20 April 2008

2008 looks to be a busy season for Shakespeare's 'History Plays' and of course Richard III with a number of stagings around the country.

11 April 2008

Towton Battlefield Centre is about to open its new visitor information centre on ST George's Day, Wednesday 23rd April at 11.30 am. Read here to find out more.

10 April 2008

The Harlaxton Medieval Symposium 2008 – Memory and Commemoration in Medieval England

This year’s symposium has two objectives: to celebrate the first twenty five years of the Harlaxton Medieval Symposium and, secondly, to explore how people and events were commemorated or memorialised in medieval England. Full details can be seen here.

18 March 2008

Who Do You Think You Are? LIVE 2008, the Grand Hall at Olympia: Friday 2 May to Sunday 4 May - The first Who Do you Think You Are? was a roaring success last year and this year's event looks to be even bigger and better. In fact it is three exhibitions in one: The National History Show, Dosvoer Archaeology and Military History. This year also the Richard III Society will be taking a stall and will be joined by Josephine Tewson to help raise the profile of the Society. Full details can be seen here.

10 February 2008

Stamps - Richard III First Day Covers - On 28th February The Royal Mail will be producing a new issue of six stamps featuring the Lancastrian/Yorkist monarchs, these are the Henry's IV, V & VI ; the Edward's IV & V and Richard. The Society has been working with two specialist producers of First Day Covers both of whom will produce their own versions of a Richard III First Day Cover associated with the Society. Full details can be seen here

22 August 2007

Interim report on Bosworth 2007 - full report will appear in next Bulletin.

20 August 2007

The Royal Academy of Arts has a forthcoming exhibition entitled 'Making History: Antiquaries in Britain 1707-2007' which will run from 15 September to 2 December 2007. This exhibition will explore the work and achievement of the Fellowship of the Society of Antiquaries of London since its foundation in the early eighteenth century to the present day.

Maurice and Shelagh Bond MEMORIAL LECTURE - Windsor Castle before 1348. Full details here.

Renaissance? - Perceptions of Continuity & Discontinuity in Europe -1300-1550
A seminar to be held at the University of Edinburgh - School of History and Classics 31st August - 1st September 2007

29 July 2007

BOSWORTH RE-ENACTMENT WEEKEND CANCELLED 18 - 19 AUGUST

Due to the grounds being water logged, the weekend events have been cancelled.
For further information you can contact Leicestershire County Council by email or telephone at
01455 290429.

Leicestershire County Council may arrange another special weekend later in the summer, but there will be no re-enactment this year.

Further updates can be seen at LCC's website as they are announced.

2 April 2007

York Shakespeare Project casting for Henry VI

YSP are currently casting for a major production of Henry VI Parts 1, 2 and 3. The plays are being performed in 2 parts between the 12th and 22nd July in York Guildhall. This is a rare opportunity to get involved in a very large scale modern dress production. Parts are available for major roles for experienced actors as well as many smaller or non-speaking parts if you have little or no experience of Shakespeare.

We are particularly looking for a small army of soldiers to take a few French cities and fight for the White Rose and also a lighting designer. The production is guaranteed to be exciting, energetic and a lot of fun.

Please contact the director Mark France, on 07930 382643 or via mark.france6@btinternet.com for more information. Rehearsals are evenings and Sundays and start on 2nd April.

9 February 2007

Dorothy Mitchell, the founder of "The Society of the Friends of Richard III" has died at the age of 80.

Dorothy Mitchell established the Society Of Friends Of King Richard III 30 years ago.

Mrs Mitchell, who was born in York, had helped to raise funds towards the renovations of York Minster and the rebuilding of Sheriff Hutton village hall through the society.

Dorothy was instrumental in helping to renovate the stonework in the Minster and she helped to organise a pageant to raise funds for the rebuilding of Sheriff Hutton village hall.

Born in 1926, Dorothy also went on to be a model and catering manageress at Bettys Café Tea Rooms in St Helen's Square, York.

In 1997, The Press reported how the society donated a window to York Minster to mark the 545th anniversary of Richard III's birthday.

"Richard was a great benefactor to York Minster, and the people of York thought a lot of him," Mrs Mitchell said at the time. The window is a very simple and beautiful gift."

The Funeral will take place on Tuesday 13th February 2007 at 2.30 in York Minster.

The Richard III Society would like to express our condolences to the family and friends of Dorothy Mitchell and to The Society of the Friends of Richard III who have lost their founder and a tireless campaigner for Richard III.

5 February 2007

BBC 2's 'Flog It' programme is an antiques roadshow type programme which travels the country and invites people to come in and have their antiques valued and then arranges for them to be sold at auction.

At each venue the programme has a six to eight minute insert featuring something of local interest which might be its history, a country house or an activity such as a pottery.

In the new series which has just started one of the venues is Leicester and the item of local history is the Bosworth Battlefield.

'The BBC approached the Society to see if it could provide a member to be interviewed on site. Wendy Moorhen, the Society's Research Officer went to Bosworth representing the Society.

This episode will be screened on Monday 12th February on BBC 2 at 15.45'

10 January 2007

Additions have been made to the 2007 callender and the events visits sections

12 December 2006

Winter Bulletin
Details of the contents of the current issue of the Bulletin are now avalable online

6 December 2006

BATTLE OF WAKEFIELD LIVING HISTORY COMMEMORATION - Thanks to the generous support of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council, the 546th anniversary of the Battle of Wakefield will be commemorated with a living history event at Sandal Castle, Wakefield, on 30th December.

