Richard III

Announcement: Conference 2013 – Richard III Foundation (Open to the Public!)

Published July 18, 2013 | By r3foundation

♛ Conference 2013 ♛

Richard III Foundation

Richard III Trust Inc 1

The Richard III Foundation, Inc. Celebration 2013

This year marks the 20th anniversary of The Richard III Foundation, Inc.

Since its inception in 1993, the core of the Foundation has been research and scholarship focusing on the life and reign of King Richard III and the Fifteenth Century. The Foundation’s focal points have been educational programs for students, the local historian, fostering research, publishing works on King Richard III and the Fifteenth Century, interacting with other like-minded organizations, and its annual symposiums. Our annual symposiums have featured the best historians in the medieval period, and for 2013, this year’s symposium will be an event to remember.

Friday, October 11, 2013

The Battle of Bosworth: Tudor’s Perspective

The Battle of Bosworth was the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses. Fought on the 22 August 1485, the battle was a defining moment in English history. At its conclusion, Richard III, the last English King to have fought in battle was slain by treachery. The battle has left us with many unanswered questions, but in recent years, it has been the centre of study and re-evaluation with remarkable and new research. While our focus has been on the study of the actions of King Richard III, we will for the first time be exploring the battle from the point of view by Henry Tudor and his army. We believe this will provide us with a different perspective of the battle providing us with more answers in how King Richard III acted and reacted.

Our tour will begin at the Bosworth Heritage Centre. Transportation via a mini-bus will be provided along with handouts and historical commentary by Richard MacKinder at the Bosworth Heritage Centre and Joe Ann Ricca, Founder and CEO/President of the Foundation.
Reservations are on a first come-first serve basis.

Our format will be as follows:

12.00 Noon – Meet at the Tithe Barn at the Bosworth Heritage Center for welcome and brief introduction.

12.15 – Depart Centre and travel by minibus to Atherstone.

12.45 – Atherstone – Short walking tour of relevant locations in town

13.30 – Depart Atherstone, travel to Merevale Church and possibly view ruins of Abbey

14.15 – Depart Merevale and travel via ancient roads and villages towards Upton

14.45 – Identify route to site (Green Lane) reference Lindley Hall & Lord Herdwicke

15.15 – Follow route to Fenn Lane Farm and site of battle, from Tudor point

15.30 – Travel to Stoke Golding (Church – Crown Hill) then onto Dadlington

15.45 – Dadlington Church- view documents for chantry land purchase by Henry VIII

16.00 – Return to Visitor centre – Question & Answer session if required- Depart centre

Saturday, October 12

White Rose: Scottish Thistle – The Legacy of King Richard III and King James IV

Our annual conference will be held at the Dixie Grammar School in Market Bosworth. We are proud to announce our speakers and their topics.

Richard Buckley, BA FSA MIFA – Leicester’s Greyfriars and the Search for the Resting Place of Richard III
Diana Dunn, Senior Lecturer – Queens in Late Medieval Politics and War
Professor Peter Hancock – Speculations on the Asserted Legal Foundation of Richard III’s Assumption of the Throne
Robert Hardy, CBE, FSA – Two Battles Scotland Should Have Won: Halidon Hill and Flodden
Gervase Philips, Principal Lecturer – England; Scotland and the European Revolution – 1480-1560
John Sadler, Historian – The Last Yorkists – the English army at Flodden 1513
Chris Skidmore, MP and Historian – The Military Manoeuvres of the Battle of Bosworth
Professor Matthew Strickland – Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory: James IV and the Scottish army at Flodden

Mr. Buckley will have new information on the dig and remains of King Richard III. We welcome the Bosworth Heritage Centre, the Lance and Longbow Society, Dave Lanchester Books and the Tewkesbury and Towton Battlefield Societies. Join us as we celebrate the discovery of King Richard III, the 20th anniversary of The Richard III Foundation, Inc and the 500 anniversary of the Battle of Flodden.

Monday, October 21

Ceremony and Private Tour at York Minster.

There will be a special wreath laying ceremony at York Minster in memory of King Richard III followed by a private tour of the Minster. The ceremony will begin at 10:30 and will conclude at noon. At this time, this event is open to patrons of the Foundation only. Please note this events can be attended individually or collectively. For further information or general questions, please contact us at Middleham@aol.com

Registration Form for the Conference 2013 (pdf-file)

To reserve your seat, please mail your registration form along with your check payable to “The Richard III Foundation, Inc.” and submit to Ms. Dorothy Davies, Half Moon House, 32 Church Lane, Ryde. Isle of Wight PO33 2NB. For further questions, please email us at Richard3Foundation@aol.com. Website: www.richard111.com.

