Most of you probably heard that the archaeologists of the University of Leicester have after a very eventful winter started digging again. They want to discover more of the Greyfriars church, where the remains of Richard III were found last year.
The dig started with removing part of a Victorian wall separating the former Alderman Newton School and 6-8 St Martins. The wall should be rebuilt once the dig is complete.
The plan behind the second dig is to establish the exact layout of the church to establish where Richard’s grave was in relation to the rest of the church. The archaeologists also hope to find out other details like the size of the church and whether it had a tower or whether it had undergone alterations during its 300 year existence. During the previous dig, archaeologists had found evidence that the floor had been changed three times. Three coffins had also been found and it is hoped to find out more about the other people who were buried here.
However, the researchers also hope to go further back into Leicester’s past and hope to find traces what was on the site before the friary was built. After all, Leicester was an important Roman centre, so they might even find Roman artifacts.
The machines moved in on Monday and have now finished their part. Now the areas and trenches which had been dug last year will be uncovered. A viewing platform for the public will also be erected.
To find out more about the second dig follow the blog on the website of the University of Leicester. A good selection of photos can be viewed on Flickr.
Another find by our friend Renate – what would we do without her!
On 25 April 2013, Richard Buckley, the lead archaeologist of the Greyfriars Dig, gave a talk on the dig and the discovery of Richard’s remains at the Tower of London. I am sure you all feel you know all about the project by now, it is an interesting review, which puts some details into bigger context. You can listen to it here.
Is finding a parking space in Leicester even harder? We didn’t have a car with us, when we visited Leicester, so I can’t say whether parking is a problem. However, as this is the case in most towns, I guess it also goes for Leicester.
First the archaeologists from the University of Leicester dug up one car park, looking for the traces of the Greyfriars church and came up trumps by finding the remains of Richard III. During the dig, the team found found four burials in the church. One of them is a 600-year old stone coffin, with lead lining, which is believed to belong to Sir William Moton, a 14th century knight. He died in 1362 and is thought to have also been buried in the Greyfriars church. The archaeologists have now applied for an exhumation licence for this stone sarcophagus.
It is believed that Sir William was born and lived in Peckleton, approx. 14 km west of Leicester. He had been married twice, first to a Joan, with whom he had a son called Robert, and then to an Elizabeth.
Starting in July, they plan to extend the dig to a site next to the car park, in order to find out more about the church and medieval Leicester in general. Richard Buckley, who also led last year’s dig which uncovered Richard III, said:
This will be a great opportunity to confirm the plan of the east end of the Grey Friars church to learn more about its dating and architecture, and will give us the chance to investigate other burials known to be inside the building.
However, the Greyfriars site is not the only cemetery to be dug up by the archaeological team from Leicester University. They also dug in the car park at the junction of Oxford and Newarke Streets, which is about to be developed, and found a Roman cemetery dating from around 300 AD. Leicester was a thriving town during the Roman occupation of Britain. The Jewry Wall was part of the Roman baths, and remains of other public buildings were discovered next to it. The Jewry Wall Museum shows interesting displays of Roman artefacts found in the area.
Roman walls and mosaic floor in the Jewry Wall Museum, Leicester (photograph by D Preis)
This car park is on land which was outside of the Roman town, as burials were not allowed within the limits of a town. Cemeteries usually developed close to main roads, as was the case here. In previous excavations in the area, other burials had been found, which indicate a Christian tradition bodies were buried in a supine position, facing east with little or no goods buried alongside them.
The finds at the present site indicate a more varied background. The archaeologists found 13 burials altogether. The people were of various ages and either sex and were buried in a variety of burial traditions. Many of the graves contained personal items, from finger rings to hob-nailed shoes. One grave seems to be that of a Christian: the person was buried facing east and had a finger ring with what could be the Christian Iota – Chi monogram, the Greek initials for Jesus Christ.
Next to it is a grave which indicates a more pagan burial: the body is on its side in a semi-foetal position and the removed head placed next to its feet. It also contained two pottery jars with offerings for journey to the afterlife.