For full details, please click here

2 December 2006

Did Richard III really kill the Princes in the Tower?

A letter, alleged to have been written by Richard III, has been found at Mount Stuart Castle on the Isle of Bute. If genuine, the letter would have serious implications about Richard's part in the disappearance of the Princes. The Society's research team has had the opportunity to examine a photograph of the letter and finds that it is an obvious forgery. Click here for more information.

29 October 2006

Secretary to the Society

Elizabeth Nokes has resigned from the Executive Committee, and from the post of Secretary to the Society. At a meeting of the Executive Committee on 24th October, Jane Trump was elected in her stead and we wish her well with her new responsibilities.

The Chairman and the Executive Committee would like to take this opportunity of thanking Elizabeth for her long service to the Society, which will continue as she remains a member of the Visits Committee, trustee of the RCRF and secretary to the London Branch. Her work as editor of the Bulletin will end with the Winter 2006 edition.

20 August 2006

The Richard III Society commemorates the 521st anniversary of the Battle of Bosworth with their Service of Remembrance at Sutton Cheney Church and annual visit to the Bosworth Battlefield Centre.

17 June 2006

Juliet Wilson MBE, in recogntion for the work she has done for the village of Fotheringhay, the church and the Society.

11 June 2006

It was envisaged earlier that the planned event by the Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Group to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Group and the 50th anniversary of the re-founding of the Society would have to be cancelled and this news was published in the latest 'Bulletin'

The good news is that this is NOT the case now and the event is still going ahead as scheduled, so please contact the organiser if you are interested in attending.

1 June 2006

The photo galley is now up for the 'Schools poster and essay competitions'.

21 May 2006

Reception held at Barnard's Inn, in the presence of HRH The Duke of Gloucester, to award the prizes for the Society's Schools' Competition.

Dr David Grummitt's recent paper on 'The French Expedition of 1475 and what it meant to those involved', presented at the seminar held in the Tower of London on 25 March 2006, is now available onlilne.

3 May 2006

The Society holds its 11th study weekend. The theme for the weekend was the Logge Wills

Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Group - An event to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Group and the 50th anniversary of the re-founding of the Society.

Friday 23 June at 7.30pm My Kingdom For A Horse?

11 April 2006

Details of the Harlaxton Symposeum now available

8 April 2006

The Society celebrates with senior Vice President, Miss Isolde Wigram, her contribution to the re-founding of the Soiceyt in 1956.

4 April 2006

A report on the 'Trial of Richard' by Herb Moskovitz, Philadelphia who was chosen as one of the members of the jury for the 'Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts and Lantern Theater Company'.

2 April 2006

Article on Anne Neville, the wife of Richard III, by Professor Michael HIcks of King Alfred's College, Winchester. This article is based on Professor Hicks' book, Anne Neville: Queen to Richard published by Tempus earlier this year

26 March 2006

First event to celebrate the refounding of the Richard III Society took place at the Tower of London on Saturday 25 March 2006. For a preliminary report of the event click here.

21 March 2006

The entries for the Schools' poster and essay competitions have now been judged and can be seen and read here.

New from America, the THE TRIAL OF RICHARD III by the Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts and Lantern Theater Company, find out more here

20 March 2006

A report on the Towton Battlefield Society and its affiliated re-enactment group, the Company of Palm Sunday 1461 event to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Wakefield.

Press Release by the Towton Battlefield Soicety and the Company of Palm Sunday 1461 about their guided battlefield memorial walk on 9 April 2006.

12 March 2006

Shakespeare in Cambridge - From 7-11 March, at the Cambridge Arts Theatre, the Marlowe Dramatic Society put on a production of Shakespeare’s Richard III, the Wednesday performance being preceded by a public discussion on the subject of King Richard and the play. The members of the discussion panel were Dr Rosemary Horrox, a historian and friend of the Society, Dr Janet Bottoms, a specialist in English literature, Tom Cornford, the play’s director, and Phil Stone, representing the Society. The meeting was chaired by Dr Jean Chothia.

17 February 2006

Graham Turner has an exhibition in April of paintings and prints, click here for more information

Preview of the Spring Bulletin can be seen here

News of the International Medieval Congress in July (Leeds)

New Monumental Brass Society volume: The Catesbys of Ashby St Ledgers and their brasses

31 January 2006

The new Richard III Society site has now been launched and includes contributions from some of the leading academics and historians in the field of late medieval history. Features of the site include:

·          An expanded section on Richard III covering all aspects of his life, career, family, and reputation
together with an in-depth study of the controversies surrounding the last Plantagenet king.

·          Archaeology

·          The Wars of the Roses including all battles, rebellions, uprisings and other campaigns of the period

·          Aftermath to Bosworth and the problems facing Henry VII

·          A who’s who of those involved in the Wars of the Roses – over a hundred mini-biographies

·          A new section on the fifteenth century which will be expanded in the coming months

·          Online library of articles and books reviews

·          Bibliographies and contemporary sources

·          Historical fiction

·          An up to the minute guide on how to carry out research into the medieval period

·          Details of all Society events including visits, study weekends, lectures, and branch and group activities

·          What’s in the 2006 volume of The Ricardian, the Society’s annual journal

·          Education and learning activities

·          New media section covering press, TV, films, theatre, exhibitions, books and articles

·          Ricardian sites

·          Affiliations and links

·          Membership department section