Posted in Events, History, Richard III | Tagged Richard III Foundation | 3 Comments

Of Gold & Wisdom

Published July 18, 2013 | By CDoart

♛ King Richard III ♛

Those two, gold & wisdom, not necessarily go together.
The gold for the Museum of York…
The wisdom at the conference of the Richard III Foundation…

Harborough Mail: Richard III’s character may be disputed, but he would have made a good ruler, by Chris Brady (15.07.2013) – Report about the talk at Wycliff Lutterworth U3A by Liz Brandow.

The York Press: Richard III gold badge set to be auctioned (15.07.2013) – That King Richard III is worth gold, the Yorkshire Museum already seems to have recognized and uses it to raise money for further museum acquisitions.

ThisIsNottingham.co.uk: New take on old classic; Teenage filmmaker Jordan McGibney has modernised Shakespeare for his latest short film that is getting an airing at a national festival…, by Liam Coleman, Nottingham Post (15.07.2013) – Have no closer information about the film, but the title “Richard III: A Memoir of a King’s Love” in combination with Shakespeare somehow suggests that it is about King Richard III and his wife Anne Neville. From the article/interview I am just not sure.
If you have a chance to see the film, please let us know!
The film will be shown this week till Friday at the Film Festival at Bradford’s National Media Museum. More details on the Festval Website: www.co-operative.coop/filmfestival/.

ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Leicester Cathedral calls for the speedy resolution of the Richard III reinterment licence, by PA:Warzynski, Leicester Mercury (16.07.2013) – The Dean of Leicester Cathedral pleads for a speedy resolution in the ‘Battle of the Cities’ and the legal battle with the Plantagenet Alliance, who opposes the burial in Leicester and demands the license by the Ministry of Justice granted to the University of Leicester should be revoked.
If you want to show where your favours lie, our poll about the ‘Battle of the Cities‘ is still open.

BBC News: Richard III remains: Reinterment delay ‘disrespectful’ (16.07.2013) – King Richard III patiently waited almost 500 years till somebody took heart and searched for him. Thanks to the persistence of Philippa Langley, this endeavour was taken up. Don’t you think he might be patient enough to await his burial to be done properly?

ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Claire’s white rose is fitting tribute to king, by Peter Warzynski, Leicester Mercury (17.07.2013) – A Rose in memory of King Richard III. Official service for King Richard III on 22 August 2013 at 5:30 p.m.

ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: End delays to legal case over Richard, by Leicester Mercury (17.07.2013) – The legal decision about the burial place seems to be further delayed. Leicester Cathedral is worried, as preparations for a decent burial for King Richard III are under way and may – in case of the legal success of the Plantagenet Alliance – may become in vain.

Fitzg (Blog): End the Wars of the Roses – NOW (18.07.2013) – An ‘inofficial’ and humorous decree by Fitzg, our esteemed guest-blogger, about Gloucester Cathedral, the deserved, but mostly overlooked burial place for the rightful ‘Richard, Duke of Gloucester’. May this decree be able to end the long lasting new “Wars of the Roses/Cities”?

Guestpost on KRA!

BBC News: Richard III: Cathedral confirms new £1m tomb plan (18.07.2013) – First pictures of tomb design for King Richard III in Leicester Cathedral. Now it becomes more understandable that Leicester Cathedral also wants the legal go sign, to proceed with the tomb and ceremonial preparations.

Image shows artist’s impression of overhead view of raised tomb at Leicester Cathedral (Source: van Heyningen and Haward)

♛ Richard III – Announcement ♛

To plan ahead, here the dates and speakers list of the conference:

Richard III conference 2013 of the
Richard III Foundation

Friday / Saturday – October 11/12, 2013

The full description with more details about the schedule and speakers and the registration form are in a separate post here.

The conference is
open to the public !
Not only for Foundation members.

Posted in News, Richard III | Leave a comment

Friendship, Coronation and Burial

Published July 13, 2013 | By CDoart

♛ King Richard III ♛

MattLewisAuthor (Blog): The Lost Coronation of King Richard III, by Matt Lewis (06.07.2013) – Recommended background reading about King Richard III’s coronation together with his wife Anne Neville.

South China Morning Post: Finding King Richard III’s body a triumph of science and scholarship, by Angelo Paratico (07.07.2013) – Well deserved praise for Philippa Langley and Dr. Ashdown-Hill for their part in the research about King Richard III. With a well informed excursion about the Venetian writer Catherine de Pizan, who unwittingly helped in King Richard III’s downfall.

