King Richard iii          1482-1485

   Left: Battlefield of Bosworth

After winning the Battle of Bosworth, Henry Tudor became King Henry vii. The memorial below reads ‘Richard the last Plantagenet King of England was slain here 22nd August 1485’. The flowers are those laid on the anniversary.

The King’s naked body was thrown over the back of a horse and taken to Leicester for burial. Until quite recently (see below) it was believed that, at the Dissolution, his remains were exhumed and thrown into the nearby River Stour at Bow Bridge.

Recent discoveries concerning the battle site accept evidence that the battle was fought a little farther away than Bosworth Field. In addition, excavations as recent as August 2012, or later, of the car park covering remains of the church in which Richard iii was known to have been buried, actually located his whereabouts. Subsequently, it was accepted, supported by DNA evidence, that archaeologists had recovered Richard iii’s remains. These are now to be interred in Leicester Cathedral during March 2015.