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 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 (to be published soon), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem for the reign of Richard III, a new translation of Polydore Vergil’s Life of Richard III, the Middleham Accounts for the year 1464-5 and 1473-4, the Itinerary of Richard as Duke of Gloucester and a calendar of warrants for issues from the exchequer for the Yorkist kings (to be published online soon).

• 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, Mechelen, 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.