News archive 2022

Zoom presentation December 2022

We are pleased to announce for our December Society Zoom lecture that Patrick Parsons will be repeating his lecture of December 2021. As always, this event will be free to Society members but please note that we are restricted to a total of 200 places.

Subject: Richard III and The Mask of Command

Speaker: Patrick Parsons

Date: Friday 2nd December 2022

Time: 2.00pm UK GMT (9.00am EST USA)

A review of the original lecture is in the March 2022 Ricardian Bulletin magazine and a summary is available in the 2021 News Archive.

Priority for places has been given to members who were unsuccessfully waitlisted in December 2021.

How to book: As before, this event will be free to Society members but please note that we are restricted to a total of 200 places. To attend you will need to be online, and have an email address, so that you can be sent the invitation to join the Zoom meeting. If you wish to attend, please send your name, email address, membership number and country (if outside the UK) as soon as possible to the event administrator, Julia Langham. Bookings will be registered in order of receipt.

If you are not a Society member and are interested in joining, please see our membership rates and benefits. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible for another stimulating afternoon.

Julia Langham

Events Administrator and Membership Officer

Zoom presentation November 2022

We are pleased to announce the subject of our November Society Zoom lecture below. As always, this event will be free to Society members but please note that we are restricted to a total of 200 places.

Subject: Creating Historical Monsters: King Richard III and Vlad Tepes Dracula from a Comparative Perspective

Speaker: Dr. Cristina Mourón-Figueroa Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (Spain)

Date: Saturday 19 November 2022

Time: 2.00pm UK GMT (9.00am EST USA)

Cristina Mourón-Figueroa’s lecture will undertake a comparative study between Richard III and Vlad Tepes Dracula, voivode of Vallachia. The original idea for the analysis arose from the reading of M. J. Trow’s Vlad the Impaler: In Search of the Real Dracula (2004) in which the author points out some obscure similarities between Richard III and Vlad Dracula. William Shakespeare and Bram Stoker created two of the most evil characters of universal literature out of two historical, contemporary and controversial rulers. The lecture offers a comparative analysis of these two mythical ‘monsters’ by taking as a reference the historical men behind both myths. It will also prove how two contemporary historical rulers of the 15th century, living around 1,550 miles apart, were brought together and transformed into historical and literary monsters due to the political propaganda of their enemies and the inspiration of Shakespeare and Stoker. Indeed, the lives of these two controversial princes share more similarities than one might think.

Cristina Mourón-Figueroa is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of English and German Philology of the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (Spain). She has taught a wide range of subjects with a progressive specialization in the history and culture of the British Isles and William Shakespeare. Her research profile is related to the history and culture of Later Medieval England, analyzing evidence from historical and literary sources. At present, she is researching on the role of the historical and mythological figure of King Richard III. In this regard, she was awarded a grant by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports to develop a research project entitled Adaptations and Reinterpretations of the Historical Character of King Richard III in Recent British TV-series and Literature: History, Fiction and Mythology, which she carried out as an Honorary Visiting Fellow of the University of Leicester in 2017-2018. She is also a member of The Richard III Society.

How to book: As before, this event will be free to Society members but please note that we are restricted to a total of 200 places. To attend you will need to be online, and have an email address, so that you can be sent the invitation to join the Zoom meeting. If you wish to attend, please send your name, email address, membership number and country (if outside the UK) as soon as possible to the event administrator, Julia Langham. Bookings will be registered in order of receipt.

If you are not a Society member and are interested in joining, please see our membership rates and benefits. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible for another stimulating afternoon.

Zoom presentation October 2022

We are pleased to announce the subject of our October Society Zoom lecture below. As always, this event will be free to Society members but please note that we are restricted to a total of 200 places.

Subject: The Lost King: A Royal Journey with Philippa Langley and Matt Lewis

Date: Sunday 30 October 2022

Time: 2.00pm UK GMT (9.00am EST USA)
(Please note: UK time changes from BST to GMT 2.00am on 30 October 2022)

Join Philippa Langley and Matt Lewis as they discuss The Lost King film. Matt will be asking Philippa a series of questions about the film and her ‘Looking For Richard Project’ which inspired it. In the first 40-50 minutes Matt will pose questions to Philippa which have been submitted by members at time of registration, and in the final 20 minutes of the lecture Philippa and Matt will take questions from the online audience.

The Lost King tells the story of Philippa’s discovery of the lost grave of King Richard III in a council car park in Leicester in 2012, for which she received the Society’s Robert Hamblin award. Starring Sally Hawkins and Steve Coogan and directed by Stephen Frears, The Lost King is the life-affirming true story of a woman who refused to be ignored and who took on the country’s most eminent historians, forcing them to think again about one of the most controversial kings in England’s history.

Matt visited the set of The Lost King in Edinburgh during filming in the spring of 2021. He also visited the archaeological dig at the car park in Leicester in 2012 for its open day.

Philippa Langley is an author and producer and Honorary President of the Scottish Branch of the Richard III Society. She is also a Director and Fellow of the Society.

