The Plantagenets 1154-1495 Henry II to Richard III

[Wombat]

The hair that could unlock the riddle of the Princes in the Tower ~ Daily Mail

The mystery of what happened to the Princes in the Tower is one of the most enduring in English history.

[agentblueberry]

 :happy:  wow! it would be great to know if it really is them,a nd end the mystery of it all!

[Cassidy]

The boys - then aged just 12 and nine - were locked up in the Tower of London and never seen again.

:cry:

[truly_thata]

scary :(

[heather]

  Scary isn't the word for what happened to them. :cry:

       

[heather]

  I have always thought Henry VII was responsible for their deaths.

[T125eagle]

im almost halfway through with that book from the link too! its a good book. i hope the DNA works. id love to know myself

[cinrit]

Richard III: Leicester Archaeologists May Extend Grave Hunt

Fragments of medieval window The team have found pieces of window stone which may show they are in the right part of the church

Archaeologists hunting King Richard III's lost grave say the dig could be extended if they believe a breakthrough is close.

Richard III was killed by the forces of the future Henry VII at the Battle of Bosworth in Leicestershire in 1485.

Historians traced his burial to a long-demolished friary in Leicester, which archaeologists have now located.

The dig is due to finish on Friday but more work could be done if the team feel a major discovery is likely.

BBC News - Richard III: Leicester archaeologists may extend grave hunt 

Cindy

[Windsor]

If the bones are of King Richard III, then perhaps a proper funeral can be arranged and a place at Westminster Abbey or St. George's Chapel found.

[missbliss]

Fascinating that the skeleton are of a man who suffered from scoliosis - which would have given him a crooked appearance! 

[cinrit]

Richard III: 'When I saw the skull, the hair on the back of my neck stood up'

As far as Diana Thompson is concerned, the matter is beyond question. She hung a white boar flag from her front window the day she heard archaeologists had found the bones of a man with a twisted spine in a scruffy car park near her home in Leicester.

Sceptics may scoff, and results of an attempt to extract DNA and match it to descendants are not due until Christmas, but Thompson is adamant that the bones now resting in a safe in the archaeology and ancient history department of Leicester University are those of the last Plantagenet, Richard III, who rode out of Leicester on the morning of 22 August 1485 a king, and came back a naked corpse slung over the pommel of a horse.

"I've always been for Richard – I had to be, I went to the Richard III School for Girls. I know it is him – and I can tell you who did the wicked deed, it was Henry Tudor, without a shadow of a doubt, that's who killed him."

Like thousands of local residents who queued around the block on the final open day, Thompson wanted a last look at the hole in the ground where the remains were found. This week, the mounds of soil and stone will be refilled, the blue plastic fencing will come down, and the cars will return.

Richard III: 'When I saw the skull, the hair on the back of my neck stood up' | Science | guardian.co.uk 

Cindy

[cinrit]

Richard III Descendant's 'Shock' at Genetic Link

A London carpenter has been describing how his quiet life has changed since discovering he is a descendant of the last English king to die in battle - Richard III.

A historian spent years using records and census documents to find descendants of the King's sister Anne and eventually tracked down Michael Ibsen, from Archway, via his mother's side of the family.

Mr Ibsen was contacted by archaeologists who believe they have unearthed the remains of the last Plantagenet king in a Leicester car park and he gave a DNA sample.

BBC News - Richard III descendant's 'shock' at genetic link 

Cindy

[cinrit]

Richard III Dig: MP Calls for State Funeral

A Leicester MP has called for bones found under a city car park to be given a state funeral, if they prove to be those of Richard III.

The king was killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 but his burial site was lost beneath later development.

A battle-scarred skeleton found by archaeologists last month is undergoing DNA tests to confirm it is the monarch.

Leicester South MP Jon Ashworth has said the ceremony should reflect his status and his Catholic faith.

BBC News - Richard III dig: MP calls for state funeral 

Richard III Dig: Leicester Cathedral 'Obvious Choice' for Burial

The Bishop of Leicester says the city's cathedral would be the obvious place for Richard III to be buried if bones found by archaeologists prove to be his.

Leicester South MP Jon Ashworth has called for a state funeral to be held if tests in December confirm the remains are those of the former king.

The Rt Rev Tim Stevens said details of a possible service would need to be carefully worked out but felt Leicester Cathedral was the most logical location to host the burial.

BBC News - Richard III dig: Leicester Cathedral 'obvious choice' for burial 

Cindy

[cinrit]

Richard III Dig: MPs Discuss Cities' Claim to Bones

A parliamentary debate has been held on where a skeleton that could be that of Richard III should be interred.

The bones were found in September by archaeologists digging beneath a car park in Leicester.

MPs from Leicester, Nottinghamshire and York discussed a permanent grave but officials said precedent meant Leicester cathedral was favourite.

DNA results on the bones are being compared to that of living descendants of the king, who was killed in 1485.

BBC News - Richard III dig: MPs discuss cities' claim to bones

That Richard III... Is 'e Still On the Electoral Roll in York?

Here is the news: MPs yesterday discussed burial arrangements for King Richard III of England (d. 1485).

Thursday sittings now begin at 9.30am, an hour earlier than was the case. Some Hon Members are struggling with this. Faced with a choice between departmental questions and their breakfast snorker, many are opting for  the snorker.

On the green benches yesterday morning there were almost as many holes in the ranks as there were at the Battle of Bosworth when Richard of York lost his horse and his life.