That these graves were found in such close proximity reflects the variety of belief systems which were found in Leicester at that time.
In addition to the Roman remains, the archaeologists hope to get more information on the medieval southern suburbs of Leicester, as they also found remains of quarries, cess-pits and rubbish pits.
Maev Kennedy, ‘Richard III archaeologists to return to Leicester site in search of lost knight’, Guardian.co.uk (30 April 2013). Date accessed: 6 May 2013
Peter Warzynski, ‘Turns out Richard was not the only one buried here…’, This is Leicestershire (26 April 2013). Date accessed: 26 April 2013
‘King Richard III archaeology team bids to extend search at historic search site’, University of Leicester, Press Release (30 April 2013). Date accessed: 5 May 2013
‘King Richard III archaeological unit makes new discovery under a car park in Leicester’, University of Leicester, Press Release (3 May 2013). Date accessed: 5 May 2013
The following are the personal views of the author and do not reflect those of the NSW branch or the Richard III Society as a whole.
A while ago, I was asked by one of our branch members, where and when Richard would be re-interred, as she would like to be there. Probably to her great disappointment, I had to tell her that I didn’t know. The original plan was for the reburial to take place in Leicester in May next year, however, with all the controversy and legal challenges it would be better to wait a bit, before making actual travel arrangements.
And unfortunately the situation does not look any clearer so far. There is the so-called ‘Plantagenet Alliance’, which portrays itself as a group of Richard’s descendents. They would like Richard’s final resting place to be in York, whereas the exhumation licence granted last August states that any human remains should be reinterred in consecrated ground closest to the place where they were found, ie. Leicester Cathedral. Therefore they have started to challenge the legality of the exhumation licence. This week legal papers should be lodged with the (UK) High Court, seeking permission for a judicial review of the original licence to go ahead. However, it is not sure whether the High Court will even accept the challenge and any decision is expected to take at least several weeks.
Whether the Plantagenet Alliance will have any success seems dubious. As far as is known, there are no direct descendents of Richard III, his legitimate son had predeceased him and his illegitimate children died without issue, which leaves descendents of his brothers and sisters. The group apparently consists of 15 of these distant relatives. After 500 years, this is a surprisingly low number, as the University of Leicester estimates that “many tens of thousands of individuals alive today are descended in this way”.
The legal claim of the Plantagenet Alliance is based on the fact that they were not consulted before the exhumation licence was granted – and we have to remember that at that time it seemed rather unlikely that any human remains, let alone Richard’s, would be found. They argue the licence was in breach of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which grants the right to respect for private and family life. After 500 years to claim “respect of family life” seems a bit strange, after all we are not talking about a dearly beloved uncle, who used to come round for tea. The University of Leicester refutes this saying that the obligation to consult living relatives expires after 100 years.
I tried to find out a bit more about the Plantagenet Alliance. It is a private limited company, with a relatively new website (their archives only go back to March 2013). They are asking for donations to help fund the day-to-day running of their affairs as well as the legal campaign.
For my part, I rather donated to the Richard III Society’s appeal for funds for a tomb for Richard, than giving money for a business to go to court.
There certainly are valid arguments in favour of a re-interment in York rather than Leicester, however, these are not furthered by challenging the legality of the original licence. If only all concerned could stop arguing their case with increasing animosity, which, while the media might love it, is very sad and in bad taste.
The Patron of the Richard III Society, Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who shares his name and title with the medieval king before his accession to the throne, has pleaded that his remains “are treated with the utmost dignity”. I am sure that his discussion partners Dr Philip Stone, chairman of the Richard III Society, and Philippa Langley, who had pushed tirelessly for the dig to take place, share his sentiments completely. As does the University of Leicester, who pledges to “continue to work with our partners, the Richard III Society, Leicester Cathedral and Leicester City Council to ensure an appropriate and fitting re-interment for England’s last Plantagenet monarch in Leicester.”
HRH Richard, Duke of Gloucester, also attended a lunch with the Richard III Society, whose patron he has been for more than 30 years, at the Tower of London recently.
