Richard III tomb design unveiled by Leicester Cathedral

[Blackleaf]

The design for Richard III's new tomb at Leicester Cathedral has been unveiled.

Despite York currently mounting a legal challenge to have the king buried in that city rather than Leicester, cathedral officials said this was the "right place and the best place".

The tomb will cost around £96,000 and will be part of extensive remodelling of Leicester Cathedral and its grounds, totalling £1.3 million.

The king will have a raised tomb of finely worked Swaledale fossil limestone deeply incised with a simple cross, placed at the centre of a white Yorkist rose carved in limestone, surrounded by a band of dark Kilkenny limestone, in a special area created by re-ordering part of the interior of the cathedral. The top of the tomb is inclined towards the east, as a symbol of the resurrection of the dead.

The name of the King, the dates of his birth and death (1452-1485) his personal motto , ‘Loyaulte me Lie (Loyalty binds Me)’ and his ‘boar’ badge will be carved into the dark circular band on the floor around the tomb. The area will be defined by wooden screens, between the new altar under the tower and a new chapel which will be used for private prayer and for regular daily worship.

The cathedral's proposals will now go before the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England, a planning body, with a final decision expected in late October.

The internment ceremony may take place sometime next year.

Richard III tomb new design revealed by Leicester cathedral

BBC News
19th September 2013

The £1.3m project will see an extensive remodelling of the cathedral and gardens

A new design for Richard III's tomb has been revealed by Leicester Cathedral.

Plans for the raised tomb with a deeply carved cross, on a floor inlaid with a large Yorkist white rose, will now be submitted to planning officials.

Set within the cathedral's chancel, the £1.3m project will also see changes to internal layout, windows and lighting.

A legal challenge has put the tomb's location in doubt but cathedral officials said this was the "right place and the best place".

The remains of the king, who died in battle in 1485, were discovered by archaeologists under a Leicester car park in September last year.

Church authorities had originally favoured a flat slab to mark the tomb but changed their plans in the face of strong feedback.

Preparatory work has already begun, with test pits being dug in the building's floor.

However the process has been complicated by a legal challenge from a group of distant relatives of the king, who call themselves the Plantagenet Alliance.

The limestone tomb is tilted slightly to the east as a symbol of resurrection

They want to see the remains placed in York, where Richard had strong links, and last month won a judicial review of the licence that says he should go to Leicester.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has indicated it intends to contest the decision to allow the review.

But Leicester cathedral officials said they were obliged to press on with the tomb plans which they describe as "regal and respectful in its elegant simplicity".

Canon Pete Hobson said: "We are very confident the grounds for issuing the licence were correct but we also had no choice - we have been asked by a proper request to go ahead.

"It takes this planning, because despite the speculation nobody else in the country is actually planning for it, and it takes the amount of time and energy and money we have had to put into it.

"So, yes, there is a small element of risk because some people have other ideas about where he should go but we believe this is not only the right place but the best place."

How the inside of the cathedral will look after refurbishment. Officials said they wanted the building to remain a place of community worship

The Richard III Society, which was closely involved in the dig to find the bones, had campaigned strongly for a raised tomb.

Its chairman, Dr Phil Stone, said: "I think it is inspired. I was surprised at the depth of the cross but have been reassured by the thinking behind it.

"And the overall design of the space, with the detailed rose, is beautiful.

"I sincerely hope this design is approved or, should Richard's remains go elsewhere, will very much inform those who plan another tomb."

The cathedral's proposals will now go before the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England, a planning body, with a final decision expected in late October.

A reinterment ceremony was due to take place in May 2014 but this had been put in doubt by the court case.

One of thousands of boar badges made for the supporters of Richard III in 1483. His boar badge will be carved into the dark circular band on the floor around the tomb, along with his name, the dates of his birth and death (1452-1485) and his personal motto , ‘Loyaulte me Lie (Loyalty binds Me)’

Leicester Cathedral dates back to 1086


Tomb details

• Tomb of Swaledale fossil limestone
• Rose carved in white limestone
• Rose surrounded by a band of dark Kilkenny limestone
• Band carved with king's name, dates (1452-1485), motto (Loyaulte me Lie 'Loyalty binds Me') and boar badge
• Area will be defined by wooden screens

BBC News - Richard III tomb new design revealed by Leicester cathedral

 

[WLDB]

Looks good. The Tudors likely wouldn't be too pleased though. haha

 

[coldstream]

Aesthetically it's quite pleasing. I was trying to figure out if the placement was directly in front of the Main Altar. The text sais it's in the Chancel, which traditionally is in the Sanctuary reserved for the clergy and the choir.

This would be inappropriate imho.. for such a ethically ambiguous former monarch.. or usurper.. even with the continued attempts to salvage the 'last Plantagenet' King's reputation from Shakespeare's hatchet job.

