The raison d’être of the Richard III Society is to research into the life and times of King Richard III.  This is achieved, not through a team of full-time professional researchers, but through a network of members who are eminently qualified historians and members who are enthusiastic amateurs.  The former group have, over the past few decades, researched and published their work, for example The Coronation of Richard III edited by Peter Hammond and Anne Sutton, a definitive work on the extant records of this ceremonial event, and The Books of Richard III by Anne Sutton and Livia Visser-Fuchs, which catalogues and examines Richard’s personal library.  The latter group have been encouraged to carry out original research; to report on their findings; and to participate in Society research projects (see below). The Society is also greatly helped by the academic historians who regularly contribute to the Society’s journal, The Ricardian, with articles and reviews and give lectures at Society-organized events.

The most recent research of interest to Ricardians by a member has been carried out by John Ashdown-Hill, who has discovered a direct female line of descent through Richard III’s sister, Anne of Exeter, to a lady living in Canada. This means that Richard’s mitochondrial DNA has now been established.

The formal structure for research within the Society is led by a research officer. Responsibilities include the organization of educational events, overseeing research projects, administering the Society’s bursaries and palaeography course, liaising with the academic community, promoting the academic image of the Society to the media and through the website and, perhaps most important of all, facilitating research by members and dealing with queries from members and the general public. Time allowing, the research officer will carry out personal research into Ricardian related topics. The Research Officer is supported by a sub-committee whose  members provide a wealth of knowledge of and experience in late medieval studies.

A recent innovation has been the establishment of the Society’s Research Community in 2005 where members with an interest in research, regardless of experience, have been invited to come together to share interests and experiences.

The Society has recently completed two major research projects, both concerning fifteenth century wills, which will shortly be published. Wills are a very important source for details of medieval life and for genealogical details of the testator and his family. Many of them have already been transcribed, albeit in widely scattered sources such as journals, books and collections of wills and in many different forms, complete, abstracts or as brief notes. The first project is collecting references to as many published wills as possible for wills written or proved between the years 1399 -1540. Individual references give the name of the testator, the date and place the will was made, the date of probate and the full source reference. This will save historians considerable work in seeking out these wills.

The second project involves the transcription of the wills in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury Logge register (TNA PROB 11/7), containing some 390 wills in Latin and in English. This Register contains wills registered between 1478 -1486. Many of the members doing this work learnt their palaeographical skills through the Society palaeography course.

Other research projects include the transcription of a selection of wills from the Prerogative Court of York; transcription of TNA PRO E404 (1475-1491) which covers the records of the Exchequer during the reigns of Edward IV, Edward V, Richard III and beyond; and the transcription and translation of the Middleham Accounts.

The Society has published a Guide to Research and the most recent edition is now available online to visitors of the website. Click here for your free copy.

Further information on the Society’s activities and achievements in the field of research can be found under Achievements , Publications, Events and Education.