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We are pleased to announce our 2014 annual conference “The Age of the Yorkists”.

Our 2013 tour of “The Battle of Bosworth: Tudor’s Perspective” was a hit with our patrons and regulars resulting in excellent reviews. However, due to the amount of people who signed up, we were unable to follow the exact route that Tudor would have brought his army. This year we will be restricting our numbers to 14 so we don’t incur any restraints on weights from some of the local towns and villages.

12.00 Noon - Meet at the Tithe Barn at the Bosworth Heritage Center for welcome and brief introduction.

13.30 - Depart Atherstone, travel to Merevale Church and possibly view ruins of Abbey

14.45 - Identify route to site (Green Lane) reference Lindley Hall & Lord Herdwicke

15.45 - Dadlington Church- view documents for chantry land purchase by Henry VIII

16.00 - Return to Visitor centre – Question & Answer session if required- Depart centre

Our conference will be held at the Dixie Grammar School in Market Bosworth. Registration forms will be emailed out in April, and for our patrons who do not have email, we will post them.

Professor Peregrine Hordon—Medicine and Health Care in the Age of the Yorkists.

Dr. Philip Morgan—Thud me in the hole as soon as I'm dead: Place of Burial in the Later Fifteenth Century.

27 May 2014

The Richard III Foundation calls for "Ricardian Unity" in wake of High Court Decision on Royal Resting Place

Following last week's High Court ruling that King Richard III's final resting place should be Leicester Cathedral, The Richard III Foundation has called for the Ricardian community to unite and join together in celebrating King Richard so that he can at last be buried "with the honour and dignity he deserves".

The Foundation, an international not-for-profit educational organization, remembers King Richard as a brave and inspirational ruler, the last English monarch to die in battle.

Joe Ann Ricca, Founder and CEO/President of The Richard III Foundation, Inc., says: "We are pleased that the High Court has ruled on this matter and we hope that all parties will respect the Court's decision. Our hope is that the Ricardian community will unite and take joy in the unprecedented discovery of a king whom we all admire, so that he can now be buried with the honour and dignity that he deserves."

She added that the discovery of the King's body in 2012 came about through the efforts of a number of people. "It was through a combination of David Baldwin's article in 1986, documents in the Leicester public records office, John Ashdown-Hill's DNA work and the sheer determination of Philippa Langley, that, together, we have found King Richard."

The Foundation supports and sponsors a wide range of educational projects, academic events, publications, scholarships and grants to advance research into the Ricardian period. Recent appointments announced by the Foundation include Dr David Hipshon to the committee of the Richard III Scholarship for Medieval Studies and Richard MacKinder to the committee of the John Davey Research Grant for Medieval Studies.

Plans are currently underway for the Foundation's 12th annual conference, which will take place at Market Bosworth, Leicestershire, on Saturday 11th October 2014. The conference features speeches and presentations by some of the foremost authorities on late-medieval English history. Last year's conference featured, among others, the distinguished actor and historian Robert Hardy CBE, Professors Peter Hancock & Matthew Strickland, the author and MP Chris Skidmore, and Richard Buckley, the Director of Archaeological Services at the University of Leicestershire. This year's conference should prove to be equally impressive.

Membership of the Foundation is open to anyone with an interest in King Richard III and the Wars of the Roses. For more details, go to richard111.com or visit the Foundation’s page on Facebook, or contact us at .

The Battle of Bosworth holds the distinction of being the last major battle of the Wars of the Roses. On the 22^nd of August 1485, the forces of King Richard III and Henry Tudor met. Two Kings, one battle – the end of the Yorkist period and the dawn of the Tudor dynasty.

The Battle of Bosworth has captured the attention of individuals ranging from academics, Ricardians, archaeologists, geophysicists to local historians and conservationists.

The February 2013 excavation of King Richard’s burial place and subsequent positive identification of his remains will be hailed as a defining moment in medieval archaeology and scholarship. However, in the wake of this momentous discovery, the focus is also on the battle itself and what the terrain may still yield.

In the past ten years we have seen great strides in the techniques of battlefield archaeology - resulting in information that would not otherwise have been available without the research, study and work.

The purpose of the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Society is to build on that by continuing research into the many facets of the Battle of Bosworth. For more information on the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Society, please contact them at .

