[Fleecewife]

For anyone interested in the discovery and reburial of a much maligned monarch:


Saturday 21 March
There will be a family open day at the University of Leicester, with medieval and scientific events for all ages, together with talks from many of the people involved in the discovery and identification of the King’s remains.

Sunday 22 March
The remains of King Richard III will be placed in a coffin in the University, and a brief ceremony will bid farewell to the King as he leaves. The hearse will then travel to Fenn Lane Farm, reputedly the site of King Richard’s death, before moving onto Dadlington and Sutton Cheney churches.
There will be a short ceremony at Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre, before his journey back to Leicester via Market Bosworth, Newbold Verdon and Desford.
The King’s remains will re-enter the city at Bow Bridge, before travelling to Leicester Cathedral in a horse-drawn hearse.
The remains of Richard III will be received into Leicester Cathedral for a ‘Service of Compline for the Reception of the Remains of King Richard III’ This service is by invitation only. Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster, will preach.

Monday 23 March
Leicester Cathedral will be open to the public to view the coffin of King Richard III.
Cardinal Nichols will celebrate Mass for the repose of the soul (a ‘Requiem Mass’) of Richard III in Holy Cross Church, the Catholic parish church and Dominican priory in Leicester city centre, at 5pm GMT. The Choir from St Barnabas’ Cathedral, the Cathedral of the Diocese of Nottingham, will sing at this Mass, which will be open to the public.

Tuesday 24 March
Leicester Cathedral will be open to the public to view the coffin of King Richard III.
Dominican friars will sing Vespers, the Catholic Church’s evening service, in Leicester Cathedral.

Wednesday 25 March
Leicester Cathedral will be open to the public to view the coffin of King Richard III (morning only).
Father David Rocks OP, the parish priest of Holy Cross Parish, will preach at the lunchtime Eucharist in Leicester Cathedral.
The Cathedral will be closed on Wednesday afternoon to prepare for the service on Thursday.

Thursday 26 March
‘Service of Reinterment of the Remains of King Richard III’
The mortal remains of Richard III will be reinterred in Leicester Cathedral, with an invited congregation and in the presence of the Most Rt Revd Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury and senior clergy from both dioceses, and other Christian denominations alongside representatives of the World Faiths.

Friday 27 March
‘Service of Reveal of the Tomb and Celebration for King Richard III’
Invited people from across the city of Leicester and the county of Leicestershire will gather in the Cathedral to mark the end of King Richard’s journey and the sealed tomb will be revealed to the public.

Saturday 28 March
Leicester Cathedral will be open to the public as normal to view the sealed tomb of King Richard III.


If you are really interested in this and want to see more details and interpretation of the whole event, then join the current Richard 111 course on FutureLearn.  It's already in week 5, but week six is devoted entirely to the reburial.  You don't have to do the early part of the course - lots are doing it solely for week 6.

[RUSTYME]

Limited car parking at all 'events' .
"A hearse , a hearse , my car park for a hearse !"

[Rosemary]

I think it's a shame he's not being reburied in York. Mind you, York has plenty tourist attractions - Leicester will probably benefit more.

[verdifish]

As a Leicestershire lad born and bred the county is the best place to bury him !!!

[Treud na Mara]

There was a draw for 'invitations' to the re-interment and my oldest daughter and her oldest daughter are going ! They have already been offered £1500 for the tickets ! Hard to refuse, but they're still going.

[Fleecewife]

The best 'Royal' they can scrape up to attend is Sophie Wessex  .  Maybe the tickets are too expensive.

[cloddopper]

When some guy has been eaten by the worms for 300 odd years what's the point in  doing a funeral I hope no tax or rate payers money is being wasted on it .
 In 1987 I was supervising some 10 or so lads digging the pipe trench for  some new toilets, the path of the pipework  happened to run through the plague pit of they church where the toilets were being constructed and  had a fall of over six feet so we could get the pipe work to tie into the local street sewer  .
all went well till we struck the pit at about 3 foot deep where several skulls & lots of other bones fell outof trench side wall slippage on to the guys doing the digging .

Big Ian all six foot four of him was out the trench like a rocket screaming like a banshee as he tore off down the street. I spent several hours driving around St Ives Cambridgeshire trying to find him and get him back to work .

[Millwood]

As staunch Ricardians, my parents and I with a few family friends are going on Sunday for the procession into the catherdral. Mum has a replica pennant which we'll be flying!

[Louise Gaunt]

I think it is only right that his remains have a proper burial, requiem mass etc, he was the last English monarch to die in battle. I have divided loyalties about his final resting place - I am a Yorkshire lass born and bred, but went to medical school in Leicester and worked there for several years as a junior doctor, so I can see both sides of the argument. As long as his final resting place is dignified and fitting of his status, I think I don't mind really. Thanks for the detailed info Fleecewife, you have obviously got a lot out of your course!

[Fleecewife]

As staunch Ricardians, my parents and I with a few family friends are going on Sunday for the procession into the catherdral. Mum has a replica pennant which we'll be flying!

I can't go but maybe you and your Mum will be seen on the film coverage.  I'll look out for an enthusiastic flag waver    Have fun

[Fleecewife]

I think it is only right that his remains have a proper burial, requiem mass etc, he was the last English monarch to die in battle. I have divided loyalties about his final resting place - I am a Yorkshire lass born and bred, but went to medical school in Leicester and worked there for several years as a junior doctor, so I can see both sides of the argument. As long as his final resting place is dignified and fitting of his status, I think I don't mind really. Thanks for the detailed info Fleecewife, you have obviously got a lot out of your course!

He was also the last Plantagenet king, and when the researchers look back beyond the Tudor propaganda they find he was a good king, a loving husband and grief-stricken father.  In spite of his slight frame and the kypho-scoliosis, he made his mark on the battlefield, the most gruelling of places.   If any monarchs were the usurpers it was the Tudors, so no wonder they had to make such a meal of blackening Richard 111's name.  And how successful they were, as most people still believe the misinformation 

I think he deserves a re-burial with respect from the current monarchy, if only in embarrassment at the giant mistake history has made about him.  As for his reburial at all, even the lowliest skeleton worked on by archaeologists is re-buried with respect. 

 I am not a monarchist, nor am I religious in any way, but I am glad that Richard 111 was found, his life and death investigated with open minds, and that his re-burial will be followed by many people.