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The Crooked King
A Look at the Life, Death and Rediscovery of King Richard III of England
On the 25th August 2012, staff from University of Leicester Archaeological Services began a dig in the staff car park of Leicester City Council Car Park. The dig was supported by the City Council, Leicester Promotions, the University of Leicester, Leicester Cathedral, Darlow Smithson Productions and the Richard III Society. It had a twofold aim. Firstly to confirm whether or not the site had once been occupied by a Priory of the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscan or ‘Grey’ Friars) and secondly to discover if this was indeed the burial place of Richard III, last Plantagenet King of England.
After removal of a layer of modern demolition debris from a north-south trench, two parallel human leg bones were discovered. They lay some five metres from the north end of the 30 metre trench, at a depth of about 1.5 metres. This indicated an undisturbed burial. The leg bones were covered while further investigations, including digging another trench, took place. These investigations confirmed that this was in fact the site of the priory, and allowed the experts to estimate that the bones they had found lay close to the choir, on the east side of the Priory church. This was the part of the church where, according to contemporary chronicles, the dead King had been hastily interred.