But then again this is an Anglican Cathedral (although built in the Catholic era), and that denomination has shown little regard for God's laws, nature, structure or traditions, especially in the post-modern epoch.

Seems to me they're thinking of the dollars that might flow from its designation as a tourist destination (i can't use the word 'pilgimage' )

 

[Blackleaf]

Looks good. The Tudors likely wouldn't be too pleased though. haha

I don't think they'd be too bothered. At the end of the day they won, and Richard lost.

Aesthetically it's quite pleasing. I was trying to figure out if the placement was directly in front of the Main Altar. The text sais it's in the Chancel, which traditionally is in the Sanctuary reserved for the clergy and the choir.

This would be inappropriate imho.. for such a ethically ambiguous former monarch.. or usurper.. even with the continued attempts to salvage the 'last Plantagenet' King's reputation from Shakespeare's hatchet job.

The chancel of a cathedral is the traditional place of honour of an important person. This is equivalent to the position of the king’s original grave in the Grey Friars Priory (now the car park).

The Dean of Leicester, The Very Rev David Monteith, said: 'By placing the tomb in our chancel, we are giving king Richard the same honour as did those friars more than 500 years ago.'​

But then again this is an Anglican Cathedral (although built in the Catholic era), and that denomination has shown little regard for God's laws, nature, structure or traditions, especially in the post-modern epoch.

It's actually the corrupt Catholic Church which has shown little regard for God's laws, nature, structure or traditions. Why do you think Protestantism arose in the first place? In protestation of it.

Here's a book to read:

The official inside story of the life, death and remarkable discovery of history's most controversial monarch.

On 22 August 1485 Richard III was killed at Bosworth Field, the last king of England to die in battle. His victorious opponent, Henry Tudor (the future Henry VII), went on to found one of our most famous ruling dynasties, the Tudors. Richard's body was displayed in undignified fashion for two days in nearby Leicester and then hurriedly buried in the church of the Greyfriars. Fifty years later, at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries, the king's grave was lost - its contents believed to be emptied into the river Soar - and Richard III's reputation buried under a mound of Tudor propaganda. Its culmination was Shakespeare's compelling portrayal of a deformed and murderous villain, written over a hundred years after Richard's death.

About the Author

Michael Jones was awarded a history PhD by Bristol University and subsequently taught at Glasgow University and Winchester College. He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and member of the British Commission for Military History, and works now as a writer, media consultant and presenter. Among his historical titles he has written books on the battles of Bosworth, Agincourt, Stalingrad and Leningrad. He was TV consultant for Channel 4's Richard III: Fact or Fiction and National Geographic's Mystery Files: The Princes in the Tower, and co-author, with Philippa Gregory and David Baldwin, of The Women of the Cousins' War.

Philippa Langley inaugurated the quest for King Richard III's lost grave as part of her ongoing research into history's most controversial monarch. Her project marked the first-ever search for the grave of an anointed King of England, and was made into the acclaimed TV documentary The King in the Car Park for Channel 4. She is the secretary of the Scottish Branch of the Richard III Society.

 

[Cliffy]

My Gawd, what a colossal waste of taxpayers' money. Who cares about a guy whose been dead for 500 years. There are people living in dire poverty and you clowns spend millions on a bunch of silly inbreds.

 

[Blackleaf]

My Gawd, what a colossal waste of taxpayers' money.

Oh dear. Epic failure. Engage brain before typing next time, please.

And, remember, this is a former leader of England that we're talking about. Not some ordinary peasant.

 

[Blackleaf]

Fragment of the 500-year-old flag that flew as King Richard III was killed in the Battle of Bosworth Field set to sell for £5,000​

Red and gold remnant believed to be from the then Henry Tudor's standard
The future Henry VII defeated Richard III at the bloody fight in 1485
The flag hung by the tomb of Henry's standard bearer Sir Robert Harcourt
It was passed down through the Northamptonshire family now selling it
Auctioneer Charles Hanson said: 'Incredible find from important battle'


By Harriet Arkell
23rd September 2013
Daily Mail

A 500-year-old piece of the battle flag which flew on the field where King Richard III was slain is going up for auction.​

The red and gold cloth fragment was, auctioneers believe, a standard of the future Henry VII during the pivotal and bloody fight between the houses of Lancaster and York which took place at Bosworth Field in 1485.​

Hansons Auctioneers say the remnant, measuring six-and-a-half inches by five-and-a-half inches, should make between £3,000 and £5,000 when they auction it this weekend.​

A piece of history: The battered fragment from the flag has survived more than five centuries ​

​

Henry Tudor, left, defeated Richard III, right, at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 to win the Wars of the Roses for the Lancastrians and become King Henry VII

