The Richard III Society
Promoting research into the life and times of Richard III since 1924
Patron: HRH The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO
| Memorial Stone at Bosworth | Trent Bridge: Richard would have crossed leaving Nottingham for Leicester en route to Bosworth | Richard, the Warrior King |
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.
Please visit our 
page.
The annual Bosworth commemoration will this year be a little different, with an 'alternative' version of the battle — with King Richard emerging victorious — will be staged at 11.00am on the mornings of Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th August. press release …
Saturday 18th August — Choral Evensong at Leicester Cathedral. A special service of Choral Evensong with rose laying to mark the anniversary of the death of King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 will be held in Leicester Cathedral on Saturday 18 August 2018 at 5.30pm to be followed by refreshments in the Cathedral.
Preacher: The Bishop of Loughborough Service sung by the Choir of St Wulfrum’s, Grantham. All are welcome
There will be the usual parade with the banners and Society Chairman, Phil Stone, will lay a wreath at King Richard’s tomb.
Wednesday 22nd August — Commemorative rose laying at Bosworth Battlefield Led by The Right Reverend Martyn Snow, Bishop of Leicester, and Reverend Julia Hargreaves, at the Memorial Sundial, Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre. Event starts at 11am, all are welcome. more …
The Society's non-fiction librarian
It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of our Non-Fiction Librarian Keith Horry, who passed away on the 19 July after a period of illness. He had been librarian since 2006. There will be a full obituary and other tributes in December’s Bulletin. In the meantime, we extend our deepest sympathy to his widow Lisa and son Gareth.
Lisa Horry has very kindly agreed to maintain the library until a replacement librarian can be found but we ask members to show patience when applying to borrow books and to appreciate that Lisa is undertaking the librarian’s role at a very difficult time.
The Society will now be recruiting a new Non-Fiction Librarian, so please see the forthcoming September Bulletin for further details.
Phil Stone for the Executive Committee
A recent newspaper report announced that newly discovered DNA could prove whether Richard III murdered the princes in the Tower. What is the real significance of this discovery? more …
It is with sadness that we announce the passing on 18th May 2018 of Dr John Ashdown-Hill. A prolific and popular author, John played an important, not to say critical, role in the Looking for Richard Project. It was he who tracked down Mike Ibsen, one of the two whose DNA helped to confirm that the remains in the car park were actually those of King Richard. When we first learnt of John’s illness, one could only wonder how long he had before he succumbed, motor neurone disease coming in various forms, some worse than others. For John, his passing was probably a blessing though he will be much missed by his friends and members of the Society. Our thoughts and prayers go with them all at this time. The news comes too late for the June issue of the Ricardian Bulletin but there will be a full tribute in the September issue.
Executive Committee
Louis John Frederick Ashdown-Hill MBE FSA, 5 April 1949 – 18 May 2018
We feel very honoured to have known Dr John Ashdown-Hill and extremely privileged to have worked with him on the Looking for Richard Project. John will always be remembered for his ground-breaking discovery of King Richard’s mtDNA and for his crucial work in helping to debunk the widely believed myth that Richard’s remains had been thrown into the river Soar at the Dissolution – achievements which led directly to the discovery of the king’s grave and international headlines. As well as an astute and inspirational historian and genealogist, John was also a talented linguist, fluent in many languages including Latin. more …
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.
Find out more about events organised by Society Branches and Groups in your local area and beyond.
• 19 August: Bosworth Commemoration and Medieval Festival
• 22 September: Stonor House and gardens
• 29 September: AGM and Members Day at the Grand Hotel, Leicester
• 15 December: Christmas at Fotheringhay
The list of venues which offer discounted entry rates for holders of a Richard III Society membership card.
The Society will also have stalls at the following 2018 festivals:
• 18—19 August: Bosworth Medieval Festival
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.