Matt Lewis is an author and historian, Senior Presenter at History Hit, co-host of the Gone Medieval podcast, and Chair of the Richard III Society.

Members are invited to submit the questions they would like to ask Philippa about the film at time of registration.

How to book: As before, this event will be free to Society members but please note that we are restricted to a total of 200 places. To attend you will need to be online, and have an email address, so that you can be sent the invitation to join the Zoom meeting. If you wish to attend, please send your name, email address, membership number and country (if outside the UK) as soon as possible to the event administrator, Julia Langham. Bookings will be registered in order of receipt.

If you are not a Society member and are interested in joining, please see our membership rates and benefits. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible for another stimulating afternoon.

The Lost King - film review

As The Lost King (which tells the story of Philippa Langley’s search for the grave of King Richard III) receives its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Society is delighted to share its review of the film.

With thanks to Sharon Lock for writing the review:

We’ve all been there. Read a book, watched a film, or heard a piece of music and for some inexplicable reason, certain images, characters, lines or lyrics stick, stubbornly, in your head. A memory, or recall, going around and around in a constant loop. I remember this happening to me several times, most memorably as a child. After watching the compelling tale of ‘The Nun’s Story’ I wandered around the house silently for days with a tea towel on my head professing my intent to be a nun. It is probably just as well I didn’t take that to the extremes one remarkable person did.

Philippa Langley. An ordinary Edinburgh woman, who had more than enough on her plate to stifle any desire to set off on a seemingly fruitless crusade. Two school-aged children, an estranged husband, a chronic illness, and an unsympathetic employer are plenty for anyone to juggle at once. Philippa’s particular ‘ear-worm’ just happened to be a historical character. And a particularly colourful one at that. King Richard III.

Read full review here

The Lost King opens in UK cinemas on 7th October 2022

HM Queen Elizabeth II

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

21st April 1926 – 8th September 2022

The Richard III Society was deeply saddened to hear of Her Majesty’s death yesterday. We have sent our condolences to our Patron, HRH The Duke of Gloucester.

Board of the Richard III Society

Richard III Society AGM 2022 proxy voting

Linked are the official documents relating to our forthcoming 2022 AGM. Please consider them carefully.

• Agenda AGM 2022
• Resolutions for AGM 2022

Also below you will find a letter from our Chairman explaining how to use proxy voting if you wish to do so.

• Proxy voting instructions
• Proxy voting form 2022

PLEASE NOTE: if you have a family membership, all adult members are entitled to vote. If you have registered a single email as a point of contact for your family, please pass on this information to all adult members who are each entitled to submit their own proxy forms.
Sue Ollier
Secretary
Richard III Society

Gold book discovery to feature on Digging for Treasure

Some of you may remember the exciting discovery of a small gold book by metal dectorists near Sheriff Hutton Castle last year.

The book (and an update of the story) will feature in Dan Walker’s Digging for Treasure: Tonight on Friday 9th September at 9pm on Channel 5 (UK).

Board of Richard III Society

September Ricardian Bulletin

The September edition of The Ricardian Bulletin and Annual Report & Accounts are due to be handed over by our distributors, FirstMailing, to Royal Mail this week. This was scheduled to happen on Wednesday 31 August but due to the strike by Royal Mail on that day it will probably take place on Thursday 1 September. We hope delivery to the UK addresses will begin by Saturday 3 September and reach most UK households during next week. We would ask members to get in touch if they do not receive their pack by 22 September (UK members) and 3 October (overseas members).

Obviously we have no control over Royal Mail’s service and further strike action is due on 8th and 9th September.

Notification of non-delivery should be made to the Bulletin representatives Janine Lawrence (UK) and Dorothea Preis (overseas) and their contact details are printed on the back inside cover of the Bulletin.

The Ricardian Bulletin Committee hopes you will enjoy this bumper edition of the Bulletin which celebrates the tenth anniversary of the dig in Leicester and includes an exclusive interview with the writers of The Lost King, Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, the film which tells the story of Philippa Langley’s search for the remains of King Richard.
The Ricardian Bulletin Committee

Bosworth memorial notice

The following notice will be printed in The Daily Telegraph newspaper (UK) on 22nd August 2022.

Board of the Richard III Society

The Lost King - a message from Pathe

Alongside the release of The Lost King trailer, Pathé have asked us to share the following message with you:

Pathé is delighted to announce to the Richard III Society that this Thursday will see the launch online of the trailer for our feature film THE LOST KING, scheduled for release in cinemas nationwide on 7th October 2022.

As many of you will know, the film tells the story of Philippa Langley’s discovery of the long-lost remains of King Richard III.

Ahead of the trailer launch, we wanted to provide the Society with some insight into the thinking behind our marketing and publicity campaign which will run over the coming months.

By way of background, Pathe is a producer, financier and distributor of films with a focus on uplifting true stories. Our titles have ranged from THE QUEEN to PHILOMENA and (most recently) THE DUKE, garnering 50 Oscar nominations along the way (and 14 wins – most recently for Renee Zellweger in JUDY). For us, THE LOST KING is very much in this tradition: an empowering true story of a woman who finds her voice, and a celebration of anyone who dares to be different, refusing to be defined by other people’s expectations.

