valuable lands and sites were sold off and amongst these was the Greyfriars site, which now belonged to Alderman Robert Herrick. Reliable records from 1612 say Herrick had a stone pillar to mark Richard III's burial site.

Ricardians had researched and published this over the years. The garden still contained a commemoration of his grave site and old maps of Leicester showed it lay in the area of the Greyfriars. Only parts of this area had been built on over the years and three sections were now used as city council parking bays.

Philippa managed to generate interest from the University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS), The Richard III Society, under the leadership of chairman Phil Stone, stepped up to fund it along side the city council's help. An anonymous sponser who originally pulled out, agreed to help once more. On 25 August 2012 Philippa Langley's quest for the lost grave of Richard III finally became a dream come true!

Please read The Richard III Society Homepage below for all the exciting details. This only scratches the surface.

The Digging.

The Identification.

The Facial Reconstruction of Richard III.

The Presentation Of the Facial Reconstruction.