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.
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.
New Data Protection laws are due to come into effect on 25th May 2018. The Society will now require consent from Members in order to contact them. For more information please click 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 Society memorial service for the late Dr John Ashdown-Hill will take place at Westminster Cathedral on Friday 16th November at 2.30pm. Society members are invited to attend along with John's family and friends. Please confirm your attendance with the Society Events Co-ordinator Jeanette Melbourne.
Following the service, a reception will be held in the Cathedral hall at 3.30pm, where refreshments will be served. The capacity of the hall is limited, therefore if requests to attend the reception exceed capacity a ballot will be held to ensure fair selection.
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!
The battle of Bosworth was one of the most significant events in English history. It is remarkable for the fact that it featured the final cavalry charge of the last English king to die in battle. This event led to the end of over three hundred years of Plantagenet rule, and the beginning of the Tudor era.
Despite being a Society with a research focus firmly on events of the past, we are in no way opposed to technological progress. It was indeed more recent advances in genetics and DNA fingerprinting which allowed King Richard himself to be identified once his remains were located beneath the Social Services car park in Leicester in 2012. However, we are concerned that something as historically and culturally important as the battlefield, which has a direct relevance to the king now buried in Leicester Cathedral, will be adversely impacted by this development. We appreciate the need to test this new technology but by its nature, and bearing in mind the speed of future technological advances, it is likely to become quickly obsolete, whereas the damage done to the battlefield will be irreparable. We are therefore concerned that the battlefield will be lost for a project which may be important in the short term, but is unlikely to have a significant lasting value across centuries to come. This being the case, surely an alternative site can be found, where our heritage will not be destroyed?
We appeal to the Councillors on the Planning Committee of Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council to listen, not just to us, but to many of the local residents who have recently commented publicly and signed a petition against this development along with other groups who feel as we do and whose work supports important local tourism in the area. Amongst those are the Battlefields Trust, the Richard III Loyal Supporters, the Henry Tudor Society, and the many, many other experts in their fields who hold such strong opinions on this issue they have sent us the statements of support that are included with this letter.
Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council are the custodians of this unique and historically important place. We implore you to make the right decision and protect the battlefield for future generations. Our trust is in you to ensure that the site can be enjoyed in years to come, as it has been over its long and revealing history.
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.
Leicester Mercury unearths plans to build on part of the historic Bosworth Battlefield site, where King Richard lost his life 533 years ago yesterday. more …
Please visit our 
page.
• 15 December: Christmas at Fotheringhay
• 2019 Society Events will be posted here once confirmed
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.