To tell that story, there is no one better suited than the Oscar nominated creative team behind PHILOMENA (director Stephen Frears and writers Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope). But how to bring the story to the widest possible audience? Archaeology and Shakespeare are not synonymous with an entertaining night at the movies for most people!

The obvious answer is to make an entertaining film, and this the team has achieved to brilliant effect. Of course, the film is not a documentary – the filmmakers have dramatized the story to appeal to a mainstream audience. For example, the timeline of events (which took place over several years) has been compressed; and Philippa’s internal dialogue concerning her research into Richard III has been made manifest in the form of Harry Lloyd’s kingly apparition (which of course Philippa never saw).

And those with eagle-eyes have already commented online on how we stray from reality on certain details, such as the fact that Harry Lloyd’s eyes are hazel, rather than Richard’s blue; and Sally Hawkins is a brunette with short hair whereas Philippa is blonde with long hair! Well, that is the magic of cinema… Our priority in choosing our cast was to bring the essence of these characters to life through engaging the best possible actors. We don’t think anyone, after seeing the film, will have any doubt that our casting choices were perfect!

In a nutshell, whilst some liberties with the factual story have been taken for dramatic purposes, the filmmakers have respected the essential truth of the story.

Of course, our marketing materials are by their very nature reductive. Over the years we have marketed films as diverse as SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE and PHILOMENA as feel-good/comedy-dramas precisely because we have wanted to attract a mainstream audience. THE LOST KING is no exception.

The poster has to be one bold image that a passer-by can immediately register as an image that makes the film look accessible if intriguing (ie. what does the huge ‘R’ stand for?); and the poster tagline needs to sum up the film in a few simple words – we think Her Story Made History is perfect!

As you will also see from the 2-minute trailer, it is impossible in such a short format to portray Philippa’s story in anything other than broad brush strokes. The key message we have to get across is that this is an entertaining and uplifting true story.

Suffice to say, having worked on the development of the project with Philippa over a number of years, we were thrilled when she not only loved the film, but also our poster and trailer – there could be no sterner critic! We very much look forward to sharing them with you.

The trailer for The Lost King will be on 18th August 2022 – keep an eye on the Richard III Society and @theLostKingUK social media channels for when it goes live.

Zoom presentation September 2022

We are pleased to advise that Marc Meltonville, Food Historian, will be giving a presentation based on the foods served at the coronation banquet of Richard III and Anne Neville.

As always, this event will be free to Society members but please note that we are restricted to a total of 200 places.

Subject: The Foods at the Coronation of Richard III

Time: 14:00 (GMT)

Date: Saturday 24 September 2022

In his illustrated talk Marc will look at the food served at the coronation of Richard III and Anne Neville on 6 July 1483 from the perspective of production, cookery, serving and status. From this menu he will attempt to unpick the world below the table and bring a simple list of dishes into focus in a Mediaeval world.

Marc has been a food historian for nearly 25 years. His projects have ranged from events for the Historic Royal Palaces, through preparation of chocolate in Georgian kitchens to Neolithic feasting at Stonehenge.

Marc originally trained in Ceramic history, starting as assistant curator of a museum full of furniture. He was taken under the wing of noted Food Historian Peter Brears, with whom he worked on many of the great stately home kitchens.

Marc points out that the study of food is actually the study of life, it is so much more than eating.

How to book: As before, this event will be free to Society members but please note that we are restricted to a total of 200 places. To attend you will need to be online, and have an email address, so that you can be sent the invitation to join the Zoom meeting. If you wish to attend, please send your name, email address, membership number and country (if outside the UK) as soon as possible to the event administrator, Julia Langham. Bookings will be registered in order of receipt.

If you are not a Society member and are interested in joining, please see our membership rates and benefits. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible for another stimulating afternoon.

Dr Phil Stone memorial service

Any member who would like to attend the memorial service for the late Society Chairman, Dr. Philip Stone on September 30th 2022 at 2pm at St. Mary de Castro Church, Castle Street, Leicester LE1 5W, but has not yet registered their interest should contact Sally Henshaw, secretary of the Leicester Branch at sallyoftarahill@gmail.com Tel: 0116 2433785 by 31 August 2022.

Following the memorial service, refreshments will be served in the Charnwood & Tudor rooms of the Mercure Grand Hotel, 71-73 Granby Street, Leicester. LE1 6ES. The estimated walking time between St. Mary de Castro and the Mercure Grand Hotel is 12 minutes.

The refurbishment programme of the hotel rooms will not affect this event which will go ahead as planned.

For anyone unable to attend, the service will be live-streamed from St. Mary de Castro. Details with a link will follow nearer to the time.

Julia Langham

Events Committee

Richard III Society

AGM & Member's Day - Leicester

The Mercure Grand Hotel in Leicester has cancelled all of its room bookings in September and October for major refurbishment. This has obviously affected members who had rooms booked for the weekend of the Members’ Day/AGM on Saturday 1 October 2022. The hotel contacted these members by email but unfortunately gave the impression that the whole hotel was closed for that weekend.

