The Discovery of Richard III
In August 2012, the University of Leicester in collaboration with the Richard III Society and Leicester City Council, began one of the most ambitious archaeological projects ever attempted: no less than a search for the lost grave of King Richard III. The last English king to die in battle.
Incredibly, the excavation uncovered not only the friary of Grey Friars but also a battle-scarred skeleton with spinal curvature. On 4th February 2013, the University announced to the world's press that these were the remains of King Richard III.
Read about the background to the search, the discovery and identification of the remains - and the implications for our understanding of history...
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Latest news
First academic paper now available online
The first peer-reviewed academic paper on the discovery of Richard III’s remains, written by academics involved in the project, has been published in the journal Antiquity. Because of the global interest in this topic, the University of Leicester has arranged for an ‘open access’ PDF of the paper to be made available online.
The Grey Friars Dig Part 2
It's sad to be locking the gate for the last time today
Well, this is it. Our four weeks on site at Greyfriars are officially over. I have just said good bye to the last visitors of the day and locked the gate to the viewing platform for the final time.
Mathew Morris - Fieldwork director and archaeologist at ULAS