Fly High! (Blog): Richard III and the Other Anne – Author Guest Post by Elizabeth Ashworth (08.07.2013) – Are you of the opinion that not enough misdeeds of King Richard III are known so far? Authors are free to invent new background to his story in novels. Read more about this very interesting way to make King Richard III plausible and a flesh and blood character for current audiences. “By Loyalty Bound” by Elizabeth Ashworth is about King Richard and his lover Anne Harrington (not his wife Anne Neville). The book is presented in a guestpost on the blog Fly High! by Elizabeth Ashworth: “Richard III and the Other Anne”.
With quite interesting arguments for this relationship, but for me exactly the noble lineage of the lady makes the connection somewhat implausible. As for me she would have more likely been a marriage candidate than a ‘silent and forgotten’ lover of King Richard III. Though I don’t want to influence you with my doubts and am looking forward to your comments and what you think about this ‘new’ royal affair.

LiveScience: New dig at King Richard III’s gravesite turns up medieval pottery, by Megan Gannon (08.07.2013)

University of Leicester: Public can watch as archaeologists unearth history at Richard III dig site (10.07.2013) – The archaeological digging done currently in Leicester can be viewed and visited from Wednesday, July 10 to the end of July, with opening hours from 9am to 4pm.

University of Leicester (Flickr): Richard III – The Grey Friars Dig Part 2 (10.07.2013) – With interesting updates from the current digging and excavations in Leicester.
Pictures from the first dig and a good coverage of the crave site where King Richard III was found is in the Richard III gallery.

University of Leicester: Experts create 3D map of Richard III’s grave (10.07.2013) – More details about the location where King Richard III was found and a method to preserve the gravesite for future generations in a virtual way.

University of Leicester (Blog): A wonderful section of floor tiling still in tact, by Charlotte Barratt – Richard III Outreach Officer (10.07.2013) – Some colour around King Richard III’s grave.

Yorkshire Post: Yorkshire discontent as rivals lay claim to Richard, by Paul Jeeves (10.07.2013) – Did you think the battle between the cities was over? Not yet! The next round is about the truth about King Richard III or rather about bending the truth to use him as a means for advertisments.

redOrbit.com: 3D Map Of Richard III’s Grave Created Using LiDAR, by Lawrence LeBlond (11.07.2013)

Grantham Journal.co.uk: History buff from Grantham finishes book 20 years on (11.07.2013) – The statement in the article that there are no other books about Francis Viscount Lovel is not correct. Perhaps the wonderful article about Francis Viscount Lovel by Joe Ann Ricca (from the Richard III Foundation) and my comment there together with this new book by Richard Hogg “‘Loyalty in Me Lieth’: King Richard III and Francis Viscount Lovel” can get you started with having a closer look at this fascinating friendship surpassing death.
E.g. there are:
Marian Palmer (about 1958)
“The White Boar” and “The Wrong Plantagenet” (Lovell Duo)
Christopher Rae (2011/2012)
has two books from the perspective of Francis Lovell as well:
“G – Loyalty Binds Me” (Part 1)
“G – God and My Right” (Part 2)

redOrbit.com: Viewing Platform Erected At Richard III, Grey Friars Dig Site, by Lawrence LeBlond (12.07.2013)

ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Richard III find inspires festival of facts and fun, by Peter Squires (12.07.2013) – In this article a few events centering specially around King Richard III in Leicestershire are presented by Peter Squires out of the range of archaeological events on ArchaeologyFestival.

♛ Richard III – Announcements ♛

17th July 2013, 9 p.m. – BBC Two: The Real White Queen and Her Rivals

14th July 2013, 2 p.m. – Bosworth Battlefield Centre
Professor Caroline Wilkinson will hold an illustrated talk about her work of the craniofacial reconstruction of King Richard III’s head.
(Tickets cost £ 10,- and include entry into the Bosworth Battlefield Exhibition.
Place is limited and advance booking essential!
Telephone: 01455 290429 – Bosworth Battlefield Centre)

Posted in History, News, Richard III | Tagged Francis Lovell, Joe Ann Ricca | 1 Comment

King Richard Celebrations

Published July 4, 2013 | By CDoart

♛ King Richard III ♛

The Northern Echo: Richard III’s standard raised over childhood home ahead of anniversary celebrations, by Joe Willis (26.06.2013) – The celebrations can begin, now that the reign of King Richard III has started and the official coronation ceremony is coming up shortly.