Quentin Letts: That Richard III... is 'e still on the electoral roll in York? | Mail Online 

Cindy

[cinrit]

Hunt for Richard III: Woman's Skeleton Found By Archaeologists

Mystery surrounds the identity of a woman's skeleton found by archaeologists searching for the remains of King Richard III.

The team carrying out the dig under the car park in Leicester city centre, which is thought to have been the site of the monarch's last resting place at the Church of Grey Friars, are examining the second set of remains.

Mathew Morris, from the University of Leicester Archaeological Services, said the identity of the woman may never be uncovered.
"We know of at least one woman connected with the friary, Ellen Luenor, a possible benefactor and founder with her husband, Gilbert," he said.

"However, the friary would have administered to the poor, sick and homeless as well, and without knowing where Ellen Luenor had been originally buried we are unlikely to ever know who the remains are of, or why she was buried there."

Hunt for Richard III: woman's skeleton found by archaeologists - Telegraph 

Cindy

[cinrit]

Richard III dig: Results expected in January

Archaeologists who discovered a skeleton thought to be Richard III have said it could be January before tests confirm whether it is the former king.

The remains were found underneath a Leicester car park on the former site of the Greyfriars church in September.

Prof Lynn Foxhall, from the University of Leicester, said the team has got to be sure of its facts before it confirmed whether it was the monarch.

BBC News - Richard III dig: Results expected in January 

Cindy

[cinrit]

Richard III dig: Tests on Bones Continue

A team examining the suspected remains of Richard III say they have yet to find any evidence to disprove it is the king's body, but are still awaiting some results.

Experts at the University of Leicester have been analysing the bones since they were discovered beneath a car park in the city in September.

They are awaiting DNA test results before announcing their conclusions.

The team said evidence still pointed to it being the king.

BBC News - Richard III dig: Tests on bones continue 

Cindy

[cinrit]

King Richard III's Medieval Inn Recreated by Archaeologists

The medieval inn in Leicester where King Richard III slept before riding out to meet his fate at the battle of Bosworth has been recreated by the team of archaeologists and academics who dug up a local car park this summer searching for his bones.

News of their discovery of the remains of a man with a twisted spine and a gaping war wound, in the foundations of a long demolished abbey, created ripples of excitement around the world. Results of the scientific tests on the remains have not been announced, though there have been rumours that they proved inconclusive. Although DNA has been extracted from far older bones, the success of the technique depends on the quality of their preservation.

The DNA test results, which might establish whether the bones could really be Richard's, are expected next month, but meanwhile The Blue Boar inn has risen again in model and digital form, recreated from detailed drawings found in the archives of a local family.

King Richard III's medieval inn recreated by archaeologists | Science | guardian.co.uk 

Cindy

[cinrit]

A descendant of British monarch Richard III who gave DNA to help identify what may be the king's skeleton said he wants his ancestor's legacy re-examined.

Michael Ibsen, 55, a Canadian man who gave a DNA sample to experts attempting to determine whether the skeleton found in September beneath a Leicester, England, parking lot belonged to Richard III, said he does not agree with the king's image as a ruthless, power-hungry hunchback, The Daily Telegraph reported Tuesday.

Ibsen said he sides with historians who say much of the image of Richard, who was killed during his defeat at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, comes from Tudor propaganda designed to discredit the king and his family.

Michael Ibsen gave DNA to help identify king's possible skeleton - UPI.com 

Cindy

[cinrit]

Richard III dig: Conclusions to be Revealed in Weeks

Conclusions of investigations into human remains thought to be those of Richard III are due to be revealed in the first week of February.

Experts at the University of Leicester have been analysing the bones since they were discovered beneath a car park in the city in September.

They are awaiting DNA test results before revealing their conclusions.

Circumstantial evidence points to the remains being those of the English king, the team has said.

BBC News - Richard III dig: Conclusions to be revealed in weeks 

Cindy

[cinrit]

Richard III: The Mystery of the King and the Car Parking Lot

Leicester, England (CNN) -- The line snakes around the block, hundreds of people wrapped up against the early autumn chill. The crowd waits patiently as a sensibly-dressed, middle-aged woman wanders along the queue, handing out flyers and apologizing for the delay.

"He's been waiting hundreds of years," says one woman, gesturing towards the archway up ahead with a smile. "It won't kill us to hang on for half an hour."

"He" is Richard III, one of the most famous kings of England, remembered by school children and Shakespeare aficionados alike as a notorious villain, hunchbacked and hateful, accused of killing his own nephews, the "Princes in the Tower," to usurp the throne, and whose whereabouts were, until recently, a complete mystery.

Richard III: The mystery of the king and the car parking lot - CNN.com 

Cindy

[Windsor]

BBC News - Richard III dig: DNA confirms bones are king's

A skeleton found beneath a Leicester car park has been confirmed as that of English king Richard III.

Experts from the University of Leicester said DNA from the bones matched that of descendants of the monarch's family.

Lead archaeologist Richard Buckley, from the University of Leicester, told a press conference to applause: "Beyond reasonable doubt it's Richard."

Richard, who died in battle 1485, will be reinterred in Leicester Cathedral

[Windsor]

BBC News - Richard III: The twisted bones that reveal a king

[cinrit]

I don't know why I was always under the impression that he was older ...

Cindy

[Mike]

Body found under parking lot is King Richard III, scientists prove - CNN.com

Where does skeleton revelation leave legend of Richard III? - CNN.com