Governance

The Richard III Society is a company limited by guarantee and is run by a Board of Directors, all of whom are unpaid volunteers. The Board is elected at the Society AGM with a third of the Directors standing for election each year. The Directors are helped in running the Society by a team of volunteers, organising everything from our social media presence to the Barton Library and our attendance at events. The editorships of both The Ricardian and The Ricardian Bulletin are currently paid roles.

The Board currently consists of –

Chair - Graham Mitchell

Graham was born and grew up in Keighley, West Yorkshire and took a Geography degree at Leeds University, followed by a PGCE at Bristol University. He taught at Dudley Boys’ Grammar School in the West Midlands and was Head of Geography at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire from 1974 to 1995. A Founder Member of the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway where he worked as a volunteer guard for 33 years, Graham served as Railway Society Chairman from 1987 to 1999 and is now a Vice President. He was elected to Keighley Town Council in 2002 and served twice as Keighley Town Mayor, standing down in 2015.

Graham joined the Society originally in the 1970s but lapsed under career pressures. He re-joined both the Society and the Yorkshire Branch in 2015, following his viewing of the cortege of King Richard as it passed through the streets of Leicester. He was elected to the committee of the Yorkshire Branch in September 2022 at a time when the Branch had 57 paid-up members. At the Branch AGM of September 2023 Graham was elected Branch Secretary and Membership Officer and is currently also Branch Treasurer. The Yorkshire Branch currently has 174 members.

Graham is a Chorister and Reader at St Anne’s Catholic Church in Keighley where ‘The Bosworth Requiem Mass’ was celebrated on 22nd August 2024. Graham is not a professional historian, and neither an author nor historical researcher, but works to advance a reassessment of the period and the role in history of Richard and his life as Duke and King by presenting illustrated lectures to interested and receptive ‘not-yet Ricardian’ audiences. (Local History Societies, u3a Groups and Rotary Clubs). As source material he draws principally on the research of Matt Lewis, Annette Carson, Philippa Langley, John Ashdown-Hill and other noted Ricardian authors.

Deputy Chair - Sue Ollier

Like so many others, Sue’s Ricardian journey began with The Daughter of Time and the televised Trial of Richard III. A scientist by background she was intrigued by the lack of evidence supporting Shakespeare’s portrayal of Richard and joined the Society via the Beds and Bucks Group in 2012. In 2017 she was co-opted to the Executive Committee as Secretary and served on the Constitution Working Party during the Society’s transition to a CLG, of which she became a founding Director in 2019. After stepping down from the Board and her role as Society Secretary in 2024, she was elected Chair of the Events Committee. She returned to the Board in 2025 and hopes to continue supporting the Society’s mission for a reassessment of the life and work of Richard III whilst working to ensure that the Society delivers events members enjoy. Sue’s non-Ricardian interests include acting as Trustee of her local breast cancer support charity, for which she runs an eBay shop, following Formula 1 and model making.

Secretary and Safeguarding Officer - Jane Trump

Jane has had an interest in history from an early age and her interest in Richard III was piqued through reading Josephine Tey’s The Daughter of Time. Jane joined the Society in 1995 and was Secretary for the Thames Valley Group from 1999 to 2004. In 2001 Jane became the Barton Librarian, hosting the non-fiction books and co-ordinating the whole Barton Library. She gave up this post in 2006 to become Society Secretary, a role she held for 3 years before having to resign due to the pressures of her full-time job. Jane has also been a member of the Research Committee, being their Secretary from 2006 to 2009. Jane retired in 2020 from a long career within an IT consultancy company as a senior PA and Team Manager within the HR department and values the opportunity to use her corporate experience and skills to make a positive contribution to the strategic direction of the Society.  Jane was appointed Secretary of the Society again in 2024.

Treasurer - Neil Trump

Neil joined the Society in 1999 and took on the role of designing and building the Society’s first website, joining the Executive Committee at the same time. Over the next 13 years the website went through several changes as the demand for more material and space was needed. Neil’s role was only meant to be short term but he remained in post for the next 12 to 13 years before stepping down.

After a gap of another 12 to 13 years, Neil has returned to join the Board of Directors in the capacity as Treasurer. However, there is now a team and Neil works with the new Finance Manager, David Withers. Neil and David have different skill sets which they will use to take the Society into the future with a defined strategy plan on tackling existing and new challenges.

Marie Barnfield

Marie has been a member of the Research Committee since 2011 and was the Society’s Non-Fiction Papers Librarian between 2011-2018. She has worked as a transcriber on all the Society’s wills publication projects and is the author of articles on various aspects of Richard’s life. Her Itinerary of Richard Duke of Gloucester from 1452 to 1483, based on original sources, was published in 2024. Marie was elected to the Board at the 2024 AGM.

Research Officer - David Grummitt

David is a historian who grew up near Grantham, Lincolnshire and remembers reading about Richard in the Angel and Royal Inn as a boy. After studying History at the University of Kent, he completed a PhD in London on Calais under the Tudors. His association with the Richard III Society began when it generously funded the final stages of his PhD research. After a long stint at the History of Parliament Trust, he taught at the University of Kent and was Head of Humanities at Canterbury Christ Church University. He is now a Staff Tutor in History at the Open University (as well as being managing editor for several hobby and modelling magazines published by Guideline Publications). He has published several books and numerous articles on the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. The second edition of his Short History of the Wars of the Roses was published in 2025, as was his new study of the military aspects of the Wars of the Roses (The Wars of the Roses: War and Martial Culture in England, 1455-1487 (Oxford University Press).