LiveScience.com: Archaeologists Return to Richard III Gravesite, by Megan Gannon (28.06.2013)

BBC News: New Richard III painting revealed at Bosworth (29.06.2013) – New painting about King Richard III by artist and historian Graham Turner revealed at Bosworth.

ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Honour as church artists are awarded a royal assignment, by Peter Warzynski, Leicester Mercury (29.06.2013) – Two artists, Thomas Denny and Jacquie Binns, were commissioned to create a stained glass window and a funeral pall for King Richard III.

University of Leicester (Blog): What will we unearth this time? By Charlotte Barratt (01.07.2013)

Huffington Post: King Richard III Burial Site To Host New Excavation To Discover More About Grey Friars Church (01.07.2013) – With extensive information, pictures and video.

Express & Star: New excavation at King Richard site. A new excavation has started at the site where the remains of King Richard III were found under a city centre car park. (01.07.2013)

Herald Scottland: Edinburgh historian plans book on hunt for Richard III, by Kathleen Nutt (01.07.2013) – Book by Philippa Langley is announced to come out in October 2013.

BBC News: Richard III site in Leicester to be excavated again (01.07.2013) – The digging and expected knowledge gain from it are more about the location of Greyfriar’s church itself and the coffin about 100 years older than King Richard’s grave, which was found but not excavated in the first dig, rather than finding out more about King Richard III. Still to know about the church, will probably allow more conclusions why and where exactly King Richard III was buried.

24dash.com: Archaeologists start new excavation of Richard III’s final resting place, by University of Leicester (02.07.2013) – Status updates on the current archaeological research of the area around King Richard III’s burial location in the Greyfriars’ Church.
The only further wish I could possibly have is an installed webcam at the location, to get a live view of the further digging done.
What a treat that would be for all people around the world interested in King Richard III.

ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Richard III: Bird’s eye view of king’s journey, by Peter Warzynski, Leicester Mercury (02.07.2013) – King Richard III from a perspective he himself never would have reached at his time.

♛ King Richard III – Events ♛

6 July 2013 – 7:30 p.m.:
Dr. Phil Stone (from the Richard III Society) about “Richard III – a bloody tyrant?” (St Nicolas Church, Witham)
Ticket reservation in advance Tel. 01376 502674 or on the door (£ 8,-)
Source: Braintree & Witham Times (03.07.2013)

5 – 7 July 2013
Middlehamonline.com: Richard III Festival

Middleham Richard III Weekend (5 – 7 July 2013)

15 July 2013 – 7 p.m.
Talk about discovery of King Richard III and the recent excavations will be hosted by Peter Liddle at Lutterworth Library.
Tickets available from the library in George Street (£ 3,-)
Source: Lutterworth Mail (29.06.2013)

Posted in News, Richard III | Tagged Leicester, Middleham | Leave a comment

530 Years King Richard III

Published June 26, 2013 | By CDoart

26 June 1483

Today 530 years back in time, the then Duke of Gloucester, Richard Plantagenet, was petitioned to take the crown of England.
The beginning of his short reign and his tragic last two years in life.
He will soon lose either his son, his wife, his nephews (unclear as the circumstances may be) and some of his closest friends and supporters, before ultimately losing his own life near Bosworth.

Source: Fearn, Discovering Heraldry, Buckinghampshire, 2000, p.68

At Middleham Castle, a replica of King Richard III’s banner was raised today, to commemorate this significant day, starting his reign.

ITV.com: Flying the flag for Richard III (26.06.2013) – The banner is raised in commemoration of the beginning of King Richard III’s reign 530 years from today, not his coronation, which took place in Westminster Abbey on the 6th of July 1483.

♛ King Richard III ♛

Hinckley Times: Richard III returns to Bosworth Battlefield, by Ben Eccleston (20.06.2013)

BBC History Magazine: Truth, lies and historical fiction, by Charlotte Hodgman (21.06.2013) – Interview by Charlotte Hodgman with author Philippa Gregory about her historical fiction and the new TV release “The White Queen” / “The Cousins’ War”.
Should King Richard III change his sex to get his story told?

David Marlow (Blog): I parked on Richard III’s grave…! By David Marlow (24.06.2013) – The article fortunately is not as revolting as the headline suggests, but rather centers on the economic impact King Richard III may or may not have nowadays.

