Richard’s remains | Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2015

The discovery of King Richard III’s skeleton has been the scientific detective story of the decade. This summer, the University of Leicester will be taking part in the Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition in London. Richard’s remains | Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2015 Free for all ages, 30 June – 5 July, 2015

‘Grant me the carving of my name’

What a week! Leicester rose to the occasion and reburied King Richard III with style; a perfect blend of solemnity and pageantry, mixing the old and the new with dignity and honour. I’m not one for writing a sentimental eulogy for the project that has dominated the last two and a half years of my…

King Richard III’s mortal remains depart from University of Leicester

In a short and moving ceremony the University of Leicester and guests marked the departure of Richard III’s mortal remains after nearly three years of research and guardianship. Those present included many of the research team and their families – from the volunteers who helped during the excavation to the lab technicians who worked tirelessly…

The house that Herrick built

By now, the history of the Grey Friars and its role as the burial place of King Richard III is widely known, but what happened after the friary closed in 1538? Over the next 30 years the church was pulled down and the remaining buildings were left to gradually decay, providing a useful quarry of…

Timelapse offers unique insight into Richard III burial site dig

The University of Leicester has released a unique insight into the archaeological dig that has captured the imagination of the world, with new film footage of a second excavation at the site where the remains of King Richard III were discovered in 2012. The sequence – an 11 minute time-lapse video – documents the month-long…

FIND SPOTLIGHT: The Grey Friars tile

This late 13th century floor tile is one of many found during the excavation of Grey Friars in Leicester in 2012. The tile is of a ‘Stabbed Wessex’ style, commonly found across the English midlands, and it would have originally been laid in the chancel of the friary church, most likely in the choir area….

Secrets of other Grey Friars skeletons revealed…

King Richard III was not the only person to be buried inside the Grey Friars church in Leicester. Over the course of the 2012 and 2013 excavations, archaeologists identified a further ten potential graves inside the chancel of the church including a mysterious stone sarcophagus found close to the site of Richard III’s hastily dug…

Grey Friars Phase II: The 2013 excavation

The discovery of the lost friary of Grey Friars and the remains of King Richard III in 2012 was by no means the end of the Grey Friars Project. In July 2013, archaeologists returned to the site to carry out a second, month-long excavation as part of the site’s ongoing interpretation as a heritage asset….

Free online course provides insights into Richard III reinterment

The third run of the free popular ‘England in the Time of King Richard III’ online course will be launching on Monday 16 February – and will offer a fascinating insight into life during 15th century England in the build up to the reinterment of Richard III on Thursday 26 March. The course, which is…

King Richard III Identity: CASE CLOSED AFTER 529 YEARS!

An international research team led by Dr Turi King from the University of Leicester Department of Genetics has published overwhelming evidence that the skeleton discovered under a car park in Leicester indeed represents the remains of King Richard III, thereby closing what is probably the oldest forensic case solved to date. The team of researchers,…