Kate Liptrot, ‘Richard III legal fight to start next week’, The Press (27 April 2013).
University of Leicester Press Office, ‘Plantagenet Alliance seeks judicial review – statement from University of Leicester’ (26 March 2013)
‘Duke Of Gloucester Meets With Richard III Society Over King’s ‘Dignity’’, Royal Central (2 March 2013).
‘Duke Of Gloucester Attends Richard III Society Dinner At Tower Of London’, Royal Central (30 April 2013)
Tags: Archaeology, Leicester, Leicester Greyfriars Dig, Richard III, Richard III Society
Prior to the Battle of Bosworth, Richard III spent the night in Leicester and then rode – on his horse – to the site of the battle. Swap Richard’s horse for a bike and you can follow in Richard’s footsteps – though probably with a less drastic outcome – and take part in a bike ride, which will be the start of this year’s Sky Ride events.
The Church of St James, Sutton Cheney (photograph by D Preis)
Planned is a 35-mile (approx. 56km) round-trip starting off at Leicester Town Hall Bike Park. The tour will pass the car park, where Richard’s remains were discovered, then on to St James’ Church in Sutton Cheney, where Richard is said to have attended his last Mass, before dying in battle, and the battlefield itself. Then riders will return to Leicester, where the ride finishes at the Guildhall, where the Richard III exhibition is being shown.
The Guildhall in Leicester (photograph by D Preis)
The ride is classified as ‘Challenging’, but suitable for anyone, though I expect you would have to be reasonably fit and experienced. The trip is scheduled for 4 May, participation is free. It starts at 9h00 and is expected to take 4 hours 20 mins (3 hours 20 mins cycling), so you can expect to be back in Leicester by about half past one in the afternoon.
Tom Mack, ‘Sky Ride event to trace Richard III’s last days‘, This is Leicestershire (25 April 2013).
‘The Richard III Ride‘ on the Sky Ride website.
Tags: Bosworth, Leicester, Richard III
Once again “Thank you” to my friend Renate, who found this!
The various talks from the Greyfriars Dig Conference, which took place in Leicester on 2 March this year, are now available on YouTube. While you will not be able to experience quite the same atmosphere as the audience did, they are a great way to catch up with – or revisit – the information.
And a very big “Thank you” to the Richard III Society as well, for making this available to us!
You can find the YouTube clipes here.
Tags: Leicester, Leicester Greyfriars Dig, Richard III, Richard III Society
The NSW Branch of the Richard III Society met on 13 April 2013 at the Harry Jensen Centre in The Rocks, Sydney. Our Branch Chairperson Judith welcomed all the regulars, members from overseas, and a number of visitors, whose interest had been aroused by the recent discovery of the remains of Richard III in the Leicester carpark.
The Committee has been busy since the last meeting with Judith and Dorothea speaking to the Military Historical Society at Victoria Barracks, and Judith and Julia to students at Chifley College who were studying Richard III for their HSC. Julia was a member of a panel discussing the Genesian Theatre’s approach to Richard III in their current production. In addition, of course, the Committee has been finalizing the extensive arrangements for the July conference, with some last minute changes.
Julia presented the Secretary’s report and reminded us that although it is past the official deadline that it is not too late to get our registrations in for the upcoming conference in Sydney on the weekend of 12-14 July 2013. It is going to be a great weekend of learning and social activities with Ricardians, and not to be missed.
Julia also explained that because of full programs for the rest of the year no Scrabble Speakers will be needed. That means that all of our eager public speakers will just have to wait their opportunity next year!
The Minutes from the February 2013 meeting were taken as read. There was no Treasurer’s report as the Treasurer was away. Dorothea presented the Webmaster report. This branch website continues to receive many visitors. Dorothea has also extended the Branch online presence to Facebook, so everyone who has access to the internet should visit and “like” it! It can be found at http://www.facebook.com/pages/NSW-Branch-of-the-Richard-III-Society/269971479692592
Lynne announced the arrival of the new pewter boar pins for those who had pre-ordered them. More may be obtained in the future if there is a demand from members.
