The king was killed at the nearby Battle of Bosworth in 1485, the turning point in the War of the Roses that eventually saw the Tudors take control.
Richard was buried in the Franciscan friary of Greyfriars. The friary was later demolished and built over and all traces of it lost. Now, using old maps, local archaeologists deduced the friary lay under the parking lot of a local council building. They got to work and found the friary's cloister after only one week. This is a covered courtyard where the friars could practice walking meditation in all types of weather. They've also found the edge of the church where Richard was buried.
The team has uncovered paving stones, window tracery, shards from the church's stained glass windows, and a medieval silver penny.
Work will continue into an unscheduled third week in the hopes of finding the burial place itself. A descendent of Richard is on hand to supply a DNA match.
Stayed tuned for more on this developing story! And sorry for posting my Medieval Mondays on a Tuesday, yet again. Mondays are bad for me, although I do like the alliteration.
Now this is what I call interesting. I'd love to see a picture of that penny, too. It definitely sounds as if they did their homework and are on to something. You know what my concern is? What if the so-called descendant isn't really real and they find the King and say it isn't him. Makes ya think!
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