Today the University of Leicester announced DNA results on skeletal remains found whilst excavating the remains of Greyfriars church in the City of Leicester and confirmed there are King Richard III’s. This is the culmination of months of work carried out by the University of Leicester and other organisations.
The project started in August 2012 when the University of Leicester in partnership with Richard III Society and Leicester City Council commenced their search for the lost grave of King Richard III the last Plantagenet King of England.
Project Team were as Follows
Richard Buckley
Project Manager on the Greyfriars Dig and Director of the University of Leicester Archaeological Services
Mathew Morris
Fieldwork Director on the Greyfriars Dig and Archaeologist at University of Leicester Archaeological Services
Dr Jo Appleby
Lecturer in Bioarchaeology in the University of Leicester’s School of Archaeology and Ancient History
Dr Turi King
Lecturer in Genetics and Archaeology in the University of Leicester’s Department of Genetics
Professor Lin Foxhall
Head of the University of Leicester’s School of Archaeology and Ancient History and Professor of Greek Archaeology and History
Professor Kevin Schürer
The University of Leicester’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor with responsibility for Research and Enterprise
Dr John Ashdown-Hill
Historian and Author
Philippa Langley
Secretary of the Scottish Branch of the Richard III Society
Annette Carson
Author
Dominic Sewell
Expert in Medieval Horsemanship
Dr Tobias Capwell
Expert in Medieval and Renaissance Weapons
Dr Julian Boon
Chartered Forensic Psychologist at the University of Leicester
Professor Mark Lansdale
Head of the School of Psychology at the University of Leicester
Robert C Woosnam-Savage AMA
Curator of European Edged Weapons at the Royal Armouries Museum
How did Richard become King?
King Richard III ruled England from the 26th of June 1483 to 22nd August 1485 during the War of the Roses a conflict between two branches of the House of Plantagenet the House of York and the House of Lancaster both had Claims to the English Throne.
Richard was born in to the House of York he was the youngest brother of King Edward IV and Uncle to Edward V. Richard amassed a large amount of land and was appointed to some of the highest offices in the land. Following the death of his brother Edward IV Richard was appointed Lord Protector and regent to Edward V.
Edward V and his brother Prince Richard Duke of York stayed at the Tower of London to prepare for Edward’s Coronation which was repeatedly postponed. In the summer of 1483 the Princes disappeared and are never seen again, their later became known as the Princes in the Tower believe to have been murdered on whose orders we don’t know some believe Richard had them killed so he could inherit the throne others think that is false and was a lie spread by the Tudor Monarchs who succeeded him.
On the 25th of June 1483 the English Parliament pass an act called the Titulus Regius declaring Edward IV’s Marriage was invalided and his children illegitimate granting the Throne to Richard.
How did King Richard died and where he was buried?
King Richard was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field on the 22nd August 1485 where Richard and his Yorkist army fought Henry Tudor and is Lancastrians. The Lancastrians won the battle with Richard’s death Henry became King Henry VII. The Battle of Bosworth Field was the last battle in the war of the Roses. When Richard’s body was found it was stripped naked and placed on the back of a horse and sent to Leicester his body was displayed at Lancastrian Collegiate foundation of the Annunciation of Our Lady as a warning to his supporters. Then the Grey Friars of Leicester a group of Franciscan Monks of the Order of Friars Minor ask permission from King Henry VII if they could take Richard’s body and buried it in their church which he granted and also paid for a memorial to be placed over Richards grave.
How was King Richard III’s grave lost?
In November 1538 Greyfriars Church seized by the Crown as part of the Dissolution of the monasteries after dissolving the Friary the Church was dismantled and the Land sold. Subsequent building in the last 475 years meant the exact location of the grave was lost.
Finding Greyfriars Church
After searching the archives the team identified two potential areas of excavation:
1. Leicester City Council Social Services car park
2. The Former Alderman Newton’s School Playground
The team then use ground-penetrating radar to narrow the search before excavating. The team dig a total of four trenches in which they found the Greyfriars Church. The team found several sets of human remains including skeletal remains within the Choir of the Church were King Richard was believed to be buried. The skeleton ideal candidate to be Richard III now the team had to prove it.
Proving the Skeleton was King Richard
To prove that the Skeleton was King Richard samples of bone were sent for Radiocarbon dating the test show the bones were from AD1475-1530 the right time period but not absolute proof only DNA testing could prove it was Richard.
Scientists had to find Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) which is traceable but is only passed from mother to daughter males cannot pass on the Mitochondrial DNA so the hunt was on to find relations of King Richard who were from a female line only.
Finding King Richard’s family
In 2003 Dr John Ashdown-Hill had researched for Female only lines and found a relation of Richard through his sister Anne of York, Duchess of Exeter a Canadian named Michael Ibsen. Michael had the Mitochondrial DNA the Scientists were looking for and donated a sample as a male Michel cannot pass on the Mitochondrial DNA to his heirs so this female only line dies with him.
Michael’s Lineage
Anne of York, Duchess of Exeter
Anne St Leger
Catherine Manners
Barbara Constable
Margaret Babthorpe
Barbara Cholmley
Barbara Belasyse
Barbara Slingsby
Barbara Talbot
Barbara Yelverton
Barbara Calthorpe
Barbara Gough
Anne Spooner
Charlotte Vansittart Neale
Charlotte Vansittart Frere
Muriel Stokes
Joy M Brown
Michael Ibsen
Researchers then identified a second Female only line whose heir donated a sample of their DNA but wished to remain anonymous.
The DNA Test Results
Michael Ibsen and the anonymous persons DNA match proving they were related Scientists then compered their DNA to the Greyfriars Skeleton it matched Verifying the skeletal remains found within the Choir of the Church were King Richard III.
The Future Plans
Following today’s Announcement the Mayor of Leicester Sir Peter Soulsby declare their will be a permanent Richard III Visitors centre close to the Dig site were Richard was found and will be open by 2014. Sir Peter also confirmed that King Richard’s remains will be buried in Leicester cathedral in early 2014.
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