The Richard III Society
Promoting research into the life and times of Richard III since 1924
Patron: HRH The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO
Richard III by Andrew Jamieson,
© Richard III Society.
Welcome to the website of the Richard III Society. We have been working since 1924 to secure a more balanced assessment of the king and to support research into his life and times. The rediscovery of his remains and their re-interment in Leicester Cathedral have raised the king’s profile and provided us with new opportunities to make the case for a reappraisal of his life and role in English history.
In the belief that many features of the traditional accounts of the character and career of Richard III are neither supported by sufficient evidence nor reasonably tenable, the Society aims to promote, in every possible way, research into the life and times of Richard III, and to secure a reassessment of the material relating to this period, and of the role of this monarch in English history.
"… the purpose—and indeed the strength—of the Richard III Society derives from the belief that the truth is more powerful than lies; a faith that even after all these centuries the truth is important. It is proof of our sense of civilised values that something as esoteric and as fragile as reputation is worth campaigning for." Our Patron - the present Richard, Duke of Gloucester. more …
Visit the membership section to learn more about how to join the Society. Membership starts from as little as £12 per year.
The Ricardian is the academic journal of the Richard III Society. Since 2002 it has been published as an annual journal. For more information click here.
Introductory Reading list.
The Society's shop contains books, postcards, prints and much much more. To see what is available to buy please view our catalogue.
The Barton Library contains hundreds of titles, both non-fiction and fiction that are available for members to borrow. For more information click here.
The Society has a Privacy Policy and you can view it here.
We will sometimes send out emails with the latest news, or information about events we think may be of interest to you. Any member wishing to join, or re-join, our mailing list should e-mail our Communications Manager, Amanda Geary. Please note that the mailing list is available to Society members only.
'A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreement with the University of Leicester regarding the appropriate use of the images of King Richard’s remains has been obtained. Following a meeting with the University on 29th July 2016 to discuss the use of images, Philippa and I are pleased to announce that the MoU between our two organisations has now been signed and is published here.'
Phil Stone, Society Chairman.
Read full statement.
The Ricardian is the historical journal of the Richard III Society, sent annually to all members. Now for the first time, back-copies of the Ricardian are available online in their entirety, from the early years up to and including 2010.
Containing many fascinating articles on topics ranging from specific Ricardian issues such as the 'Princes in the Tower', and the pre-contract, to discussions of Richard's favourite saints and more general fifteenth century issues such as aspects of political and social life and biographies of people relevant to Richard III, The Ricardian is an invaluable tool in studying the life and times of King Richard.
The Ricardian Online is available by following the 'Ricardian Online' link in the top right-hand corner of all pages of this web site.
To coincide with the Society's AGM and Member's Day in Edinburgh later this year, the Ricardian Sites section of this website has been updated to include sections on Edinburgh and Scotland. These guides should help identify Ricardian hot-spots in and around the historic capital of Scotland.
We are pleased to announce that we have upgraded the Gift Membership presentation pack. This will now be packaged in a smart dark blue box containing all the information and past publications necessary to the new member. It will make a memorable gift. A specific form is available for anyone who wishes to give a gift membership. This can be downloaded from the Society Membership page of the website or obtained from E-Mediacy via e-mail or hard copy in the post. There is a one-off charge of £5.00 to cover the additional costs of the new package.
To celebrate the completion of the restoration and conservation work in Fotheringhay Church, there is to be a concert of music from the time of Richard III.
The concert will be on Saturday, 25th May at 7pm in the church. The Alamire Scholars Choir from Cambridge will sing and organ music will be played on a re-made medieval organ by James Parsons.
Tickets are £25.00 and £20.00 (for restricted views) and are available from Lady Victoria Leatham at Garden Farmhouse, Fotheringhay, PE8 5HZ.
Cheques should be made out to ‘Friends of Fotheringhay Church’. Tickets can be collected at the church on the day or posted to you.
Phil Stone
Chairman and Fotheringhay Coordinator
The Society has been advised that Leicester Cathedral will not be holding a special service for the anniversary of King Richard's reinterment on the weekend of 23rd/24th March, but the anniversary will be mentioned at Choral Evensong on 26th March.
The Ricardian Bulletin, the Society’s quarterly members’ magazine, publishes a number of historical articles in each issue. To enable these articles to reach a wider readership we are making a selection available on the Society’s website. Over time we will be adding further articles from the Bulletin’s archive to the Society’s website. The current selection can be accessed here.
We are extremely disappointed that Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council have decided to take the very short-sighted decision to grant permission for Horiba Mira to build on part of the registered battlefield of Bosworth, putting financial concerns above the history and heritage of this country. We will be consulting with our friends and colleagues in the Battlefields Trust over the next few days to decide on our next course of action. In the meantime, we would like to express our gratitude to the many hundreds of people who have supported us in our campaign to save the battlefield. Thank you!
See all What's New items.
Question: What took three years, untold amounts of grit and graft, and produced a glittering result?
Answer: Philippa Langley's quest for the lost grave of Richard III.
Many, including academics and archaeologists – not to mention the media – are still reeling from a success that can only be called stunning!
Philippa Langley next to the grave.
Philippa Langley knew King Richard III had been 'piteously slain' at Bosworth Field. And she knew the Franciscan Friars of Leicester had laid him to rest in a simple grave. But where to look? Was he still there? And would they let her try to find him?
On 25 August 2012 Philippa Langley's quest for the lost grave of Richard III finally came to fruition!
Find out more …
The Looking for Richard team have compiled some frequently asked questions about the project that found King Richard's final resting place in 2012.
Learn more about Philippa’s exciting new research project, and how you can help.
Read the Reburial Diary and Events held by the Society during the historic week in March 2015 and first anniversary in March 2016.
Updated versions of some of John's Powerpoint presentations are available on his web site where you can download them.
Submissions are invited for the third round in 2018 of the annual / biennial Mortimer History Society Essay Prize. The closing date for entries is 1st December 2018. The aim of the competition is to promote and stimulate scholarly research into and popular interest in:
• the history of the medieval Mortimer family of Wigmore (and it’s cadet branches, e.g. Chirk, Chelmarsh);
• and, the Welsh Marches in the Middle Ages from 1066 to 1500.
Further information on how to enter 2018’s competition can be found here.
Article on the will of Cardinal John Morton
The June issue of the Ricardian Bulletin includes an article by Dr Betty Knott on the will of Cardinal John Morton, based on her transcription and translation of his original Latin will. This article originated from Philippa Langley's The Missing Princes Project.
Space restrictions in the Bulletin meant we were unable to include with the article the full will in both its Latin and English form. However, as we stated in the Bulletin, these are being made available online both here (Latin version and English translation) and on the website of The Missing Princes Project.
The open letter written to the Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council Planning Committee is available to view here.
Please visit our 
page.
• 29 June: Joint Conference with Mortimer History Society, Ludlow
• 18 August: Bosworth commemoration
• 5 October: Member's Day and AGM, Edinburgh
• 14 December: Christmas at Fotheringhay
The list of venues which offer discounted entry rates for holders of a Richard III Society membership card.
Find out more about events organised by Society Branches and Groups in your local area and beyond.
We are pleased to announce that the 2019 AGM will be held in Edinburgh. To date we have not held an AGM north of the border but 2019 will mark 20 years of the Scottish Branch, and it will also be the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Looking for Richard Project which started in Edinburgh.