Ashbourne News Telegraph: Finding a king, by Natalie Wakefield (25.06.2013) – Announcement of an illustrated talk held by Professor Lin Foxhall at Ashbourne Town Hall on Monday, 1 July 2013 at 7:30 p.m. (Tickets £6 for adults and £2 for children)

ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Richard III statue moving to a site close to cathedral, by Peter Warzynski, Leicester Mercury (25.06.2013) – The Leicester statue of King Richard III, donated by the Richard III Society, will be moved from Castle Gardens to the area around Leicester Cathedral. The whole area around the cathedral will get a total remake into Cathedral Gardens, to welcome visitors and enable seating for up to 800 visitors, while the statue will have to remain outside the gardens.

BBC News Leicester: Richard III statue to move closer to Leicester body find site (25.06.2013) – The name of the permanent exhibition at the planned Richard III Museum in Leicester is revealed as well: Richard III: Dynasty, Death and Discovery. Leicester certainly has a sense for alliterations, severing Leicester’s link to a lost and lately re-discovered king.

Information on Loughborough: A year of discoveries showcased at the University of Leicester, by University of Leicester (25.06.2013) – Leicester University was so proud of its part in the search for King Richard III that the researchers feature prominently in the university’s Undergraduate Open Day on 26th June 2013.

ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Preparations for second city dig, by Peter Warzynski, Leicester Mercury (26.06.2013) – Continuing archaeological research around the area where King Richard III was found.

Don’t forget about the upcoming Opening Day with events about King Richard III at the University of Leicester the coming weekend!

Posted in History, News, Richard III | 1 Comment

To Celebrate King Richard III

Published June 19, 2013 | By CDoart

♛ King Richard III ♛

BBC News Leicester: Richard III visitor centre plans unveiled in Leicester (13.06.2013)

ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Plans for Richard III Centre revealed, by Leicester Mercury (13.06.2013)

The Northern Echo: Exploring the truth behind Richard III, by Mark Foster (13.06.2013) – York celebrates King Richard III for 12 months.

The York Press: York’s year-long celebration of King Richard III (13.06.2013)

Yorkshire Post: Richard’s city bids to put flesh on bones of his legend, by Paul Jeeves (13.06.2013)

York Event Calendar:

York: Richard III: Rumour and Reality (13.06.2013) – 12 Month of discovering King Richard III’s history and his connection to the city of York.

ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Richard III: Leicester visitor centre designs unveiled, by Peter Warzynski, Leicester Mercury (14.06.2013) – To honour King Richard III in the new permanent exhibition in Leicester.

[…] we have to treat the remains with dignity and respect.
Putting them on display might not be the best way to honour that.
(Sir Peter Soulsby, Mayor of Leicester)

ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Richard’s story in TV spotlight, by Tom Mack and Adrian Troughton, Leicester Mercury (15.06.2013) – Not Richard III, but his wife Anne Neville in the focus as one of the three leading women in the female Wars of the Roses.

Fly High! (Blog): The War of the Roses in a Major BBC Drama Series: The White Queen, by Maria Grazia (15.06.2013) – About the new TV-series “The White Queen” and the importance of depicting a ‘new’ King Richard III.

University of Leicester: Chance for Year 12 pupils to work with archaeologists who discovered Richard III (17.06.2013) – More information on the website of the University of Leicester.

ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Richard III: Internships offered on new archaeology dig, by atroughton (17.06.13)

PukaarNews: Leicester Schoolchildren Learn about Richard III, by pukaarnews (YouTube) (18.06.2013) – Video about the introduction of Leicester school children to King Richard III’s history. With this video, we just can learn a bit alongside with them…

BBC News: New Richard III replica skull goes on display (18.06.2013) – A new, much more detailed replica of King Richard III’s skull was created by the University of Loughborough on a 3D printer, to enable future research after King Richard III’s re-interment.

BBC Radio 3: York Festival of Ideas – Wars of the Roses – Free Thinking Festival, Free Thinking in the Summer (18.06.2013) – A discussion about the Wars of the Roses and King Richard III in York. Rana Mitter is chairing the debate from the York Festival of Ideas on the legacy of the War of the Roses with Helen Castor (Historian / Author), Dr. Sandy Grant (University of Lancaster) and Prof. Mark Ormrod (University of Leicester), held Sunday, 16th June 2013.
Well worth to listen in. The audio recording is still available on the BBC website here.

ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Richard III: Updated skull replica to go on show, by PA_Warzynski (19.06.2013)

Pre-Announcement:

To celebrate King Richard III, who started his reign as King of England 530 years ago, and actor Richard Armitage, whom we want to help into his reign in the role as King of England, the KRA website is again planning a
“King Richard Armitage Week 2013”
from the 21st to 28th of August, 2013.