The discovery of King Richard III in February of this year was an unprecedented event. However, the turmoil of where the last Plantagenet King should be buried has overtaken the simply joy of the discovery of his remains.

The recent announcement by the Honorable Mr. Justice Haddon-Cave to grant the Plantagenet Alliance the opportunity to have this heard in High Court is one of great importance. To cite the honorable Mr. Justice Haddon-Cave, "the archaeological dig of the mortal remains of a former King of England after 500 years is without precedent." We shall never see a historical moment as this in our lifetime, and careful consideration must be taken for justice for King Richard III.

The honorable Mr. Justice Haddon-Cave also cited in his judgement "it is plainly arguable that there is a duty at common law to consider widely as to how and where Richard III's remains should appropriately be re-interred." While archaeology practice dictates it is common practice to bury remains in the nearest church where remains are found, it was well known the purpose of the dig was to look for the remains of a former King of England. The Ministry of Justice failed to act on that issue, and surely an exception should have and could have been made.

King Richard III was the last Plantagenet and English King to die in battle. The battle of Bosworth was of great importance changing the course of history. The remains of the King of England belong to the nation and as such, his final resting place is of importance to the people of England and her history and heritage.

The Richard III Foundation, Inc. applauds the sensible and logical decision of the honorable Mr. Justice Haddon Cave, and we look to a conclusion that will stop dividing the Ricardian and historical community, and provide justice for a King who has been much maligned.

The Richard III Foundation, Inc. - Celebration 2013

This year marks the 20th anniversary of The Richard III Foundation, Inc. Since its inception in 1993, the Foundation has focused on research and scholarship as its core by offering educational programs for students, the local historian, fostering research, publishing works that focus on King Richard III and the Fifteenth Century, interacting with other like-minded organizations, and its annual conference. Our annual conference has featured the best historians in the medieval period, and for 2013, this year’s symposium will be an event to remember.

Friday, October 11, 2013 – The Battle of Bosworth: Tudor’s Perspective

The Battle of Bosworth was the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses. Fought on the 22 August 1485, the battle was a defining moment in English history. At its conclusion, Richard III, the last English King to have fought in battle was slain by treachery. The battle has left us with many unanswered questions, but in recent years, it has been the centre of study and re-evaluation with remarkable and new research. While our focus has been on the study of the actions of King Richard III, we will for the first time be exploring the battle from the point of view by Henry Tudor and his army. We believe this will provide us with a different perspective of the battle providing us with more answers in how King Richard III acted and reacted.

Our tour will begin at the Bosworth Heritage Centre. Transportation via a mini-bus will be provided along with handouts and historical commentary by one of the historians at the Bosworth Heritage Centre and Joe Ann Ricca, Founder and CEO/President of the Foundation. Reservations are on a first come-first serve basis. Our format will be as follows:
11:45 AM – Please arrive at the Tithe Barn
12.00 Noon - Meet at the Tithe Barn at the Bosworth Heritage Center for welcome and brief introduction.
12.15 - Depart Centre and travel by minibus to Atherstone.
12.45 - Atherstone – Short walking tour of relevant locations in town
13.30 - Depart Atherstone, travel to Merevale Church and possibly view ruins of Abbey
14.15 - Depart Merevale and travel via ancient roads and villages towards Upton
14.45 - Identify route to site (Green Lane) reference Lindley Hall & Lord Herdwicke
15.15 - Follow route to Fenn Lane Farm and site of battle, from Tudor point
15.30 - Travel to Stoke Golding (Church – Crown Hill) then onto Dadlington
15.45 - Dadlington Church- view documents for chantry land purchase by Henry VIII
16.00 - Return to Visitor centre – Question & Answer session if required- Depart centre

Saturday, October 12 – White Rose: Scottish Thistle – The Legacy of King Richard III and King James IV

Our annual conference will be held at the Dixie Grammar School in Market Bosworth. We are proud to announce our speakers and their topics.

