Achievements

Since its inception, the Society has organized research and commemorative projects including:

• publishing the British Library Harleian Manuscript 433, the record of Richard III’s grants and letters, described as ‘the most complete collection of medieval signet material to survive’. The British Library Harleian Manuscript 433 has been made available via the Society’s Ricardian Resources here;

• establishing the Richard III and the Yorkist History Trust to ‘further education, learning and research related to the history of late medieval England’, taking over the Society’s publishing programme of primary source material;

• research projects including the Index to Testators 1399-1540, The Logge Register of PCC Wills 1479-1486, English Wills proved in the Prerogative Court of York, 1477-1499, The Milles Register of PCC Wills, 1487-1491, Inquisitions Post Mortem for the reign of Richard III, and a new translation of Polydore Vergil’s Life of Richard III;

• a statue of Richard, commissioned by the Society, created by James Butler R.A. Originally sited in Leicester Castle Gardens, it was moved to the city’s Cathedral Gardens in 2014 ahead of Richard’s reburial in Leicester Cathedral;

• a memorial plaque to commemorate the burial of Richard’s Queen, Anne Neville, in Westminster Abbey;

• a commemorative stained glass window in St Alkelda’s Church, Middleham;

• establishment of the Ricardian Churches Restoration Fund;

• receiving our Grant of Arms from the Royal College of Arms;

• installation of a series of commemorative plaques at various sites of Ricardian interest, including Fotheringhay, Leicester, Norwich, Mechlan, Clare Priory and more recently Bestwood Lodge in Nottingham and the Angel & Royal in Grantham;

• Publication of ‘The Ricardian Century: A History of the Richard III Society’ by John Saunders, commemorating 100 years of the Richard III Society.