Just in time for the weekend we all heard the good news from Leicester that Leicester Cathedral has agreed to a tomb for King Richard III.  You may recall the suggestions that a slab would be more suitable given the constraints of space.  The Richard III Society has always maintained that as anointed king Richard should have a raised tomb.  And the Society was not alone, a poll in the Mercury, Leicester’s local newspaper, resulted in an overwhelming 90% majority for a tomb.  Leicester Cathedral say that they “have listened carefully to the different views that were expressed” and are now planning to bury Richard with honour beneath a raised tomb within a specially created area in the Cathedral.

The news were welcomed by the Richard III Society.  Dr Phil Stone, Chairman of the Society, stated “I think that the design is absolutely fantastic”.  Philippa Langley said:

“I am thrilled that the last warrior King of England is to be honoured with a tomb and that Yorkshire stone is being investigated as the material for it. We had always hoped that any design would convey what was important to Richard in his life but also his move into the light of a new future for his much-maligned reputation. The white rose, I believe, conveys this aspect beautifully and the designers, Cathedral and staff are to be congratulated on all their hard work.”

You can find a press release on this topic on the website of the Richard III Society here.

If, however, the ad hoc poll carried out at the Australasian Convention last weekend is anything to go by, any cathedral would be much too small for the number of people wishing to attend the reburial, at least something the size of a big stadium would be necessary.

I would also like to clarify here the misconception which was fairly often repeated that Leicester authorities had objected to a depiction on Richard’s boar on the tomb, as they were afraid of offending people with other religious believes.  I have been assured on very good authority that this was based on a misunderstanding.

If you are after that extra special gift to the Ricardian in your life, and have the necessary funds, you might like to consider a bid in the silent auction of a unique 18 carat gold replica of a Richard III boar badge,  commissioned by the Yorkshire Museum.  It will be the only gold replica of the badge in existence, accurately based on the rare 15th Century silver badge on show in the museum.  The reserve price is £2000 (approx. $ Aus 3300).  The money raised will go to the museum’s acquisition fund.  More information on the auction, but also on the museum’s boar badge can be found here.

Should this be slightly out of your price range, I believe our Sales Officer Lynne still has some of the pewter boar badges from the Society for sale.  However, of interest to all of us is a short YouTube clip by the York Museum Trust about the ‘York Boar Badge, as worn by supporters of King Richard III (c.1483)’.

All who attended the Australasian Convention will vividly remember Andrew’s terrific talk about medieval armour and jousting, which he delivered in full armour.  Andrew is a jouster and features in another short YouTube clip on modern day jousting featuring some of the jousting from this year’s World Invitational “Grail of Chivalry” jousting tournament at Harcourt Park, Upper Hutt, New Zealand.

Tags: Boar Badge, Leicester Greyfriars Dig, Richard III