We wish to reassure members that this refurbishment will not affect the Members’ Day/AGM which will go ahead at the Mercure Grand Hotel as planned.

Events Committee

Richard III Society

Choral Evensong for Bosworth - Sutton Cheney

As Leicester Cathedral undergoes restoration and repair works during 2022 and much of 2023, the cathedral are taking worship into the parishes of the Diocese for a project called Together with Leicester Cathedral.

On Sunday 21st August at 4pm at St James, Sutton Cheney, the Leicester Cathedral Choir will be singing Choral Evensong for the Anniversary of the Battle of Bosworth.

There is no need to book in advance.

For further information please see https://leicestercathedral.org/together/

Board of the Richard III Society

Richard III Society

Member's Area - password release

Dear Members,

Many of you have been understandably concerned by an email asking you to reset your Society password.

This email is genuine and refers to your log in and password to enable you to access the Member’s Area of the new website. Unfortunately the wording, asking you to ‘reset’ the password was not particularly helpful, as it implied you had requested this, which of course, you had not.

The email was automatically generated and the Society did not see it before it was sent out. We are sorry for the confusion this may have caused.

Some of you may have received more than one email – again, this is genuine. An error at our web designers (who are sending the emails out on our behalf) led to some members being sent multiple emails. We understand that this would look suspicious, but it was a case of human error, for which we can only apologise.

As you can imagine with a project of this nature, there are teething problems to overcome and we thank you for your patience while we bring the new website and member’s area to you.

Amanda Geary

Communications Manager

Richard III Society

Arthur Kincaid

We were saddened to hear of the death of Arthur Kincaid, who died on 24th July following a long struggle with lung cancer. Arthur was a lifelong Ricardian whose sympathetic interest in Richard III never ceased, along with his constant reading and research around the subject.

Arthur’s one great concern during his last months was to see the publication of his revised edition of Sir George Buc’s defence of King Richard, a thoroughly updated work which reflects new insights extending right up to the present day. He was overjoyed at the success of the plans to have it published by the Society of Antiquaries with the support of the Richard III Society: a fitting memorial to his decades of work in the Ricardian cause.

The Society would like to extend its heartfelt condolences to Arthur’s family and friends. He will be greatly missed.

The Board of the Richard III Society

Richard III Society AGM submissions

The deadline for AGM submissions is now fast approaching.

So just a quick reminder that nominations by Society members for the available positions on the Board, proposed, seconded and accepted by the nominee (and duly signed by all) must reach the Secretary by 2nd August 2022.

Nomination forms were circulated with the June Bulletin or can be obtained from the Secretary. Completed nominations can be submitted electronically as scans, or via the mail.

Our Articles of Association require one third of the current Board (or the next whole number above one third) to step down each year and stand for re-election if they wish. This time around this requires 5 Directors to step down. The longest serving Directors are Susan Ollier (Secretary), Stephen York (Deputy Chair) and John Whiting (Treasurer) and together with the sad death of Anne Sutton (Editor of The Ricardian) and the recent resignation of Helena Smith (previously Branches and Groups Liaison Officer) this constitutes the required turnover of 5 Directors. In addition, Geoffrey Wheeler stepped down immediately after the last AGM, so there are likely to be 6 available spaces on the Board. If you have ever considered joining the Board we would very much welcome your candidacy.

The role of Business Manager is currently vacant, and there is also the exciting opportunity to completely revamp our merchandising operation. If anyone is interested in either of these roles, please get in touch – your Society needs you!

Most meetings are held virtually by Zoom, so extensive travel is not required*. Although a commitment of time is required, the role can be a very rewarding one with the opportunity to help shape the future of the Society. If you are interested please submit your nomination as soon as possible.

(*All candidates should preferably have access to email as much Board business is conducted online.)

The Board of the Richard III Society
Richard III Society

Dr Anne F.Sutton commemoration

Forwarded on behalf of Christian Steer, Chairman, Richard III and Yorkist History Trust

Dear Friends,

Firstly thank you very much for the emails, calls and letters which I’ve received following the death of Anne Sutton. She was respected and loved by many, and I know from the affectionate comments and remarks that I’ve read that she will be mourned by many.

I’ve been in touch with Anne’s executors who have advised that, at Anne’s explicit request, there is to be no funeral service and no mourners present at her cremation. However, as many friends have enquired on details we thought to share with you the date and time of her cremation so that you may, if you wish, pause and think of Anne, of your friendship, how you remember her, and, if you wish, to say a prayer in her memory at the time that this takes place. Her cremation will be held on Friday 8th July at 8.30a.m.

Anne’s executors have also suggested that donations in Anne’s memory be sent to the Richard III and Yorkist History Trust. This was, as many will know, deeply important to Anne and she was a loyal and dedicated trustee from the foundation back in 1985 until her death. This is very generous and my colleagues and I are extremely grateful to Anne’s executors for this. It will allow us to form a special ‘Anne F. Sutton’ memorial fund which we can use specifically for projects and / or publications which align closely with Anne’s own interests.

