Digging for Richard III: The Search for the Lost King

by Mike Pitts

Overview

The story of the archaeology behind the dig that found Richard III, told through a fascinating array of photographs, diagrams, and firsthand accounts

In August 2012 a search began and on February 4, 2013 a team from Leicester University delivered its verdict to a mesmerized press room, watched by media studios around the world: they had found the remains of Richard III, whose history is perhaps the most contested of all British monarchs.


History offers a narrow range of information about Richard III which mostly has already been worked to destruction. Archaeology creates new data, new stories, with a different kind of material: physical remains from which modern science can wrest a surprising amount, and which provide a direct, tangible connection with the past. Unlike history, archaeological research demands that teams of people with varied backgrounds work together. Archaeology is a communal activity, in which the interaction of personalities as well as professional skills can change the course of research. Photographs from the author’s own archives, alongside additional material from Leicester University, offer a compelling detective story as the evidence is uncovered.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780500252000
Publisher:	Thames & Hudson
Publication date:	11/11/2014
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Mike Pitts has been the editor of British Archaeology, Britain’s leading archaeology magazine, for over fifteen years, following and reporting on an extraordinary number of discoveries and scientific breakthroughs. He is an award-winning journalist and archaeologist who has researched subjects ranging from Easter Island to Stonehenge.

Table of Contents

Prologue 6

Act I England, 1452-85 9

Act II Looking for Richard III 31

Scene 1 Leicester. A Bridge 32

Scene 2 The same. A friary 52

Scene 3 The same. A university 71

Act III Excavation in 2012 91

Scene 1 Greyfriars. A car park 92

Scene 2 The same. A grave 112

Act IV An Autopsy 137

Act V An Inquest 159

Epilogue: A battlefield, and a burial 184

Notes 194

Further Reading 202

Acknowledgments 204

Sources of Illustrations 204

Index 205

Editorial Reviews

07/07/2014
Though we know how the story ends, British Archaeology editor Pitts’s step-by-step account of the improbable discovery of the skeleton of the last Plantagenet king of England, Richard III, is as gripping as any detective fiction. Richard died at the battle of Bosworth in 1485 and was vilified by Tudor writers Thomas More and William Shakespeare in the 16th century. Still, he had his fervent supporters over the years, Philippa Langley among them. After much research, she came to believe that Richard was buried at the site of Greyfriars friary—now a parking lot in Leicester—and spearheaded the campaign for excavation. Pitts introduces the major players, each of whom worked toward their own ends. Archaeologist Richard Buckley and his colleagues had little interest in a dead king but had long wanted to dig up Greyfriars. British Channel 4 was excited about a potential high-concept show. The Leicester city council saw the potential for a tourist bonanza. Only Langley believed that Richard would be found. On the dig’s first day, the remains of a man with a twisted spine were uncovered, spawning a media circus. Pitts’s book is proof that one doesn’t need to be fascinated with Richard III to be enthralled by the story of his body’s discovery. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

It reads like an Indiana Jones adventure, albeit without the obligatory bad guys.

Portland Book Review

This compelling and easily accessible account of the dig for the remains of King Richard III of England will appeal to a broad cross-section of readers, including history, mystery, and archaeology buffs. Combining Richard’s history and demise, the physical excavation itself, and cutting-edge forensic science involved, the author seamlessly weaves this centuries-in-the-making tale into a dramatic thriller. Pitts is an archaeologist himself, and his passionate enthusiasm for his subject matter is contagious.

Booklist/American Library Association

Illuminates the tangled, bloody wars of 15th-century England and patient excavation work of 21st-century researchers....Informative.

Christian Science Monitor

An amazing story.

The Dispatch

At its liveliest, Pitts' account reads like a police procedural, with clues, false leads, and finally a killing unraveled and a mystery triumphantly solved.... As much about the diggers as about who or what they dug up.

The Dallas Morning News

Pitts recounts the exhilarating dig—in which the lead archaeologist promised to eat his hat if the skeleton actually turned up.

Scientific American

This fascinating and informative book of the search for and discovery of the controversial king’s remains in a parking lot incorporates English history, archaeology and forensics.

Redlands Daily Facts

A readable archaeological perspective on the dig that led to the sensational discovery in 2012 of the skeleton of England’s King Richard III, buried in 1485. . . . Highly recommended.

Choice

This compelling and easily accessible account of the dig for the remains of King Richard III of England will appeal to a broad cross-section of readers, including history, mystery, and archaeology buffs. Combining Richard’s history and demise, the physical excavation itself, and cutting-edge forensic science involved, the author seamlessly weaves this centuries-in-the-making tale into a dramatic thriller. Pitts is an archaeologist himself, and his passionate enthusiasm for his subject matter is contagious.

Booklist

08/01/2014
Popular interest in the English Wars of the Roses (1455–85) has in recent years been focused by Philippa Gregory's historical novels and the derivative television series The White Queen. The period ended with the defeat and death of King Richard III by Henry Tudor (Henry VII) at Bosworth on August 22, 1485. It also concluded by leaving some engaging mysteries unsolved: the whereabouts of Richard III's mortal remains and his disputed role in the disappearance of his young nephews, the princes in the tower. Pitts (editor, British Archaeology) tells the fascinating story of the fortuitous collaboration of archaeologist Richard Buckley and the University of Leicester Archaeological Services, in conjunction with writer Philippa Langley and the Richard III Society, that resulted in the Grey Friars Project excavations of a car park in Leicester, England. The very first effort yielded the bones of the lost king in September 2012. The author traces the months of scientific analysis of the remains, culminating in the February 2013 announcement that DNA evidence of Richard III had been found. VERDICT This remarkable cold-case-file narrative, intended for general readers, is a must for all English history buffs as well as readers interested in contemporary urban archaeology.—Edward K. Werner, St. Lucie Cty. Lib. Syst., Ft. Pierce, FL

Library Journal

★ 2014-08-26
When an archaeological expedition found one of England's most maligned kings in an urban parking lot, it was a worldwide sensation. Here's the complete story. British Archaeology editor Pitts begins with a quick summary of Richard III's reign and his death at the battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. He had been king only two years, a temporary victor in the Wars of the Roses. But after his defeat, Richard became one of history's villains, notably in Shakespeare's play bearing his name. However, not everyone bought the image of the evil Richard. In 2010, aspiring screenwriter Philippa Langley (whose The King's Grave also examines the discovery of the site) called Richard Buckley of the University of Leicester archaeology department. She had a simple proposition: The Richard III Society wanted to help finance a search for the king's body, believed to be buried in Leicester. Buckley didn't think anyone could find the lost body, but he wanted to explore the area of the city where the body might be found. When the dig, which took place in a parking lot, turned up a skeleton the first day, it still seemed next to impossible that it could be Richard. Only upon closer examination did the team recognize the twisted spine that history had attributed to the king, as well as other important details. Pitts details the events leading up to the discovery and describes the scientific examination of the skeleton. Chemical analysis of the bones, study of the wounds the victim had sustained and reconstruction of the facial appearance of the victim—all supported the hypothesis that it was indeed Richard. DNA evidence clinched the case. The archaeological world was stunned. Pitts calls the find the most amazing since the excavation of King Tut's tomb in 1924, and he effectively conveys the excitement of the discovery, clearly and vividly describing the process and the personalities. Writing this book must have been the dream of a lifetime for Pitts, and he has risen to the occasion. Highly recommended.

Kirkus Reviews

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