Grave of King Richard III may be under parking lot

King Richard III

(LiveScience) King Richard III of England had the honor of being memorialized in a William Shakespeare play after his death in battle in 1485. Now, modern-day archaeologists are on the hunt for the medieval king's physical resting place.

The University of Leicester, Leicester City Council and the Richard III Society have joined forces to search for the grave of Richard III, thought to be under a parking lot for city council offices. The team will use ground-penetrating radar to search for the ideal spots to dig.

"This archaeological work offers a golden opportunity to learn more about medieval Leicester as well as about Richard III's last resting place -- and, if he is found, to re-inter his remains with proper solemnity in Leicester Cathedral," Philippa Langley, a Richard III Society member, said in a statement.

Richard III was King of England from 1483 to 1485. He died during the Battle of Bosworth Field during the War of the Roses, an English civil war between the House of Lancaster and the House of York. Richard III was the last English king to die in battle. Shakespeare penned "Richard III," a play about the tragic king, approximately 100 years later.

Regardless of his Shakespeare claim to fame, the king was talked about for his own right. "Richard III is a charismatic figure who attracts tremendous interest, partly because he has been so much maligned in past centuries, and partly because he occupies a pivotal place in English history," Langley said.

"The continuing interest in Richard means that many fables have grown up around his grave." Langley said,  adding that some far-fetched tales include that the bones were thrown into the river Soar. [The Science of Death: 10 Tales from the Crypt]

"Other fables, equally discredited, claimed that his coffin was used as a horse-trough," Langley said.

After his death, the king was stripped and brought to Leicester, where he was buried in the church of the Franciscan Friary, known as the Greyfriars. The location of Greyfriars was eventually lost to history. 

"The big question for us is determining the whereabouts of the church on the site and also where in the church the body was buried," University of Leicester archaeologist Richard Buckley said in a statement. "Although in many ways finding the remains of the king is a long-shot, it is a challenge we shall undertake enthusiastically. There is certainly potential for the discovery of burials within the area, based on previous discoveries and the postulated position of the church."

The search begins on Aug. 25. If remains that could be Richard III are found, they will be subject to DNA analysis at the University of Leicester.

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[Redspider74]

"A FOCUS, a FOCUS, my kingdom for a FORD FOCUS !"

[MagnaCartaUK]

Richard the III and his rule must be familiar to every school-child in Britain. He was said to have been in his mother's womb for two years - and emerged with shoulder-length hair and a full set of teeth. I doubt that, but as much as he was scheming, cruel, brutal, and may have been responsible for the murder of the two 12 year old princes, he was also a cultured man, an adept organizer, and brave in battle. Bosworth decided the War of the Roses, (the Houses of Lancaster and York). Medieval era battles were always bloody affairs - longbowmen would fire wave after wave of arrows, whilst a mass of foot-soilders would hack and bludgeon each other to death until, and usually after many exhausting hours, a victor finally emerged. Living just outside a town that dates back to Roman times that's full of history, I'm fortunate enough to live a few hundred yards from a similar early battle - and damned eerie it is too when walking by it at night. It's to be hoped that Richard's remains are found. He may have been Shakespeare's Devil, but such things are of national historical importance. Under a car-park though.... some things never change.

[Molly-Pchr]

My favorite king is Henry II, is there a Henry II society, and can anyone join?

[formerlyluvnut]

Yawnnnnn.

[jschm2681]

Just because the story has no sex, or violence in it doesn't mean people are not interested in history. If you're bored, you didn;t need to comment. Some people find this interesting.

[hypnotoad72]

jschm2681 -

+1

[credibility2]

You'd think better historical records would have been kept somewhere given that he was the king. Interesting that this is still a mystery and studied and looked into.

[Jaylah54200]

You don't suppose the records maybe got lost in the over 600 YEARS since he died?

[TudorNerd]

I think it may have something to do with the fact that his kingship was actually tenuous, at best, and the fact that he was defeated by the man who would become Henry VII. There was a lot of dispute over this time period, even after the War of the Roses, about who the rightful king really was, and the person on the throne at the time would do whatever possible to eliminate competition. In this case, it's possible that Henry VII, whose claim to the throne was equally questionable, might have wanted to destroy anything relating to Richard III. I'm not sure- just my thoughts...

[zenseekercu]

It's really fascinating historically. The Yorkists had a claim to the throne. They claimed that King Henry (can't recall if it was the VII or VII) was illegitimate, not fathered by the next-in-line to the throne, but by an outsider. There were two young princes also ahead of Henry who stood to inherit the throne who mysteriously disappeared. (Search the boys in the tower.)

[carolhill814]

All I can say is GOOD LUCK!!!

[imnho]

All for the loss of a horse shoe nail.

[Scimajor]

Someone's been reading Shakespeare. :-)