I can hear Anne saying ‘don’t forget to mention Gift Aid’ so do please consider this when making any donation (for postal donations, please use this form). Donations, payable to ‘Richard III and Yorkist History Trust’, can be sent to the Trust at: P.O. Box 6302, Newbury, RG14 9QU; online donations may be made by contacting our Treasurer, Dave Wells.

Finally, although Anne did not want anyone at her funeral she has made provision for a party (her words) as a memorial event. I will be helping the executors arrange this later this summer / early autumn and further details will be provided in due course.

Once again thank you for your kind words during the past few weeks. Anne would be deeply touched.

With all good wishes,

Christian

Christian Steer
Chairman, Richard III and Yorkist History Trust

e: christian.steer@york.ac.uk

Mortimer's Cross Battlefield Archaeology Project Event

July Zoom lecture - places available

Following cancellations there are some places available on Kate Giles’ Zoom lecture on 16th July 2022 about The Middleham Jewel.

Date: Saturday 16 July 2022

Subject: The Middleham Jewel in Context: Discovery, Analysis and Meanings

Speaker: Dr Kate Giles

Time: 14:00 (GMT / 09.00 EST)

In her lecture, which was first given to the Society at the Members’ Day in York in October 2021, Dr Kate Giles will reprise her analysis of this exquisite object in the Yorkshire Museum, telling the story of its discovery, analysis and interpretation, including new thoughts resulting from recent research by the York Museums Trust and the University of York. The Middleham Jewel was found in the 1980s by a metal detectorist and acquired by the Yorkshire Museum in the early 1990s. Since then, further discoveries and analysis have shed light on its possible meanings as a late medieval jewel with a complex biography which raises intriguing questions about its commission, ownership, use and loss.

Kate will share her thoughts and invite further reflections with members, who may have their own stories or ideas about its relevance to Richard III and his household.

Dr Kate Giles is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Archaeology at the University of York and Co-Director of its Centre for the Study of Christianity & Culture, with particular expertise in historic buildings.

How to book: As before, this event will be free to Society members with a total of 200 places available per lecture. To attend you will need to be online, and have an email address, so that you can be sent the invitation to join the Zoom meeting. If you wish to attend, please send your name, email address, membership number and country (if outside the UK) as soon as possible to the event administrator, Julia Langham. Bookings will be registered in order of receipt.

If you are not a Society member and are interested in joining, please see our membership rates and benefits. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible for another stimulating afternoon.

Richard III Society Essay Prize - winners announced!

We are pleased to announce the first, second and third prize winners of the 2022 Richard III Society Essay Prize.

• First Prize is awarded to Jake Manketo, Westminster School, for his essay: The collapse of Richard III’s regime at Bosworth in 1485 was the consequence of his approach to kingship. To what extent is this the case?

• Second Prize goes to Fatima Abras, Edgbaston High School for Girls, for her essay: To what extent does Richard III deserve his negative reputation?

• Third Prize is awarded to Patrick Maxwell, St Edward’s School, Oxford, for his essay: Richard III and foreign policy: an attempted resurrection of the Hundred Years War?

Our grateful thanks go to our judging panel of Dr Joanna Laynesmith, Reading University; Dr Gordon McKelvie, University of Winchester, and Julie Bungey a recently retired sixth form teacher. Feedback from the judging panel on the winning essays and comments from the author’s themselves can be found on The Wars of the Roses website.

Congratulations to our winners!

Iain Farrell

Education Officer, Richard III Society

Dr Anne F. Sutton

It is with much sadness that we report the passing of Dr Anne Sutton on Saturday 18 June. Anne had bravely battled cancer for the past two years, stoically continuing with her work culminating in the 2022 edition of The Ricardian and the recent publication of The King’s Work: The Defence of the North under the Yorkist Kings 1471-85.

Anne was a member of the Society’s Executive Committee from 1976 until 2020, thereafter of the current Board. She took over the editorship of The Ricardian from Peter Hammond in June 1979 and remained in post until her death. She was also a founder trustee of the Richard III and Yorkist History Trust and for many years its Managing Trustee. The Trust’s own tribute to Anne can be found at https://yorkisthistorytrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/AFS-announcement.pdf

Anne’s output was prolific, spanning nearly fifty years, and her contribution to fifteenth-century scholarship has been outstanding. Her work, together with Livia Visser Fuchs, on the books once owned by Richard III is of particular note.

Her greatest achievement was undoubtedly her forty-four year editorship of The Ricardian, a journal now recommended in university reading lists and constantly cited in publications covering our period of history. As a result the Society’s standing amongst the academic community and the wider history-reading public has been greatly enhanced, it is a substantial legacy she leaves us.

We owe her an immense debt of gratitude. Our profound condolences, on behalf of the Society, go to her family and friends.

The Board of the Richard III Society

Windows for the King

In 2024 Barnard Castle will celebrate 550 years since the lordship of the town was granted to Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later Richard III. Windows for the King will install seven etched glass windows in the porch of St Mary’s to mark this anniversary.

