Benefits of Membership

Benefits of membership of the Richard III Society include:

• Four issues of the Ricardian Bulletin, the Society’s members’ magazine. Every issue includes topical news and features about the work of the Society and other items of interest which have relevance to Richard III and his time.
• Members are welcome to join local Branches and Groups, to meet fellow members and participate in their activities, including talks and visits. There are over 30 branches in the UK, Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
• One issue of The Ricardian, the Society’s historical journal. The journal publishes original articles on Ricardian and associated topics together with book reviews of recent historical publications. Material is contributed by both members and non-members.
• Free monthly online lectures via Zoom. Our programme includes speakers on a wide range of topics relating to later medieval history. See our Events page for forthcoming talks.
• Discounted entry to venues of Ricardian interest such as Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre and Country Park (see a full list of venues below).
• The option to join the RIII Mailings list which means you can receive the latest Society or Ricardian news by email.
• Access to the Barton Library, the Society’s library, with the opportunity to request loans of books and papers.
• The chance to attend the Society’s triennial conferences. Conferences are held at locations across the UK with leading academics in the field of medieval history invited to present papers.
• Access to the expertise of specialist members of the Society.
• The opportunity to attend the Society AGM which will be held online in 2026 so that all members can attend.
• The annual Richard III Convention which will be held for the first time at the end of September 2026. This is a real opportunity for members from all over the country, indeed from all over the world, to meet up. Friends and family are also invited. In addition to talks and performances there are a range of stalls.
• The chance to participate in Society activities as much or as little as you wish. The Society is a proactive one with many members undertaking research into the factors and events which shaped the fifteenth century, and providing opportunities to participate in the Society’s research projects. Guidelines are available for those who wish to begin their own research and the Society has run a successful correspondence course in palaeography for many years, details of which can be found at the bottom of the page.
• Access to the Members’ Area of the Society website. (Please note that there is only one log in per membership. Family memberships will need to share this log in).

Membership Discounts

The following locations will give discounts to Society members with proof of membership:

• Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre and Country Park – 20% discount on all standard admissions.
• Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle – discounted rate of £7 per person for groups of 12 or more.
• Donington 1620s House and Garden – 20% discount on all standard admissions.
• Haddon Hall – 10% discount on full ticket prices.
• King Richard III Visitor Centre, Leicester – individual discount of 25%
• Ludlow Castle – discount of 10% for groups of 10 or more.
• York Archaeological Trust (Barley Hall) – individual discount of 15%

Palaeography by post or email

The Society offers members a ‘correspondence’ course for beginners or near-beginners who wish to read fifteenth-century handwriting, The full course consists of eight lessons which can be paid for in two modules of four if desired. Each lesson includes sample texts with a commentary drawing attention to such matters as abbreviations and characteristic letter shapes and to any particular problems. Part of the sample material will be fully transcribed; the student will be expected to transcribe the remainder and return it for correction and comment.

Students work at their own speed and no deadlines are imposed. When an assignment has been completed and sent to the tutor, the corrected version is returned with the next lesson. The course can therefore take as much, or as little, time as the student is able to spare. It should be noted, however, that like all ‘hobbies’ it takes a while to acquire the new skill and perseverance is necessary.

The course can be taken by post, or by email, or a combination of the two. Thus, assignments can be returned as email attachments, then corrected by the tutor, and posted back with the next lesson. Alternatively, all documents and commentaries can be posted as hardcopies or emailed as pdfs.

The cost of the course is £27.50 for each module of 4 lessons, payable in advance. There is an additional cost for overseas postage, but, needless to say, there is no postage supplement if the course is taken wholly online.