To be or not to be,,,oh wait wrong play!!
Posted by Sane Spirit on Friday, August 31, 2012
Under: In the News
Historical records show that Richard III was buried in the church of a Franciscan friary in Leicester shortly after his defeat and death at the hands of Henry Tudor's army in the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.
But the destruction of the friary as Britain's monasteries were dissolved under Henry VIII and subsequent removal of its stone ruins meant that over the ensuing centuries the king's exact burial site was forgotten.
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Richard III has gone down in history as a monstrous tyrant with a hunchback and a withered arm, but most historians now claim such an image is purely fictitious and down largely to how he was portrayed by Shakespeare.
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Archaeologists hope that the excavation of the council car park, due to begin on Saturday, will reveal the foundations of the historic church's walls and possibly even lead them to the alter under which the body would have been buried.
Richard Buckley, the archaeologist in charge of the project, said: "It has been known for a long time that the Greyfriars friary was the final resting place of Richard III, but actually working out where its individual buildings were was pretty difficult.
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Mr Buckley emphasised that the dig, which will last two to three weeks, is "a bit of a long shot" because the church may not be found, and some legends even suggest Richard III's corpse was dug up in the 16th century and thrown in a nearby river.
But members of the Richard III society dismissed the tale, insisting that the balance of historical evidence suggests that his corpse is still buried in its initial resting place.
Is Richard III 'buried under council car park'?
But the destruction of the friary as Britain's monasteries were dissolved under Henry VIII and subsequent removal of its stone ruins meant that over the ensuing centuries the king's exact burial site was forgotten.
[,,,]
Richard III has gone down in history as a monstrous tyrant with a hunchback and a withered arm, but most historians now claim such an image is purely fictitious and down largely to how he was portrayed by Shakespeare.
[,,,]
Archaeologists hope that the excavation of the council car park, due to begin on Saturday, will reveal the foundations of the historic church's walls and possibly even lead them to the alter under which the body would have been buried.
Richard Buckley, the archaeologist in charge of the project, said: "It has been known for a long time that the Greyfriars friary was the final resting place of Richard III, but actually working out where its individual buildings were was pretty difficult.
[,,,]
Mr Buckley emphasised that the dig, which will last two to three weeks, is "a bit of a long shot" because the church may not be found, and some legends even suggest Richard III's corpse was dug up in the 16th century and thrown in a nearby river.
But members of the Richard III society dismissed the tale, insisting that the balance of historical evidence suggests that his corpse is still buried in its initial resting place.
Is Richard III 'buried under council car park'?
In : In the News