St Mary’s church council (PCC), in partnership with the Northern Dales Richard III Group (NDRIIIG), are excited to announce a major project to commemorate Richard III, Duke of Gloucester and King of England, in Barnard Castle. Our ‘Windows for the King’ appeal aims to install seven etched glass windows above the inner porch doorway of St Mary’s Parish Church, Barnard Castle to commemorate Richard and his close connection with St Mary’s.

As Lord of Barnard Castle, Richard invested huge sums of money to re-build St Mary’s and transform it into a Collegiate Church: this project was close to completion when he died at Bosworth. The College would have been dedicated to Christ, the Virgin Mary, St Margaret of Scotland and St Ninian.

Three central etched panels will depict Christ with Mary, and these two northern saints personally connected with Richard. A further two panels will portray St Helen of the Holy Cross and St Catherine of Alexandria, saints with medieval chantries within or close to St Mary’s in the late C15th. The final two panels will show Ricardian boars, as ‘supporters’, as illustrated on the St Anthony effigy near the font in St Mary’s.

Alongside the 1934 Richard III Society window in St Alkelda & St Mary’s Middleham, and the Memorial Window in York Minster, given by the Society of Friends of Richard III in 1997, the Windows for the King will be a lasting tribute to Richard’s personal faith, and demonstrate his dedication to the North and to the town where he was Lord of the Manor from 1474.

You can make a donation to the project here: https://www.stewardship.org.uk/pages/windowsfortheking

**Exclusive** The Lost King release date

The Richard III Society can exclusively reveal that The Lost King will be released in the UK on 7th October 2022.

The film tells the remarkable true story of how one ‘ordinary’ woman overcame every obstacle to track down the final resting place of Richard III. Starring Sally Hawkins and Steve Coogan, the film’s release in cinemas coincides with the 10th Anniversary of the discovery of the remains of Richard III, the last English king to die in battle. In 2012, having been lost for over 500 years, the remains of King Richard III were discovered beneath a car park in Leicester. The search had been orchestrated by an amateur historian, Philippa Langley, whose unrelenting research had been met with incomprehension by her friends and family and with scepticism by experts and academics.

The Lost King is the life-affirming true story of a woman who refused to be ignored and who took on the country’s most eminent historians, forcing them to think again about one of the most controversial kings in England’s history.

If you’re interested in finding out more about the film then head over to Twitter and follow @TheLostKingUK and follow for the latest news.

Don’t worry if you’re not on Twitter — the Society will also keep you up to date!

Zoom presentations July and August 2022

We are delighted to announce the details of two very interesting Zoom lectures in July and August.

As always, this event will be free to Society members but please note that we are restricted to a total of 200 places.

Date: Saturday 16 July 2022

Subject: The Middleham Jewel in Context: Discovery, Analysis and Meanings

Speaker: Dr Kate Giles

Time: 14:00 (GMT / 09.00 EST)

In her lecture, which was first given to the Society at the Members’ Day in York in October 2021, Dr Kate Giles will reprise her analysis of this exquisite object in the Yorkshire Museum, telling the story of its discovery, analysis and interpretation, including new thoughts resulting from recent research by the York Museums Trust and the University of York. The Middleham Jewel was found in the 1980s by a metal detectorist and acquired by the Yorkshire Museum in the early 1990s. Since then, further discoveries and analysis have shed light on its possible meanings as a late medieval jewel with a complex biography which raises intriguing questions about its commission, ownership, use and loss.

Kate will share her thoughts and invite further reflections with members, who may have their own stories or ideas about its relevance to Richard III and his household.

Dr Kate Giles is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Archaeology at the University of York and Co-Director of its Centre for the Study of Christianity & Culture, with particular expertise in historic buildings.

How to book: As before, this event will be free to Society members with a total of 200 places available per lecture. To attend you will need to be online, and have an email address, so that you can be sent the invitation to join the Zoom meeting. If you wish to attend, please send your name, email address, membership number and country (if outside the UK) as soon as possible to the event administrator, Julia Langham. Bookings will be registered in order of receipt.

If you are not a Society member and are interested in joining, please see our membership rates and benefits. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible for another stimulating afternoon.

**FULLY BOOKED***

Date: Saturday 13 August 2022

Subject: The Survival of the Princes in the Tower

Speaker: Matt Lewis

Time: 14:00 (GMT / 09.00 EST)

Matt is repeating his lecture from December 2020 so that those who missed out will get a second chance to hear his fascinating presentation.

Matt takes a fresh look at the enduring mystery of the Princes in the Tower. Using documentary evidence, as well as the behaviour of key people wrapped up in the story, Matt examines what we really know, and whether we have been asking the wrong question for centuries. Instead of thinking about who murdered the Princes in the Tower, what if we ought to be considering the Survival of the Princes in the Tower?

Matt is an author and historian, Senior Presenter at History Hit, co-host of the Gone Medieval podcast and Chair of the Richard III Society.

June Ricardian Bulletin and Ricardian

The 2022 volume of The Ricardian, the June edition of the Ricardian Bulletin and booking forms together with the 2021 Membership Survey Results have now been mailed to members and should begin to reach UK members from 6 June after the Jubilee weekend. As this is quite a large pack our distributors have used strong gusseted envelopes to ensure safe delivery.

