homehome Home chatchat Notifications


Archaeology team announces finding Grey Friars church - the burial place of Richard III

University of Leicester announced the discovery of what they believe to be the medieval Grey Friars Church – the almost mythical burial place of Richard III. Richard III only ruled England for two years, but his reign was memorable from a number of points of view. He was the last king of the House of […]

Mihai Andrei
September 5, 2012 @ 1:16 pm

share Share

University of Leicester announced the discovery of what they believe to be the medieval Grey Friars Church – the almost mythical burial place of Richard III.

Richard III only ruled England for two years, but his reign was memorable from a number of points of view. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty; he was the last English king to be killed in battle, and his defeat at the Battle of Bosworth Field was the decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses – it is also regarded by some as the end of the Middle ages in England.

Archaeologists from the University of Leicester have been leading the search to find his tomb for quite a while now, and they announced they have overcome the first significant hurdle of their investigation, making a huge step forward in the search for the church. In 1485, after Richard was defeated and killed, he was stripped and despoiled, and brought to Leicester to be buried. However, the Franciscan church known as the Grey Friars church was abandoned and the location was lost – until now, that is.

“The discoveries so far leave us in no doubt that we are on the site of Leicester’s Franciscan Friary, meaning we have crossed the first significant hurdle of the investigation. It is remarkable that the third trench has now made us certain that we have located the Friary church – not only a huge step forward in the search for the remains of Richard III, but also important new evidence for one of Leicester’s major religious buildings, lost for over 400 years.”, said Richard Buckley, Co-Director of University of Leicester Archaeological Services, lead archaeologist of the project.

The odds are Richard’s tomb is indeed located in the church they found, but even without it, the discovery is absolutely monumental.

“At the beginning of the project, I cannot say I was completely confident about finding the remains of the Friary, let alone getting closer to the presumed burial place of Richard III. The trenches could easily have missed the structures we have found, had they been located differently, or we could have found that the evidence had already been destroyed by later development on the site.”, added Mr. Buckley.

Source

share Share

The Story Behind This Female Pharaoh's Broken Statues Is Way Weirder Than We Thought

New study reveals the ancient Egyptian's odd way of retiring a pharaoh.

A Medieval Sword Sat Hidden in a Dutch River for 1,000 Years Until Construction Workers Found It

Surely whoever who pulled it out should now be king.

Scientists Just Proved Ancient Humans Were in North America 10,000 Years Earlier Than We Thought

Ancient mud tells a story critics can no longer ignore

The world's oldest boomerang is even older than we thought, but it's not Australian

The story of the boomerang goes back in time even more.

Construction Workers in Denmark Uncover Viking Graves Linked to King Bluetooth

A stunning Viking Age cemetery reveals lives of privilege, politics—and perhaps servitude.

Archaeologists Find Mysterious Stone Slab With 255 Runes in Canada

A 200-year-old runic Lord’s Prayer found in Ontario defies easy explanation.

Scientists Discover One of the Oldest Known Matrilineal Societies in Human History

The new study uncovered a 250-year lineage organized by maternal descent.

The World’s Coolest Jigsaw Puzzle Is a Roman Masterpiece From Ancient London

Fragments reveal a luxury villa’s lost grandeur — and the artist who almost signed it.

Stunning 12-Ton Assyrian Relief Unearthed in Iraq Reveals Legendary King Alongside the Gods

The king was flanked by gods and mythical guardians.

The Face of a Ghost: 146,000-Year-Old Skull Finally Reveals What Denisovans Looked Like

We've had a Denisovan skull for almost a century and never even knew.