• Richard Buckley, BA FSA MIFA - Leicester’s Greyfriars and the Search for the Resting Place of Richard III
• Diana Dunn, Senior Lecturer - Queens in Late Medieval Politics and War
• Professor Peter Hancock – Speculations on the Asserted Legal Foundation of Richard III’s Assumption of the Throne
• Robert Hardy, CBE,FSA – Two Battles Scotland Should Have Won: Halidon Hill and Flodden
• Gervase Philips, Principal Lecturer - England; Scotland and the European Revolution – 1480-1560
• John Sadler, Historian – The Last Yorkists – the English army at Flodden 1513
• Chris Skidmore, MP and Historian - The Military Manoeuvres of the Battle of Bosworth
• Professor Matthew Strickland – Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory: James IV and the Scottish army at Flodden

We welcome the Towton Battlefield Society, the Tewkesbury Battlefield Society, the Bosworth Heritage Centre, Lance and Longbow Society and Dave Lanchester Books.

For a copy of our registration form, contact us at Richard3Foundation@aol.com.

Hon. Patrons: Prof. Anne Curry FRHistS, Robert Hardy CBE FSA, Sharon K. Penman

The Richard III Foundation, Inc. is calling for the remains of King Richard III to be brought home to York and interred at York Minster.

Richard, who was the last Plantagenet king, and the last English monarch to die in battle, had strong connections with the City of York and the County of Yorkshire. He spent much of his youth at Middleham Castle and for 12 years he ruled the North of England on behalf of his elder brother, King Edward IV, earning a widespread reputation for fair-mindedness and justice. After becoming king, he visited York several times and was showered with gifts each time. His son, Edward, was crowned Prince of Wales whilst in York.

Although entitled to be buried at Westminster Abbey alongside other kings and queens of England, Richard III announced his intention to be buried at York, and in 1483 set in motion plans for a new chantry chapel at York Minster. Indeed, so strongly was Richard linked to York that the City authorities greeted the news of his death at the Battle of Bosworth with these words: "King Richard, late mercifully reigning over us, was, through great treason, piteously slain and murdered, to the great heaviness of this city."

Joe Ann Ricca, Founder and Chief Executive of The Richard III Foundation, Inc., said: "Richard obviously had no choice after he was killed as to where his remains were taken, but today we have the opportunity to right the many wrongs that have been done to this unjustly maligned king, by correcting the distorted picture that has been painted of Richard over the centuries, and by bringing his remains home to Yorkshire, and to York Minster as he wanted."

Andy Smith, the Foundation’s UK Public Relations Director, added: "York was Richard’s city. It is where he belongs, and it is only right that this great Lord of the North should return home to Yorkshire after more than five hundred years’ enforced absence. The Richard III Foundation urges the people of Yorkshire to join with us in calling for Richard, our hero and martyr, to be brought home to the city that he loved, and where he is still loved to this day."

The Foundation will be holding a major conference at Market Bosworth, Leicestershire, on Saturday 13 October, on the subject "Richard III: Monarch and Man". The conference runs from 8.30am to 5.00pm. Speakers at the conference will include the distinguished actor, historian and author Robert Hardy CBE, Hon. Patron of The Richard III Foundation, who said he believed King Richard to have been "a first rate fighting man" and that his death at Bosworth was "a tragedy, a sacrifice to end the civil wars".

The Richard III Foundation, Inc. is an international not-for-profit educational organization promoting knowledge and understanding of the life and times of Richard III and seeking to correct the distorted picture of the king that has come down to us through literature and popular culture. The Foundation provides grants and scholarships to help promote the study of King Richard and the Wars of the Roses.

Our symposium will be held at the Dixie Grammar School in Market Bosworth. Registration begins at 8:30. The conference will begin at 9:00 am and will conclude at 5:00 pm. Our speakers and topics are:

Dr. John Alban - "From Ashwellthorpe to Bosworth: a Yorkist Soldier"

Robert Hardy (contingent on schedule)

Dr. Craig Taylor—"Chivalry and the Wars of the Roses"

Steve Goodchild— "The Arrival: The Role of Richard, Duke of Gloucester at Tewkesbury"

Mike Ingram - "The Road to Bosworth"

Mark Downing—"Military Effigies in the Yorkist Age".

Dr. David Hipshon— "The Princes: Contemporary Assumptions"?

David Baldwin— "The Character of Richard III"

For a registration form, please contact Mrs. Dorothy Davies, EA, Half Moon House, 32 Church Lane, Ryde. Isle of Wight PO33 2NB or email us at Richard3Foundation@yahoo.com.

New information has been released on our Richard III Scholarship for Medieval Studies and the John Davey Research Grant for Medieval Studies. If you wish to receive information on either program, contact us at .