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. Many of the editions and articles are now available online through the Ricardian Online website.
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 Web Content Manager, Katie Dungate confirming their wish to be added to the list and providing their Membership Number details. Please note that the mailing list is available to Society members only, and your contact details will not be provided to any third parties.
Following the information in the March Bulletin about the need for all members to re-register their Society membership as we change to a Company Limited by Guarantee, I can now confirm that an explanatory letter and form for re-registration will be sent out to all members in a few days. I would urge everyone to complete and return the form in the pre-paid envelope provided to ensure that your membership continues after September.
Sue Wells
Membership Officer
'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 Richard III Society is offering a prize of £200 for the best essay on a topic relevant to The Life and Times of Richard, Duke of Gloucester (Richard III) 1452-85 submitted either as coursework or an EPQ to an awarding body by the end of May 2021.
There will be second prize of £100 and a third prize of £50. All entries judged to be of at least grade A quality will qualify for one year’s free membership of the Richard III Society.
An intention to submit an essay should be sent by 31st October 2020 to education@richardiii.net stating the student’s name, their school or college name and the proposed essay title. The judges will be a panel of published authors on 15th century history. The deadline for sending entries will be dependent on the state of play of exams in 2021 and will be posted on the Richard III Society website. This deadline will be no earlier than the end of May 2021. Entrants must be under the age of 19 by 1st September 2021 and attending a school or college in the United Kingdom. Prize winners will be notified by 30th September 2021.
Iain Farrell, Education Officer
We are pleased to say that the operational issues with the Society's PayPal account (richard3society@yahoo.com) have been solved and the account is operational again. Apologies to any member who has been inconvenienced by its short suspension. John Whiting, Treasurer
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, public commemorations of the Battle of Bosworth have necessarily had to be cancelled. However, both Bosworth Heritage Centre and Leicester Cathedral are holding events virtually to ensure the 535th anniversary is not forgotten.
The Society will shortly be making digitised versions of these two publications available online. Before doing so, we are delighted to offer hard copies of both at a special price. Both volumes offer fascinating insights into everyday life and society in fifteenth-century England. Please note that all copies of the English Wills have now sold out. For further information about these publications and how to order please click here.
It is with great pleasure that we announce the appointment of Iain Farrell to the post of Education Officer.
Iain is a retired secondary school teacher and is currently chair of governors of a community school in London. He has also been a schools inspector and is, therefore, fully cognisant with the education system in this country. He has a strong interest in fifteenth century English history and has recently been working with Philippa Langley on the Missing Princes Project, focussing on documents in the National Archives, Kew.
Having done considerable research into the current curricula for all levels of history teaching where the fifteenth century is concerned, Iain’s initial focus will be on producing supporting material for A level and the EPQ.
We wish him well and look forward to an interesting future.
The Board of the Richard III Society, CLG
It is with great reluctance that the Leicestershire branch and the Norfolk branch have had to cancel their study days. The Leicestershire event was scheduled for September 26th 2020 and the Norfolk event for November 7th 2020. We do not know if the chosen venues will be open again by then and even if they are, social distancing would be very difficult, if not impossible.
We were not in time to prevent these events being advertised again in the June bulletin, but they have now been cancelled.
We apologise for any inconvenience this causes but feel that everyone’s safety is paramount in these difficult times.
Branches and Groups Coordinator.
In these uncertain times it is unclear whether large gatherings will be possible in the foreseeable future. Our intended venue for the 2020 AGM and Members’ day was York and it seems highly unlikely that we would be able to hold these in the way we had planned in accordance with social distancing requirements.To give venue and members plenty of notice, we have therefore reluctantly had to cancel the planned Members’ Day and AGM in early October. To ensure we do not disappoint our members who were looking forward to visiting York, we now plan to hold the 2021 Members’ Day and AGM in York.
In the meantime, we do have a legal responsibility to hold an AGM. However, Companies House has stated that more flexibility on the timing and format of AGMs will be allowed due to the current corona virus situation. Click here to read how the Board proposes moving forward in 2020.
The Board of the Richard III Society, CLG
27 May 2020
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.
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 open letter written to the Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council Planning Committee is available to view 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 Ricardian Bulletin, the Society’s quarterly members’ magazine, publishes a number of historical articles in each issue. The current selection can be accessed here.
Please visit our 
page.
• 3 - 5 April: Annual Conference in Exeter "The South West during the Wars of the Roses" **Cancelled**
• 22 - 23 August: Bosworth Medieval Festival **Cancelled**
• 3 October: Society AGM and Member's Day - York **Cancelled**
• 12 December: Christmas at Fotheringhay
Find out more about events organised by Society Branches and Groups in your local area and beyond.
The list of venues which offer discounted entry rates for holders of a Richard III Society membership card.