An extra feature today was Dorothea reporting on her recent trip to the University of Leicester conference entitled “The Greyfriars dig: a new Richard III”. Dorothea had previously posted elements of her presentation on the branch website for online visitors to read.
The Guest Speakers were Yvette Debergue and Rachel Allerton from the University of Sydney Centre for Continuing Education and the WEA, where they teach medieval courses. Yvette recently completed her PhD at the University of Sydney on the area of Gender and Medieval Heresy. She has taught at the University of Sydney’s Centre for Medieval Studies as well as the Departments of History and Religion; her area of expertise being Heresy in the Middle Ages. For more information on upcoming her courses visit http://cce.sydney.edu.au/course/HAWI Their interesting presentation was on the different interpretations of Richard’s physical presence and character in several film versions of Shakespeare’s Richard III. They referred particularly to those featuring Lawrence Olivier, Ron Cook and Ian McKellen. Sadly the technology was not completely cooperative, so I have attached some of the YouTube clips from their presentation:
Olivier’s version of the soliloquy.
The BBC’s version with Ron Cook as Richard.
Horrible Histories Richard III Song.
The next meeting will be on Saturday, 8 June 2013, and the speaker will be Ben Cross on Medieval Thought and Philosophy.
Tags: Leicester, NSW Branch, Richard III, Shakespeare
Should you be in Leicester this coming weekend, possibly for the entertainment on 14 April 2013, you might feel the need for some refreshment. A brewery in Old Dalby, approx. 25 km northeast of Leicester, has introduced a new beer to commemorate the dig for Richard III’s skeleton, which might just hit the spot.
Belvoir Brewery creates a special beer every month and their creation for March/April is called ‘Skull-dug-gery’. It is described as “a golden amber light, crisp and fruity beer” with a strength of 4%. The beer had its premiere on 19 March, but was made for the Leicester Beer Festival. 20-23 March, it will be available until the end of April. One of the co-owners of Belvoir Brewery said: “The beer is our light-hearted way of remembering King Richard III.” Well, if you have enough of it, you will certainly get light-hearted.
It seems you will now have to go to the brewery to be able to drink it, they do have a restaurant though. I would have thought it might be the perfect accompaniment to the Wild Boar & Chorizo Burger at O’Neills in Leicester (which I can only recommend) to stay with the Ricardian theme.
Cheers!
More info: ‘New beer inspired by the discovery of king’s skeleton‘, Melton Times (10 April 2013)
Tags: Food & Drink, Leicester, Richard III
Again something for those of us who can be in Leicester this month. Should your feet be tired after having spent the day battling for the crown, you an afternoon with medieval music might just be the perfect end to a Ricardian day. Historical entertainment company Blast From The Past are bringing a concert of medieval music in honour of Richard III under the heading ‘Music for a King’.
More information here (you have to scroll down a bit).
Tags: Leicester, Music, Richard III
Should you find yourself in Leicester later this month and at a loss of what to do after having finished the Richard III Trail and all its sights, there is a full day of Richard III-themed events to look forward to.
Jewry Wall in Leicester (photograph by D Preis)
When in Leicester, I can only recommend a visit to the Jewry Wall Museum, especially for the beautiful Roman mosaics. However, on 14 April 2013 in addition to its usual interesting displays, it will also be the setting for a “day of events and activities based around the life and times of King Richard III” under the title ‘Battle for the Crown’.
There will be demonstrations of 15th century warfare and weaponry, dramatic readings from Shakespeare and an exhibition about the Greyfrairs Dig (I am not sure whether this is in addition to the one at the Guildhall). At 14h00 Michael Morris will be talking about finding Richard’s remains.
According to local legend Richard III stayed the night before moving out to Bosworth at the White Boar Inn, which led the organizers to recreate what his final meal at the Inn might have been like.
We just hope for everyone concerned, organizers and visitors alike, that the weather will be also be in the mood for a party!
You can find more information here.
Tags: Leicester, Richard III