Hilary Jones

Hilary grew up in rural Warwickshire wearing the badge of the Bear and Ragged Staff during her school years.  Her career in education took her to community and further education colleges in inner-city Coventry and Birmingham. In the years after the riots, she became Deputy Principal, Finance, Corporate Services and Strategy of Handsworth College and when it merged in the late 1990s, she was encouraged by Capita and KPMG to form an outsourcing company which processed student and trainee finance and Inspection data for the Further Education Funding Council.

Having retired, Hilary joined the Richard III Society and its Forum in 2011, just before the heady years of the Leicester discovery. The Forum consists of an eclectic group of individuals wanting to discuss in more depth Richard, his world and other things associated with him, such as books, plays, films, other media and of course topically contentious things too.  Frank, courteous, debate is encouraged and members can agree to continue to differ. In 2016 with the advent of Facebook, the Forum broke off from the Society and she has continued as its Moderator. As a Board member, she will continue with this role and is also leading a team looking at revitalising its current website.

Hilary has degrees in Public Administration and History. In History she specialised in demography and urban studies and is particularly interested in fifteenth century family and commercial ties, including those of the families who surrounded Richard but rarely make the history books. In researching, she also attempts to peel back some of the myths which have been added to original contemporary sources.

Outside of her Society commitments Hilary’s interests include economic history strategy games, photography (LRPS), trying to master the Maple Leaf Rag and acting as Administrator and website creator for a cat charity in Cairo which rescue, rehabilitates and rehomes starving and injured street cats. She champions Egyptian Maus and has three and one ‘step-child’ herself.

Editor of The Ricardian - Joanna Laynesmith

Joanna Laynesmith joined the Society in 1985, was a co-founder of the Worcestershire Branch, and co-edited their newsletter until she left school. Her doctoral thesis was published by OUP as The Last Medieval Queens and was a joint winner of the Longman-History Today Book of the Year and the Women’s History Network book prize. She has taught at the universities of York, Huddersfield and Oxford and is currently a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Reading. Her various publications have led to media appearances that include Time Team and In Our Time. She was invited to join the Society’s Research Committee shortly after the discovery of Richard’s remains and was Research Officer from 2016-2021. She co-created the Society’s Education Website with Iain Farrell and together they were the first recipients of the Society’s Jeremy Potter Award for their work on the Society’s Schools Conferences. The 2024 edition of The Ricardian was her first as editor. Joanna was a member of the Society EC/Board from 2017 until the (delayed) 2020 AGM and was re-elected to the Board in 2024.

Chair of the Ricardian Bulletin Committee - Wendy Moorhen

Wendy joined the Society in 1987 and was Deputy Chair from 2012-2015. Wendy has also variously served as Research Officer (2001-2008) and Editor of the Ricardian Bulletin (2006-2008) and was also instrumental in organising the Society’s events programme for the king’s reinterment in 2015.  She was appointed Chair of the Bulletin Committee in 2021.

Distribution Manager - Gabriella Williams

Gabriella is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Winchester, researching the use and effects of political rumours in England in the fifteenth century. She also works as a commissioning editor for an international academic book and journal publisher.

As the Society’s Distribution Manager, Gabriella organises the delivery of the Ricardian Bulletin and Journal as well as being involved in a variety of business projects. She is heavily involved with the Society’s publications – being a part of both the Ricardian journal team and the Ricardian Bulletin editorial committee, as well as recently organising the publication of the Itinerary of Richard, Duke of Gloucester: 1452-1483. She also serves on the Research Committee and is the Society’s Bursaries Officer.

Finance Manager - David Withers

David spent all his early life in Blackburn, Lancashire before going to university and also subsequently settling in Sheffield. His lifelong love has been of history and his twin bases of Yorkshire and Lancashire meant that the Wars of the Roses were always the main focus of his historical interest with holidays and weekends often being spent wandering around the northern battle sites and castles. He qualified as a chartered accountant with PwC and has worked in industry as a company accountant and FD for over 30 years specialising in financial management and project management. Although still working full time, David hopes to use these skills to aid Neil Trump in his role as Treasurer to ensure the Society always has a clear view of its trading performance and maintains adequate funds to achieve its aims.

Other Society Officers are -

Membership Officer - Julia Langham

Julia is the Administrator and Host for the regular Zoom lectures and also the Society’s Membership Officer. She was previously Secretary of the Arun Group.

Merchandise Officer - John Langham

John has always had an interest in old buildings, so started to volunteer at a local living history museum which had old buildings dating back to the medieval period, most of them dating from the early fifteenth century. This led him to look at the monarchs before the Tudors and he became interested in the Wars of the Roses. John and his wife became members of the Society, and after a couple of years he was asked to help out at Bosworth. John then offered his services as Merchandise Officer and was appointed to the position. John’s hobbies include making wooden toys and railways.

Branches & Groups Liaison Officer - Susan Grant Mackie

Susan Grant Mackie has a background in communications and editing. She has a Diploma in Business Studies – Public Relations, and a Diploma in Arts, both from Massey University in New Zealand. She won the Society’s Jeremy Potter Award in 2024. Sue is also editor of the Ricardian Herald.

Education Officer - Iain Farrell

Iain is a retired secondary school teacher who, with Joanna Laynesmith, created the Society’s Education Website, launched the essay competition and the annual schools conference on the Wars of the Roses. We now have an Education Committee of five which includes Julie Bungey, Duncan Rowe and Sheilah O’Connor and we welcome participation from practising and recently retired teachers.

Editor of The Ricardian Bulletin - Alec Marsh

A journalist and author, Alec has been the editor of The Ricardian Bulletin since 2021.

The Richard III Society is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales, number 12038141.

Registered Office: The Stables, Vicarage Road, Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes MK11 1BN.