– edited (16 Dec 2012) –

My Google Alert just alerted me to an article from the British Daily Mail, saying that the remains found in Leicester “DO belong to Richard III”.  Please note, I am aware that the Daily Mail might not be the best source, when it comes to accuracy in historical research.

They quote a source with “knowledge of the excavation” revealing that not all evidence was published at press conference in September and that the remains were shown for certain to be those of Richard III.

I have no doubt that not all available information was divulged at that press conference, but the Daily Mail’s assertion that the scientists were holding the news back to achieve greater publicity, sounds to me like too much of a journalist’s approach.  We all know that in the media industry it is vital to get the news out first, no matter whether they later on turn out to be inaccurate.

However, I would think that scientists first want to make absolutely sure that what they announce is actually true.  This point was also made clear by a spokesman of the University of Leicester saying that “everything we were willing to reveal and that we were sure of, we revealed (in September).”

Maybe that just sums up the difference between some journalists and scientists.

There is quite a variety of indications that the Daily Mail’s assertion might very well turn out to be true, and I most certainly hope so, but in the end, I would prefer to have scientific evidence rather than the say-so of some unnamed source with “knowledge of the excavation”.

In response to the Daily Mail story The University of Leicester issued a statement denying that they withheld any additional evidence at the press conference in September.  They stressed that the tests have not yet been completed, but so far they “are yet to find strong evidence to challenge our original hypothesis”.  The results will be published early in the 2013.

They also added that they will not benefit financially from the Channel 4 production, as they value the “complete academic independence in [their] judgement.”   Ricardians are often asked why we care about someone who has been dead for over 500 years.  We care because we care about justice, which can only be based on independent research.

You can find original article here:

Anthony Bond, ‘Human remains found in Leicester car park DO belong to Richard III… but scientists are holding back findings until Channel Four documentary is aired, claims insider’, Mail Online (15 Dec 2012).  URL:  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2248448/Human-remains-Leicester-car-park-DO-belong-Richard-III–scientists-holding-findings-Channel-Four-documentary-aired-claims-insider.html Date accessed:  15 Dec 2012

The response is here:

‘Search for King Richard III: Statement from the University of Leicester, 15 December 2012’, University of Leicester (15 Dec 2012).  URL:  http://www2.le.ac.uk/news/blog/2012/december/statement Date accessed:  16 Dec 2012

Tags: Archaeology, Leicester, Leicester Greyfriars Dig, Richard III

We all often feel that music can make a boring or unpleasant task easier.  An impression that the University of Leicester shares.  To make the wait for the results of tests being carried out on the male remains found during the Greyfriars dig easier, a concert of medieval music “which will tell the story of King Richard III’s life” has been announced.

The idea is to bring together a collection of music from the times and places Richard would have known.   The music is to be performed by a recorder trio, TritonE, led by Janet Forbes.  She has been researching the kind of music which would have been around in England during Richard’s youth, but also music he would have encountered during his time in Burgundy.

Here he might have heard music from the Glogauer Liederbuch, a collection of 3-part instrumental arrangements of popular songs.  These are not songs which would have been used in a liturgical, ceremonial, or political context, but rather is full of tunes to be played for fun by anyone.   The book has been regarded as the first documented intersection of music and the market. [Wallmark]

In addition to songs from the Glogauer Liederbuch there will also be other music from the Franco-Flemish area.  As Janet Forbes said:  “We are trying to pick music from places he visited and pieces written about things he was doing.”

The concert is organized by the archaeological team behind the Leicester dig.  Prof Lin Foxhall, Head of the School of Archaeology & Ancient History at the University of Leicester, said that the concert would offer another perspective of Richard and his times through the sounds he would have heard.  We know that Richard appreciated good music, because his visitor Nicholas von Popplau listened at his court to “the sweetest music he had ever heard”. [Visser-Fuchs]

The concert will take place on 11 January from 18h30 to 19h30.  Tickets are £5 for the general public, however, for most of us in New South Wales the airfare would have to be added to this, making it perhaps a tad pricey to attend.  For our readers, who are in the Leicester area, this should be a great way to spend the time waiting for the results, expected for early next year.

For all of us who cannot attend the concert but may appreciate some music to make the wait easier, here is a song from the Glogauer Liederbuch on YouTube.  It is called ‘Die Katzenpfote’ (The Cat’s Paw).

References:

‘Concert to tell story of King Richard III’s life through medieval music’, University of Leicester Press Office (14 Dec 2012).  URL:  http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/press/press-releases/2012/december/concert-to-tell-story-of-king-richard-iii2019s-life-through-medieval-music Date accessed:  15 Dec 2012

Dr Livia Visser-Fuchs, ‘Richard III’s personal interests’, Richard III Society.  URL: http://www.richardiii.net Date accessed:  9 Aug 2010

Zach Wallmark, ‚Glogauer Liederbuch‘, The Taruskin Challenge (22 Nov 2009).  URL:  http://taruskinchallenge.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/glogauer-liederbuch/ Date accessed:  15 Dec 2012

Tags: Leicester, Leicester Greyfriars Dig, Music, Richard III

I might have mentioned before that Facebook for me has often been a good source of interesting information.  Today, thanks to Joan Szechtman, author of novels about Richard in This Time, I watched a Canadian broadcast about the dig in Leicester.  It is a very interesting programme and it is nice to hear Dr John Ashdown-Hill  talk about the subject that he has researched so extensively.  Enjoy!

