However, Richard
was from York. That city and the Plantagenet
Society, a group of distant relatives, want him reinterred in his home town. The law suit has not yet been settled, but
plans and designs for Richard’s new tomb have already been revealed. As you will see, a gracious nod to his
Yorkshire roots is included in the design.
Re-bogged from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2425609/Richard-III-receive-burial-fit-king--raised-tomb-York-stone-positioned-large-white-rose.html#ixzz2riznxyOg
By Sarah Griffiths
Richard III will be
buried under a raised tomb made out of Yorkshire limestone, cathedral chiefs
have announced.
 |
| King Richard III (pictured) was killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 bringing to a close the period of English history known as the Wars of the Roses |
The news comes amid
a legal challenge by distant relatives of the King, who have questioned the
decision to make Leicester the final resting place for his remains.
Plans for the
raised tomb, which will be carved out of finely worked Swaledale fossil
limestone and feature a deep carved cross, will now be submitted to planning
officials for a final decision.
The limestone is
quarried in Swaledale, Yorkshire, near to Middleham, where Richard III
underwent his boyhood training in knighthood and later made his home.
Set within the
cathedral's chancel, the £1.3 million project will see the tomb placed on a
floor inlaid with a large Yorkist white rose. |
| The Dean of Leicester, the Very Reverend David Monteith (centre) and The Bishop of Leicester Tim Stevens (right) pose with plans for the tomb of King Richard III in Leicester Cathedral http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2425609/Richard-III-receive-burial-fit-king--raised-tomb-York-stone-positioned-large-white-rose.html#ixzz2rj98UWEa |
The project will
also see changes to internal layout, windows and lighting in the cathedral.
The plans revealed
today will now be reviewed by the Cathedral Fabric Commission for England, with
a decision expected later this month.If all goes to plan, the cathedral hopes the king's remains can be re-interred in a ceremony full of pomp next year.
But the plans also rely on the outcome of a legal challenge from a group of distant relatives of the king, who call themselves the Plantagenet Alliance.
They have applied
to the High Court for a judicial review into the decision to grant the city
cathedral licence as the final resting place for the King's remains and want to
see the remains placed in York, where Richard had strong links.
Richard's remains
were discovered by archaeologists from the University of Leicester after a dig
in a city centre car park following a campaign by the Richard III Society and
with the permission of Leicester City Council, which owned the plot of ground.
The Dean of
Leicester, The Very Rev David Monteith, said: 'We fully respect the process of
the Judicial Review which will ensure the procedure leading to the re-interment
is correct.
'While this takes
its course, we must, as would any Cathedral in this position, seek planning
permission for the detailed and costly changes which need to be made to the
building.
'The overall
concept is regal and respectful in its elegant simplicity, as befits the final
resting place of a king of England.
'By placing the tomb
in our chancel, we are giving king Richard the same honour as did those friars
more than 500 years ago.'
Richard III was
killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 bringing to a close the tumultuous
period of English history known as the Wars of the Roses.
 |
| Richard's remains (pictured) were discovered by archaeologists from the University of Leicester after a dig in a city centre car park following a campaign by the Richard III Society and with the permission of Leicester City Council, which owned the plot of ground |
Side Bar:
RICHARD III WAS
RIDDLED WITH ROUNDWORMS, HIS REMAINS REVEALEDRichard III not only had a hunchback but he also suffered from roundworm infection, research recently revealed.
Scientists found roundworm eggs in a soil sample taken from the pelvis of the skeleton of the king.
Since the body of King Richard III was found, scientists have been undertaking careful analysis of the remains, in an attempt to shed further light on the attributes and history of the controversial king.
A team of
researchers led by Dr Piers Mitchell, of the Department of Archaeology and
Anthropology at the University of Cambridge, used a powerful microscope to
examine soil samples taken from the skeleton’s pelvis and skull, as well as
from the soil surrounding the grave.
The microscope
revealed multiple roundworm eggs in the soil sample taken from the pelvis,
where the intestines would have been situated in life.However, there was no sign of eggs in soil from the skull and very few eggs in the soil that surrounded the grave, suggesting that the eggs found in the pelvis area resulted from a genuine roundworm infection during his life, rather than from external contamination by the later dumping of human waste in the area.
Dr Mitchell said:
'We would expect nobles of this period to have eaten meats such as beef, pork
and fish regularly, but there was no evidence for the eggs of the beef, pork or
fish tapeworm. This may suggest that his food was cooked thoroughly, which
would have prevented the transmission of these parasites.'
Dr Jo Appleby,
lecturer in human bioarchaeology at the University of Leicester, said: 'Despite
Richard’s noble background, it appears that his lifestyle did not completely
protect him from intestinal parasite infection, which would have been very
common at the time.'