The firm's Charles Hanson said the fragment was part of a far larger flag carried by Sir Robert Harcourt who was standard bearer to Henry Tudor during the fight.​

'It's difficult to say exactly what the standard would have looked like but it probably measured at least two foot by four foot and was a large flag that was held aloft for army colleagues to see on a hill - it would have been very much a focal point for a military advancement,' he said.​

'It is an incredible find from one of the most important battles ever fought on British soil.' ​

Henry's forces killed Richard at the Battle of Bosworth Field, ending the Wars of the Roses and marking the beginning of the Tudor dynasty which ruled England until 1603.​

The Derbyshire-based auctioneer said the flag fragment had been one of three decaying parts originally hung above the tomb of Sir Robert Harcourt, who was standard bearer to the then Henry Tudor during the battle.​

Sir Robert, a Knight Of The Bath, was buried in St Michael's Church in Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, after he died in 1490. The remnant was then passed to a local family who passed it down through generations before deciding to sell it.​

The red and gold remnant of the battle standard dates back to the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485​

Mr Hanson said the material's provenance was 'very good' as it had been in the keeping of the same family in Northamptonshire since at least 1847, when it had been mounted in a frame for safe-keeping.​

He said: 'Our vendors are obviously aware of its social value today since the imagination of what happened at the Battle of Bosworth will keep historians debating for years to come.​

'I am just delighted such a fundamental accessory to that 1485 battle has been unearthed only months after finding King Richard III in a Leicester car park.​

'As an auctioneer, I thrive on the social relevance such bygone artefacts had on society. If only this fragment could talk it could tell us so much.'​

The bloody Battle of Bosworth Field ended with the death of Richard III and a decisive Lancastrian victory over the Yorkists, in both the battle and the entire Wars of the Roses. Lancashire and Yorkshire have not seen eye to eye since​

The auctioneer told MailOnline he hoped the flag would be bought by someone in the UK, preferably a museum or a collector who would put it on permanent loan in a British museum.​

International interest in King Richard has boomed after human remains uncovered in an old friary beneath a Leicester car park in 2012 were earlier this year confirmed by experts as being those of the late monarch - the last of the Yorkist line, who reigned from 1483 until his death in battle.​

Mr Hanson said that the current interest in the Yorkist king around the world meant that the fragment may fetch 'considerably more' than its estimate when it is auctioned on Saturday.​

The Battle of Bosworth Field was fought on the morning of August 22, 1485 and marked the end of the War Of The Roses, the 30-year civil war between the houses of York and Lancaster.​

Standard bearer Sir Robert Harcourt was buried in Stanton Harcourt church in Oxfordshire with the flag​

The battle flag hung over the tomb of Henry's standard bearer Sir Robert Harcourt in an Oxfordshire church​

One of the most important clashes in English history, it saw the death of Richard III, ushered in the Tudor dynasty and gave Shakespeare one of his best known quotations - 'A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse'.​

The battle marked the final confrontation between the Yorkist king Richard III and his challenger Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond and leader of the House of Lancaster.​

Following an unsuccessful attempt to invade England from his base in France, Henry arrived on the coast of Wales on August 1, 1485.​

Gathering support as he marched inland, Richard hurriedly mustered troops and intercepted Henry's army south of Market Bosworth in Leicestershire.​

After Richard's death on the battlefield his rival was crowned King Henry VII and became the first English monarch of the Tudor dynasty, which lasted until 1603.​

Read more: Richard III: Fragment of the 500-year-flag that flew as King was killed in the Battle of Bosworth | Mail Online ​

 

[coldstream]

The chancel of a cathedral is the traditional place of honour of an important person. This is equivalent to the position of the king’s original grave in the Grey Friars Priory (now the car park).

The Dean of Leicester, The Very Rev David Monteith, said: 'By placing the tomb in our chancel, we are giving king Richard the same honour as did those friars more than 500 years ago.'​

It's actually the corrupt Catholic Church which has shown little regard for God's laws, nature, structure or traditions. Why do you think Protestantism arose in the first place? In protestation of it.

I'll still think this design.. which as i said is well done.. would be better placed in a corner of the nave or a transept rather than in front of the High Altar.

And the origins of Anglican Church.. had little to do with Luther's protestation of Catholic abuses, except as a convenient excuse.. and much to do with Henry VIII's ambition, greed, power lust.. and just plain old lust for his (shortlived) 'harlot' queen.. Anne Boleyn.. the looting of the Monastic land holdings and religious artifacts.. and murder of their monks.

 

[EagleSmack]

Are there any paintings of King Richard's head getting kicked around after the battle?

 

[L Gilbert]

"Fragment of the 500-year-old flag that flew as King Richard III was killed in the Battle of Bosworth Field set to sell for £5,000"
Yeah, people will blow silly amounts of money on the weirdest crap.

Each to their own.