We would ask members to get in touch if they do not receive their pack by 20 June (UK members) and 4 July (overseas members). Notification of non-delivery should be made to the Bulletin representatives:

Janine Lawrence (UK) and Dorothea Preis (overseas)

Their contact details are also printed on the back inside cover of the Bulletin.

Festivals of 15th - 17th Century Coventry conference

A series of talks will be held in Coventry 20-22 April 2022: CELEBRATIONS, COMMUNITIES AND PERFORMANCES: Festival occasions in Coventry from the 15th to the 17th centuries and their legacy.

Society members Lynda Pidgeon and Frederick Hepburn will be speakers. Lynda’s paper is A Joyous Entry? Elizabeth Wydevile’s visit to Coventry (Wednesday afternoon) and Fred’s paper is The St Mary’s Hall tapestry: some further thoughts (Thursday morning).

Expert talks on each day with the latest research into Coventry’s unique contribution including: medieval processions and performances, the Trinity and Drapers guilds, the royal city, musical instruments used in Coventry, ceremonial swords, the urban soundscape, Coventry during the Reformation, links between Shakespeare and Coventry and the European context.

Further information can be found on the Coventry Festivals flyer.

Richard III's Book of Hours on display

Lambeth Palace Library in London are currently holding a small exhibition of selected highlights of their collection called Treasures from the Collection II.

On display as part of this exhibition will be an item close to the hearts of Ricardians: King Richard’s Book of Hours.

The exhibition is free and there is no need to book in advance. It is open now (10am – 5pm, Monday to Friday) and will continue until Friday 8th April 2022.

For more information and to see the other treasures displayed alongside the Book of Hours, please visit the Lambeth Palace Library website.

Ricardian Bulletin - March 2022 edition update

UK members should have received their March Ricardian Bulletin by now, or in the next day or so. The packages to overseas members are on their way.

Unfortunately, there has been an issue with the new paper wrapping and in some cases, the top seam has not been properly sealed. So far there have been no reports of damage to the Bulletin itself to warrant a replacement. However, if any member does receive a damaged copy please email the relevant Bulletin representative to arrange a replacement.

• UK Bulletin Representative: Janine Lawrence

• Overseas Bulletin Representative: Dorothea Preis

If you have not received the blue event booking booklet, please let the representatives know and we can either email you a copy or if you do not have printing facilities we will arrange a hard copy to be sent to you by post (so please specify your preference). However, there has only been one reported case of the omission so far.

The matter has of course been taken up with the distribution house and must be resolved for the June mailing which in addition to the Bulletin and blue booklet will also include the report on the Society Survey and the 2022 volume of The Ricardian.

We do apologise for any inconvenience to members.

The Ricardian Bulletin Committee

8th March 2022

Zoom presentation June 2022

We are delighted to announce that June’s Zoom presentation will be given by Dr Matthew Ward, Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham.

As always, this event will be free to Society members but please note that we are restricted to a total of 200 places.

Subject: Herbert family of Raglan (Monmouthshire) and their role in the Wars of the Roses.

Time: 14:00 (GMT)

Date: Saturday 25 June 2022

Dr Ward will focus on the Herbert family of Raglan (Monmouthshire) and their role in the Wars of the Roses. The Herbert family played a crucial role in the Wars of the Roses, particularly during the period up to 1469. William Herbert (d. 1469) and his Welsh affinity were key to early Yorkist success and Edward IV rewarded him handsomely for his support, creating him Earl of Pembroke. Herbert, along with several of his kin, were killed after the Battle of Edgcote in 1469 and the family subsequently became less influential. Despite their fall from grace, the Herberts left a rich cultural legacy including manuscripts and church monuments. They also made extensive additions to Raglan castle.

In this talk Matt will look at the Herberts’ involvement in the Wars of the Roses and discuss their legacy. Matt also teaches for the Lifelong Learning Department at Aberystwyth University, offering courses on Richard III and the Wars of the Roses. His first book The Livery Collar in Late Medieval England and Wales (Boydell Press) is now available in paperback. He is currently writing his second book which examines loyalty during the fifteenth century. This will be published by Manchester University Press.

How to book: As before, this event will be free to Society members but please note that we are restricted to a total of 200 places. To attend you will need to be online, and have an email address, so that you can be sent the invitation to join the Zoom meeting. If you wish to attend, please send your name, email address, membership number and country (if outside the UK) as soon as possible to the event administrator, Julia Langham. Bookings will be registered in order of receipt.

If you are not a Society member and are interested in joining, please see our membership rates and benefits. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible for another stimulating afternoon.

Zoom presentation May 2022

We are delighted to announce that May’s Zoom presentation will be given by David Fawcett.

As always, this event will be free to Society members but please note that we are restricted to a total of 200 places.

Subject: Medieval Herald in Peace and War.