Here’s a link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVBOIXayfxE&feature=share&list=ELkUpoWD1apic

Tags: Archaeology, Leicester, Leicester Greyfriars Dig, Richard III

This is what Prof Lynn Foxhall of the University of Leicester said about the ongoing tests which are carried out on the male skeleton found in the former Greyfriars church in Leicester.

However encouraging the statement may look, it would be too early to jump to conclusions.  The various tests are still ongoing and results are only expected in January.

So far we heard most about the DNA testing trying to match the mtDNA of the remains to that of a descendant of Richard’s eldest sister Anne, but this is only one of the aspects investigated.  This descendant’s connection is also being verified and researchers are hoping to establish a second line of descent.

Other tests include the analysis of soil samples from the grave surrounding the skeleton, from which we may not only find out more about the burial practice, but also about the health and diet of the person who was buried there.  This would be in conjunction with evidence gathered from samples of mineralised dental plaque, providing information on the person’s diet, health and living conditions.

Scientists are examining the skeleton in detail trying to get some idea about the person’s age and figure and the scoliosis.  Experts are also trying to establish how exactly the individual died and what kind of weapon would have caused the horrific injuries to the skull.

The remains are also radiocarbon dated in two separate examinations, which will give us an idea of when the person died, to within 80 years.

However, if these remains are indeed those of Richard, the most interesting process would be the CT scan from which a 3-D image of the person can be built.  This would also be the basis for facial reconstruction so that one day we may be able to see what Richard really looked like – remember, none of the existent portrays is contemporary.

All these tests together will provide a detailed image of the person’s lifestyle, his health and even where he grew up, and will thus provide “more assurance about the identity of the individual”.

The process reminds me of the wide variety of information which has been established about Ötzi, the “iceman” found by hikers in the Ötztaler Alps in September 1991.  I have been fascinated by him since he was first discovered and the story of the find was one of the last I wrote about as assistant for a scientific research organization.  Compared to Ötzi’s age of 5300 years, this man’s 500 years seems to be a very short time frame indeed.

More information:

‘‘It’s not like CSI’: the Science of the Search for Richard III’, University of Leicester (15 Nov 2012).

‘Richard III dig: Results expected in January’, BBC News Leicester (19 Nov 2012).

Tags: Archaeology, Leicester, Leicester Greyfriars Dig, Richard III

The interest in the findings in Leicester is not limited to the English-speaking world.  One of the two main German TV station, the ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen), also reported on it as part of their news and interviewed John Ashdown-Hill for the short feature (approx. 2 minutes).  The dig in Leicester was based on John’s research, outlined in his book The Last Days of Richard III.

So far I had known John only through his books and from photographs, so this was the first time I met him ‘live’.  This was the highlight of the programme, as I was rather disappointed with the reporting around it.

The moderator introduces Richard III as the “probably most hated king in British history”, who also features as the “main character of a Shakespeare drama”.  This gives you a good idea on the line they are going to follow:  history as told by that great “historian”, William Shakespeare.

We learn that Richard had numerous people killed, two brothers and nephews, but also “at least one wife”.  Now, please, even Shakespeare doesn’t give him more than one wife!  It was only his great-nephew Henry VIII, who had the bad track record with multiple wives.

As there is no mention that any view of Richard but Shakespeare’s even exists, it comes as a bit of a surprise when the reporter finishes with “Richard, the villain.  Maybe this part of history now needs to be rewritten.”  Unfortunately finding Richard’s bones will not be not sufficient to change the popular opinion of this king.

And while I am on my rant, there is also a minor point.  In the beginning we see the sundial at the Bosworth Battlefield Centre and the voice over informs us that this is the spot where Richard was killed.  Well, not exactly, the actual battlefield was a bit away.

In my family, ZDF had been the broadcaster of choice, for its accuracy in its news coverage as well as for entertainment.  A pity, but even John Ashdown-Hill cannot make me overlook the shortcomings in this short programme.  I would have expected better!

Watch the programme at http://www.zdf.de/ZDFmediathek#/beitrag/video/1768286/Grab-von-K%C3%B6nig-Richard-III-entdeckt

Tags: Bosworth, Leicester, Leicester Greyfriars Dig, Media, Richard III, Shakespeare

During the dig, which has hopefully recovered Richard III’s remains, the archaeologists also found female remains.  Obviously the find (potentially) of Richard overshadowed everything else, but at last there is also some information on the female remains.

Although these have not yet been investigated in as much detail, it has now been suggested that these could be those of Ellen Luenor.  It is thought that she and her husband Gilbert founded the friary in the 13th century.