Contributions and Support are very welcome.

Posted in History, News, Richard III, Video | Tagged Leicester, York | Leave a comment

Is King Richard III Human?

Published June 12, 2013 | By CDoart

♛ King Richard III ♛

Surely, from the headline you will think me mad.
Where do I want to go with that question?
Of course he is human, you will say. Why do I even ask that.
His skeleton should sufficiently prove that.

Now, Shakespeare did a great deal, to show King Richard III as not entirely human, but the devil himself.
A monarch per se might also be seen as not entirely human. Normal laws and rules do not apply to him. Kings and queens may not be touched by normal ‘humans’, and lots of other regulations are and were invented to divide them from the ‘normal’ population and their subjects.

Human made regulations to set a king apart.
To make him the sole legitimate ruler over the fate of others.
[Admittedly, in King Richard III’s time we have not yet reached the absolute monarchic status of a king, but still, some setting apart was already in place in his time.
Though his fight to hold (some of) the nobility of England in check to define his royal position did not end well.]

So now, what human right does a king have?
What is a human right to define the procedure for a king’s burial?

You see that I have my problems with King Richard III’s burial being against ‘human rights’ in general,
and especially with the idea of being against the European Convention on Human Rights (1950 + later additions with 5 protocols).

Even if he killed his nephews, a parking lot is no place for a king.

(NBC reporter in video to:

NBC News – Cosmic Log: For some, King Richard III’s resting place raises a human rights issue, by Alan Boyle, NBC News 26.03.2013)

That even historians think it somewhat proven that King Richard III did kill his nephews, the article about the discussion held by the University of Leicester on 6th June 2013 about “Richard III: Benevolent King or Murderous Tyrant?” shows.

LeicesterExchanges.com: Live event catch up: Richard III: Benevolent King or Murderous Tyrant? (07.06.2013) – To some things history just can’t provide an easy answer, while this is a discussion which tries to. So do not be too upset by some of the extreme and biased statements.

The University of Leicester made the discussion available online in an audio file on SoundCloud:

But human or not, even the necessity or the right legal procedure for a re-burial of King Richard III is under discussion.
See the following article by George Duncan:

Mondaq.com: The Bones Of Richard III, by George Duncan, Charles Russell LLP [05.06.2013) – Was the car park consecrated ground and if, how long. Might it still be considered sufficiently consecrated ground at the time when King Richard III was found?

Perhaps we approach the whole question about King Richard III’s guilt about having killed his nephews and his ‘subsequent right’ for a decent or pompous burial all the wrong way. Might it have been his queen, Anne Neville, who did the deed? She would have had means, time, reason and access and was conveniently in London at the time the boys were last seen.
Read more about these interesting speculations by Amy Licence here:

New Statesman: Passive Pawn or Lady Macbeth: Who was Richard III’s queen? Dead by the age of 28, Anne Neville didn’t leave much of a paper trail. Who was this woman who stood so close to the king, yet seems so distant today? By Amy Licence (11.06.2013) – Ms. Licence just published her research about Queen Anne Neville in her new book “Anne Neville: Richard III’s Tragic Queen” (Amazon.com Affiliate Link for you to read more about the book. – Eventual earnings go to Mr. Armitage’s recommended charities.)

BBC News Leicester: Richard III head reconstruction set for national tour (10.06.2013) – The reconstruction of King Richard III’s head will be exhibited at London in the British Museum from January till March 2014!

ThisIsGloucestershire.co.uk: King Richard III’s modelled head to visit Gloucester, by Emcfarnon (10.06.2013) – Announcing the tour dates of the reconstruction of King Richard III’s head:

The national tour dates are as follows:
Bosworth Battlefield: June 11 – July 16, 2013
Yorkshire Museum: July 19 – October 13, 2013
Northampton Museum and Art Gallery: October 19 – January 5, 2014
The British Museum: January 11 – March 16, 2014
Gloucester – venue TBC: March 2014

Posted in News, Richard III | Tagged Leicester, University of Leicester | 2 Comments

King Richard’s Autumn ?

Published June 5, 2013 | By CDoart

♛ King Richard III ♛

BBC Two: Henry VII: Winter King (30.05.2013) – Still available to watch online on BBC’s iPlayer or for all outside the U.K. on YouTube here.

Royal Central: The Winter King – a review BBC Thursday 9pm, by Karen Kilrow (31.05.2013) – A review about the documentary film by Thomas Penn, also author of a book with the same name.

ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Richard III dig team to give series of talks on discovery, by Leicester Mercury (31.05.2013) – More details about the schedule of the already announced lectures of the research team of the University of Leicester hosted by the Dean of Leicester, the Very Revd David Monteith, in Leicester Cathedral, each held at 7:00 – 8:30 p.m., cost is £5 (£3 concessions):

Tuesday, 04 June 2013
Richard Buckley – Why and where we dug

Tuesday, 11 June 2013
Dr Turi King and Professor Kevin Schürer – DNA and Relatives

Tuesday, 18 June 2013
Dr Mary Ann Lund and Dr Sarah Knight – What Do The Medieval Documents Say?

Tuesday, 25 June 2013
Dr Jo Appleby – Them Bones, Them Bones

The Telegraph: Will the Plantagenets now topple the Tudors? by Glenda Cooper (31.05.2013) – A plea for the Plantagenets. Why their family drama even can beat the Tudors. – King Richard III’s film by Mr. Armitage becomes more and more a necessity.

Helen Rae (Blog): History Matters: Counterfactual Conjectures on the Marriage of Edward IV (31.05.2013) – Interesting perspective on why King Richard III’s negative image could be undeserved.

ThisIsGloucestershire.co.uk: King Richard tour is great opportunity, by The Citizen (01.06.2013) – King Richard III now also will visit Gloucester on his tour through England. The reconstruction of King Richard III’s face now is planned to visit Gloucester next year, before the bust will find its final place in the specially created Richard III Museum in Leicester.

University of Leicester: University of Leicester opens its doors for annual Summer Reunion (04.06.2013) – The reunion held at the 29th of June 2013 will celebrate the discovery of King Richard III and will be open for the public!
More details about the schedule and the link to book.

ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Leicester responds to Richard III claims, by Dan Martin, Leicester Mercury (05.06.2013) – No definitive ending of the new ‘War of the Roses’, but a step on the way to legally define, what the best way to ‘rescue’ King Richard III is.

University of Leicester: Richard III discovery inspires host of artwork and illustrations (05.06.2013) – Not entirely new, comic art by Emma Vieceli, but with a more complete presentation on the UoL website.
Press Release: Richard III becomes muse for comic book artists following car park discovery (05.06.2013)

Live Science: Richard III Craze Inspires Comic Art, by Megan Gannon (05.06.2013) – More about King Richard III in comics.

Reminder:

University of Leicester: Live event – Richard III: Benevolent King or Murderous Tyrant? Tomorrow, on Thursday, 6th June 2013 at the University of Leicester. Tickets can be booked here.

Posted in News, Richard III | Leave a comment

Enemies of King Richard III ?

Published May 29, 2013 | By CDoart

♛ King Richard Everywhere ♛

Coventry Telegraph: Centuries-old Coventry Tapestry features a swipe at Richard III, by Daniel Smith-COV (25.05.2013) – Was King Richard III depicted with a coin (= sign for a ‘Judas’) and a snake (sign for deviousness) on a 500 year old tapestry in St. Mary’s Guildhall in Coventry? Researchers now believe so.

Graham Turner: Exhibition of his historical paintings about King Richard III and his time at Bosworth Battlefield Centre on 29 – 30 June 2013 (28.05.2013)
Illustrated talk 29.06.2013 at 5 p.m., Tickets £ 10.00 (see: Bosworth Battlefield Centre website)
As the exhibition announcement only is on a general news page on www.studio88.co.uk, here is the official announcement banner:

Exhibition of Paintings by Graham Turner (29. – 30. June 2013)

Middleham: The Middleham Festival “Richard III Weekend” now has an own Facebook page for the event. (28.05.2013) – The event will take place from 5th – 7th July 2013. (Extension to last week’s news.)

London Evening Standard: Spacey, king of the Old Vic, plays to the gallery, by Louise Jury (29.05.2013) – A painting of Kevin Spacey in his role as King Richard III will be exhibited in the National Portrait Gallery in London. – To judge from that portrait, Mr. Armitage still has quite some time to play King Richard III and need not worry about his age to be able to play the king.

The Independent: Kevin Spacey depicted as rakish Richard III in new Jonathan Yeo exhibition, by Matilda Battersby (29.05.2013) – I must admit, I like the alliteration ‘rakish Richard’, though I don’t think it does the historic person justice. Nonetheless, it sounds mysterious.

♛ King Richard Armitage ♛

After long announcements – finally – the work on the research content is steadily continuing.
First results are visible under:

King Richard III Found

Chronology

The KRA-homepage got an article announcement section of the last 5 posts, to more easily jump into the blog contributions on KRA.