Time: 14:00 (GMT)

Date: Saturday 14 May 2022

David Fawcett will explore the role of the Medieval Herald in Peace and War. David is a member of the Society based in Wiltshire, who is part of Salisbury Cathedral’s Education Programme. His historical research has tended to focus on lesser-known aspects of Medieval life, and the Medieval Herald attracted David’s interest as its beginnings seem to be shrouded in obscurity. This would include what their social status would have been. Their role interested David, a former military policeman, whose roles in peacetime and war differed somewhat. It seemed natural that the Medieval Herald might also need to have a second skill set in order to serve his master during times of conflict. The basis of David’s research formed the subject matter of his lecture.

David has been employed by English Heritage, CADW, The Chalke Valley Festival of History as well as local history groups and schools.

How to book: As before, this event will be free to Society members but please note that we are restricted to a total of 200 places. To attend you will need to be online, and have an email address, so that you can be sent the invitation to join the Zoom meeting. If you wish to attend, please send your name, email address, membership number and country (if outside the UK) as soon as possible to the event administrator, Julia Langham. Bookings will be registered in order of receipt.

If you are not a Society member and are interested in joining, please see our membership rates and benefits. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible for another stimulating afternoon.

Ricardian Bulletin update

For some years the Ricardian Bulletin has been despatched in a bio-degradable poly wrap but in the interests of the environment, we are pleased to announce we have switched to paper wrapping, which will be friendlier to the environment and we hope will be approved by members.

There was an issue in the December mailing when a number of members did not receive the booking forms for Society events. With the March edition, the booking forms have been loosely inserted into the Bulletin which we trust will resolve the problem.

Finally, we had hoped to include in this edition the report of the Members’ Survey conducted last summer. Unfortunately, this has not been possible but it will be sent out in June. Whilst online submissions were analysed by Survey Monkey, an online service tool, 31% (530) of the completed surveys were paper-based and had to be manually typed by Marlene Arnese, an immense task. The Society owes her a great debt of gratitude and we are sure the membership will show forbearance at this delay.

As always the Ricardian Bulletin Committee welcomes your feedback so after receiving and reading your March edition please feel free to contact your representatives, contact details on the back inside cover of the Bulletin.

Ricardian Bulletin Committee.

Schools conference June 2022

The schools conference sponsored by the Society and announced at our last AGM is now open for schools to register their interest in the event.

Wars of the Roses: The Key Personnel

Date: Tuesday 28 June 2022

Time: 9am – 3.30pm (GMT)

Fee: £50 per school (payment details will be sent after registration)

This conference is being provided at the request of teachers and is aimed at Year 12 students studying a 15th century option with an A level provider.

The event, which will be held online, contains a full programme of speakers who will present and discuss primary sources on key individuals of the Wars of the Roses. Q&A sessions are to be provided at the end of each presentation to allow students to interact with the speakers.

Schools are invited to register for this conference by sending an email to Iain Farrell, Education Officer. For more information, please visit the Wars of the Roses website.

Zoom presentation March 2022

We are delighted to announce that March’s Zoom presentation will be given by Dr Euan Roger, Principal Medieval Specialist at the National Archives.

As always, this event will be free to Society members but please note that we are restricted to a total of 150 places.

Subject: Henry VI, Readeption and Revenge.

Time: 14:00 (GMT)

Date: Saturday 26 March 2022

On the evening of 21 May 1471, Henry VI died in the Tower of London at the age of 49, almost certainly murdered by his Yorkist rivals; a victim of the brutal civil war which we know today as the Wars of the Roses.

A pious, shy man, almost entirely uninterested in war, Henry VI had spent much of the previous decade on the run or imprisoned in the Tower of London, with his family in exile in France, having been deposed by Edward IV in 1461. But after the remarkable events of the ‘Readeption’ in 1470-1, in which Henry had reclaimed his throne and royal power with the aid of Edward’s former allies and brother, he could no longer be allowed to live.

In this talk, Dr Euan Roger of The National Archives will explore Henry’s life and death, focusing in particular on his final decades, from his deposition in 1461 through to the events of the ‘Readeption’ and the circumstances around his death in 1471. Euan will also examine the ‘afterlife’ and manipulation of Henry’s body after 1471, as the king’s legacy was revived with a posthumous cult, a succession of miracles attributed to the late king’s intervention, and a campaign for the Henry’s canonisation.

Dr Euan Roger is a Principal Medieval Specialist at The National Archives, specialising in late medieval and early Tudor English government, the central law courts, and the secular clergy.

Euan has published articles on the Readeption parliament of 1470/1, and recently on quarantine and social distancing in pre-modern England, and his work has featured in publications including TIME Magazine, The Guardian. He is currently working on a major exhibition at The National Archives on the history of Treason in England.

As before, this event will be free to Society members but please note that we are restricted to a total of 150 places. To attend you will need to be online, and have an email address, so that you can be sent the invitation to join the Zoom meeting. If you wish to attend, please send your name, email address, membership number and country (if outside the UK) as soon as possible to the event administrator, Julia Langham. Bookings will be registered in order of receipt. If you are not a Society member and are interested in joining, please see our membership rates and benefits. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible for another stimulating afternoon.