The Richard III Society
Adelaide South Australia Branch
Newsletter May 2015
Minutes of the May 2nd Adelaide branch Richard III Society, held at NCW South Tce
Adelaide.
Present: A Cooper, J Forster, D Haynes, R McEvoy, L Cortez, R Overy, V Walden, M
Collings, K Jones, S Walladge, J Mann, L & C Gill
Apologies: A & K Feldman, A Cameron, R Durkin
Minutes of the previous meeting read & accepted, moved L Gill, seconded V Walden
Treasurer’s report: rent for rooms taken out so balance $420.26
Correspondence: Ricardus Rex, Vic branch April 2015
Ricardian Recorder April 2015
Animation The Princes in the Tower
R3 Society mailings
News articles
-Archaeology April edition- Richard III may have hidden his scoliosis until death
-A Poem for Richard III of England by John Morgan in Wisconsin State Journal
-Daily Mail Australia- Did Richard III hide his deformed spine in life?
-Academic believes Richard III hid his scoliosis
Cartoons
Shared J Carr’s emails
Email from Jacqui
Email from R Durkin included her apologies for meeting
New book The Lost King by Alison Prince
Ricardian Times NZ Jan, April, fiction supplement
General business
Future meetingsJune K Jones - Anthony Woodville revisited
July Coronation lunch- medieval if possible- let us know what you’re bringing next
meeting. J Carr & M Collings to share Leicester trip stories, photos, etc
August J Forster on children’s book week books
J Forster just been to WA for 16 days. Climbed the Gloucester Tree –showed us postcard of
tree. Most of us decided we wouldn’t try.
L Gill & J Forster borrowed The Bones of a King.
Meeting closed and we watched DVD on Medieval life- Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1st
episode on Births. Interesting viewing!!!!
From Lyn Gill 2 websites to look at- thank you.
http://www.medievalists.net/2015/05/10/10-great-tips-from-the-middle-ages/
http://www.godecookery.com/nboke/neweboke.htm
Some of the latest cartoons
Philippa Langley: The University of Leicester was "not
interested" in Richard III's bones
By PA_Warzynski | Posted: May 27, 2015 Leicester Mercury
Ricardian Philippa Langley has claimed that University of Leicester archaeologists were not
interested in excavating the remains of Richard III until she "pushed" them into taking the bones
seriously.
University of Leicester archaeologist Mathew Morris at the site where he found the bones of Richard
III
Standing over the grave and waving her arms in August 2012, Philippa urged site director Mathew
Morris to take a look at some newly discovered leg bones - which it was later revealed belonged to
the medieval king.
In an article published on the Looking for Richard website (of which she is a principal member), it is
claimed that Philippa - who also protected the exposed tibias from bad weather - battled with
Mathew who allegedly had no interest in them.
The piece titled Who Really Discovered the Remains of King Richard III? says: "Philippa... pushes
for it to be a burial or skeleton as Annette Carson looks on, but site director Mathew Morris isn't
interested and won't confirm whether it's human, or even a burial.
"After much pushing from Philippa, the burial is finally taken seriously by the site director.
"On August 31, 2012, Philippa goes on to instruct and pay for its exhumation using the final £800
remaining from the Ricardian International Appeal that had saved the 2012 dig from cancellation."
The award-winning Channel 4 documentary, the King in the Car Park, tells a different story.
It shows Mathew finding the remains and then introduces his colleague and osteologist Dr Jo
Appleby who removes the soil to determine that it is a full skeleton and not a set of disarticulated
remains.
But the Looking for Richard Project explains that Philippa knew the full set of bones would be there.
"This confirms Philippa's theory," the article states. "That it is a burial and skeleton – located right
beside the letter R."
Philippa stated in her book, The King's Grave: The Search for Richard III, she knew with "utter
conviction" that the monarch was buried beneath the car park after walking over an 'R' painted on the
tarmac and getting a shiver.
She said it was her premonition that led archaeologists to excavate that spot.
Her claims have always been disputed by the University of Leicester.
A spokesperson for the university said: "The discovery was a wonderful piece of archaeology led by
Richard Buckley of University of Leicester Archaeological Services and it built upon decades of
experience the team had of the archaeology of Leicester.
"The plan for the trenches was devised by project leader Richard Buckley over a year before the dig
began.
"The expertise of site director Mathew Morris, gained through many years professional experience of
urban archaeology, was crucial and his management of the site and all of its finds was exemplary. No
burials would have been excavated until they were absolutely certain of their context."
Extract from Philippa Langley's book, The King's Grave: The Search for Richard III
"It was a warm spring day in 2005. As I went to leave I had a strong compulsion to enter a private
car park opposite, and when I squeezed past the barrier I felt a strange mix of excitement and fear.
"My heart was thumping in my chest and I was shivering with cold despite the sunny weather.
"I knew with utter conviction I was standing on Richard's grave. Am I psychic? You might call it
that, but I believe that we all have a sixth sense if we tune into it."
Dig this! ‘National figure’ behind Richard III is
revealed...
By Leicester Mercury | Posted: April 10, 2015 By Mr Leicester
Now here's a familiar face...
I thank Duncan Lucas, former Chairman of Leicestershire County Council, for this photograph
showing a man of the moment.
"Taken around 1994, it shows a young man, left, working for the county council at an archaeological
dig in Leicester," explains Mr Lucas, of Wigston Magna.
"Here, he is being presented with a 'Roman' milestone.
"Others in the photo include yours truly; Tim Schadla Hall, the then county museums chief, and
Brenda Lucas.
"The young man is now a national figure!"
He is, indeed – Richard Buckley, Director of University of Leicester Archaeological Services, was
the project manager and lead archaeologist on the Greyfriars dig, which so expertly uncovered
identified Richard III's remains.
After graduating from the University of Durham in 1979, Mr Buckley was a Field Officer with
Leicestershire Archaeological Unit from 1980 to 1995.
During this time, he worked on projects at Leicester Castle Hall and John of Gaunt's Cellar (1986),
the Shires excavation (1988-89) and the Causeway Lane excavation in 1991.
In 1995, together with Patrick Clay, he formed University of Leicester Archaeological Services
(ULAS), where, as co-director, he manages archaeological fieldwork projects, mainly in the East
Midlands, specialising in urban sites and historic buildings.