If you wrote to KRA during the hectic February / March / April months of 2013 and did not get feedback, please be so kind and get in contact again.
A local computer break down cost KRA quite some mails, though I hope I was able to reconstrue everything halfway. I tried to remember and answer all requests.
But if you still are waiting for an answer, please get in contact again, as your mail might be among the lost.
Thank you very much for your kind understanding!

Posted in News, Richard III | Tagged Graham Turner | 2 Comments

Untidy Grave Beneath a Car Park

Published May 24, 2013 | By CDoart

♛ King Richard III Research ♛

The academic publications about the research results begin with:

‘The king in the car park’: new light on the death and burial of Richard III in the Grey Friars church, Leicester, in 1485

by Richard Buckley, Mathew Morris, Jo Appleby, Turi King, Deirdre O’Sullivan, Lin Foxhall

(The full article in “Antiquity” No. 87 (2013), p. 519 – 538, is available here and is fully accessible worldwide as a pdf-file.)

The research comes to the same result as the early mentions of King Richard III’s burial, e.g. by Polydores Vergil, who said that Richard III was buried “without any pomp or solemn funeral“.

Some of the results revealed in the article are:

King Richard III was buried in a hastily dug up grave.

The grave had an untidy ‘lozenge’ shape, where the bottom was much smaller than it was at ground level.

The king’s head was propped up against one corner of the grave, which suggests that the gravediggers had made no attempt to rearrange the body once it had been lowered into the grave.

There were no signs of a shroud or coffin in the grave.

The grave of King Richard III in the previous aspects is very untypical for a grave of that time and is in stark contrast to the other medieval graves found in Leicester, which were neatly dug in the correct length and with vertical sides.

The form of the grave might indicate that the gravediggers were either in a hurry or had little respect for King Richard III.

Someone might have stood in the grave to receive his body, which his body position in the grave rather to one side than placed centrally might suggest.

There is evidence to suggest King Richard III’s hands may have been tied when he was buried.

The article further contains speculations about the layout of the friary, based on the finds in and around the grave of King Richard III.
The team feels confident to have identified parts of the eastern range, the chapter house and the eastern end of the church, including the transition between the choir and the presbytery.

For archaeology to find a named individual is rare enough, but for academics to work closely with non-specialists, enhances the rarity of this “public archaeology project initiated by Philippa Langley“. The article expresses this as follows:

The Grey Friars Project has been unusual in the nature of the collaboration between professional and academic archaeologists, an amateur group (the Richard III Society) and the City of Leicester. However, this also means that the project has addressed two different but overlapping sets of research questions, not all of which specialists would routinely ask. […]
What is somewhat different from the ways in which archaeological professionals and amateurs have generally worked together is that in this case the non-specialists played a role in shaping the intellectual frameworks of the project, although the final project design (including how questions could appropriately be asked of the evidence), and the execution of the project in practical terms remained in the hands of the archaeologists.

Further research results, like the full outcomes from the bone analysis and DNA tests, will be published in subsequent papers in “Antiquity”.

New excavations at the Grey Friars site will be executed in July 2013 and are hoped to clarify details around the disposal of the body.

♛ King Richard Everywhere ♛

The York Press: Visitors flocking to see Richard III ‘tomb’, by Mike Laycock (23.05.2013) – Unfortunately not the real one as designed and planned by the Richard III Society. Nothing is decided in that regard yet. – The Richard III Museum in York created its own shrine for King Richard III which draws visitors.

ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Tour follows Richard’s journey from fight to finding, by Leicester Mercury (23.05.2013) – A forgotten king starts to noticeably change a city. Royal theme tours to Bosworth.

The Spectator: Bosworth, by Chris Skidmore – review, by Leanda de Lisle (25.05.2013) – Can’t really say the review convinces me of the value of the book. Accusing King Richard III of the murder of his nephews while no new evidence turned up in the meantime just seems an attention grabbing argument for a historian, though possibly a better one for a politician. But I will say no more and will hold back judgement till I had a chance to read the book.
The new information included in the book about King Richard III’s gruesome death through the wounds found in the examination of his bone injuries certainly extends the knowledge about the Battle of Bosworth.

BBC Radio 3: BBC Radio 3’s Free Thinking Festival of Ideas (23.05.2013) – Apply now to join this Radio 3 – show with Mark Ormrod (University of York) and Helen Castor (author of “She-Wolves”) about King Richard III in York (The Ron Cooke Hub) on 16 June 2013.