Her incomplete skeleton was found in a different part of the friary than the male remains.  Archaeologists suggest that the skeleton may have been dug up by a gardener when the site was the garden of a mansion house in the 17th century and then reburied.   The manager of the dig site said: “They were buried at a higher level than the church floor and the bones were not intact, which suggests that someone dug them up by accident and reburied them in a different spot, just not as deep.”

A more thorough investigation of the female skeleton will be undertaken, once the analysis of the male remains has been completed.   They also announced that any identification of the former king’s body is at least two weeks away, with the results likely to be released in the new year, when Channel 4 will screen its documentary of the search.

Tags: Archaeology, Leicester, Leicester Greyfriars Dig

The last thing I read last night before going to bed was that it had been decided that, if the remains found during the dig in Leicester be confirmed to be those of Richard III, they should be reinterred in Leicester.  According to the BBC, justice minister Helen Grant said:  “Should they be found to be those of Richard III, the current plan is for them to be reinterred in Leicester Cathedral.”  So far so good.  That was the original plan, as also outlined in the June 2012 Ricardian Bulletin.

However, this morning I find that the answer does not seem to be as certain as the BBC thought.  In a move reminiscent of the old TV series Yes, Minister, the Ministry of Justice seems to be backtracking from its minister’s statement.  According to ITV, a ministry spokesman refused  to confirm the plan and instead said:  “We will await the results before any burial arrangements are made.”

It seems we are back to square one.

Tags: Leicester, Leicester Greyfriars Dig, Richard III

Part of yesterday’s debate in the House of Commons dealt with a topic of great interest to all of us:  where Richard III should be reinterred, if the remains found in Leicester are confirmed to be his.

In the debate both a member for Leicester and one for York argued in favour of their cities.  As a compromise, a MP for Nottinghamshire suggested Worksop as a halfway point between the two.  It seems, however, that Worksop is not in the running.

The MPs for the other rival cities stated their respective claims in a debate which was at times quite humorous.  Jonathan Ashworth for Leicester South argued that the site where Richard had been for 500 years is “a stone’s throw from Leicester cathedral”.

The MP for York, Hugh Bayley, pointed out how well regarded Richard III was in York even 527 years after his death, to be interrupted by another MP asking whether Richard was still on the electoral roll.  Mr Bayley also reminded us that it was not appropriate “to argue on the Floor of this place over his mortal remains [which] is more like medieval cathedrals fighting over saints’ relics.”

MP Tony Baldry answered questions for the Church Commissioners, which seems to tend more to Leicester as “the tradition is that they would be buried and reinterred at the nearest Christian cathedral, which happens to be Leicester Cathedral.”  However, there was not yet a final decision and emphasized that “once those tests are concluded, the nature, place and marking of any reinterment will need seriously to be considered”.

For a more humorous take on the whole issue, watch the Richard III video on ‘David Mitchell’s Soapbox’ in the Guardian.

Our readers will remember that we reported on Philippa Langley being awarded the prestigious Robert Hamblin Award for her dedication and hard work in making the dig possible.  I received an email from Philippa this morning thanking the NSW branch for our message of congratulation.  This is what she said to all our branch members:  “The Robert Hamblin award was very much a shock (and then some!) but I was incredibly honoured to receive it. Please will you pass on my thanks to everyone in NSW, I was so touched to see your message.”

Information on the debate in the House of Commons can be found on the BBC or you can read the transcript of the discussion.

Tags: Leicester, Leicester Greyfriars Dig, Parliament, Richard III, Richard III Society

Everyone in the Ricardian community is waiting for the results of the tests on the human remains found during the dig in Leicester.  And nobody is probably waiting more impatiently than the person, whose research made the whole project possible:  Dr John Ashdown-Hill.

This research was published in his 2010 book The Last Days of Richard III.  This book not only investigates the last 100 days of this king’s life, but also argues that Richard III’s remains could still be found in the place, where they were buried in the Greyfriars church in 1485.  In addition to this he traced Richard’s mtDNA in an all female line descent from Anne of York, Richard’s eldest sister, to a Canadian family.

A member of this family, Michael Ibsen, lives in the UK and has given his DNA to be compared with DNA the scientists are hoping to find in the remains.  Mr Ibsen attended the dig at Leicester and given his possible relationship to the remains described the experience of looking at the grave as “fascinating and spine tingling”.

That human remains were found at the spot where Dr Ashdown-Hill describes they would be, has obviously given him” a great sense of personal triumph, because without [his] prior research, it might never have happened”.

We all share his hope that the tests will confirm what we all see as pretty strong circumstantial evidence that these remains are indeed Richard’s:  “male; right age group and social class; died a violent death; had a twisted spine; found in the right place.”   How many people, who fit all these criteria, would have been buried in a small friary church?

Dr Ashdown-Hill is also planning a new edition of his book including evidence from the dig and more details on the descent of the Ibsen family from Richard’s sister.

The full article from the University of Leicester can be found here.

Tags: Archaeology, Books, Leicester, Leicester Greyfriars Dig, Richard III