How RF Helped Find Richard III Of England – 527 Years After He Was Buried

By John Oncea, Editor

GPR, a non-invasive geophysical method that uses radar pulses to image the subsurface, allowed archaeologists to detect Richard III’s long-lost grave.

Richard III was the last king of England from the Plantagenet dynasty and the House of York, reigning from June 26, 1483, until his death on August 22, 1485. Born at Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire to Richard, Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, Richard grew up during the turbulent period of the Wars of the Roses, a dynastic struggle between the houses of York and Lancaster for control of the English throne.

Richard’s early life was marked by political upheaval and military engagement. According to the Richard III Society, he was a loyal supporter of his elder brother, Edward IV, who became king in 1461. Richard played a significant role in his brother’s reign, holding key positions such as Constable of England and Lord of the North, where he gained a reputation for effective governance and military prowess.

The death of Edward IV on April 9, 1483, triggered a succession crisis. Edward’s son, Edward V, was only 12 years old, and Richard was named Lord Protector. Amidst political intrigue and the machinations of rival factions, Richard took custody of Edward V and his brother, Richard, Duke of York. The legitimacy of Edward IV’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville was publicly challenged, rendering their children illegitimate and clearing the path for Richard to be offered the crown. He accepted and was crowned King Richard III on July 6, 1483.

Richard’s reign, though brief, saw several notable reforms. He established the Council of the North to improve governance in northern England and founded the College of Arms in 1484. He introduced legal reforms, including the extension of bail to protect suspects’ rights and the creation of the Court of Requests to provide justice for the poor. Richard also promoted the translation of laws into English and took measures to curb corruption and protect property rights.

Despite these achievements, Richard’s rule was overshadowed by controversy, particularly the disappearance of his nephews, the “Princes in the Tower,” whose fate remains one of history’s enduring mysteries. His reign faced significant opposition, including the failed rebellion of the Duke of Buckingham in 1483 and the growing threat from Henry Tudor, a Lancastrian claimant.

Richard’s downfall came at the Battle of Bosworth Field on August 22, 1485, where he was killed while fighting Henry Tudor’s forces. His death marked the end of the Plantagenet dynasty and the Middle Ages in England, ushering in the Tudor era under Henry VII.

After his death, Richard’s naked body was taken to Leicester, publicly displayed, and hastily buried in a crude grave at Greyfriars, a Franciscan friary in Leicester. His burial site was lost following the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century, and legends arose about the fate of his remains.

In 2012, archaeologists discovered Richard’s remains beneath a parking lot on the former site of Greyfriars. Scientific analysis, including DNA testing, confirmed the identity of the skeleton. On March 26, 2015, Richard III was reinterred with full honors at Leicester Cathedral, bringing a remarkable chapter of English history to a close, writes the University of Leicester.

The Persistence Of Philippa Langley

Rumors swirled for years as to what had happened to Richard’s body following his death. Was it really buried? Was it dumped into a river?

Paul Murray Kendall provided insight in his 1955 book Richard the Third. In it, Kendall emphasized the potential that Richard’s remains were disinterred and discarded during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. This event, which saw the destruction of monasteries across England, was seen as a possible reason why Richard’s burial place was lost or altered.

While this theory proved to be wrong, the book served as inspiration for historian and screenwriter Philippa Langley to investigate what exactly happened to Richard’s body. “It all started when I visited the Social Services car park in 2004/5 and first conceived the idea that finding Richard’s grave was not only important but also a viable project,” Langley writes. “The visit changed my research focus from Richard’s life to his death and burial.”

By the time Langley had joined in the search for Richard’s body, researchers had narrowed possibilities down to a handful of blocks in the downtown part of Leicester, reports Stuff You Should Know. “Then, in 2007, by a huge stroke of luck, a small archaeological dig was underway in Grey Friars (street) when a 1950s block of flats was being demolished. It was the location where two local researchers – David Baldwin and Ken Wright – had placed the church, and where a plaque had been erected.”

Richard’s body wasn’t found there, and attention turned to a parking lot Langley had been suggesting as Richard’s gravesite for a couple of years. She approached the University of Leicester about excavating under the lot, and the university agreed.

It took several years and many calls and meetings, but she finally got the support of the city council and the permissions she needed. The Richard III Society chipped in thousands of pounds to make this happen, as did the University of Leicester, and they finally had the money needed to rent a ground-penetrating radar system to survey that parking lot.

RF’s Role In Helping Find Richard III

The discovery of King Richard III’s grave beneath a Leicester car park in 2012 stands as one of the most remarkable archaeological achievements of the 21st century. Central to this success was the use of RF technology, specifically ground-penetrating radar (GPR), which played a crucial role in guiding the excavation team to the lost king’s final resting place.

Langley’s conviction that the king’s remains lay beneath a city council car park was based on years of meticulous research, including the study of medieval maps and historical documents. Before any excavation could begin, the team needed to assess the site’s subsurface features to avoid damaging modern utilities and to identify any remnants of the friary buildings.

This is where RF technology came into play. Langley commissioned Stratascan, a leading geophysics firm, to conduct a GPR survey of the car park in 2011, the Richard III Society writes. GPR works by transmitting high-frequency radio waves into the ground and recording the reflected signals from subsurface structures. The resulting data can reveal buried walls, voids, pipes, and other anomalies without disturbing the soil, Sumo Survey Services reports.

The primary aim of the GPR survey was to locate the foundations of the friary church and its associated buildings, which would help pinpoint the most promising areas for excavation. The survey also mapped out modern features such as sewage and gas pipes, ensuring that any digging would avoid these obstacles.

However, the results of the GPR survey were inconclusive when it came to identifying the medieval structures themselves. A layer of disturbed ground and “made-ground” (areas that had been filled or altered during later construction) obscured clear readings of the friary’s remains.

Despite these limitations, the GPR survey was invaluable in planning the excavation. It allowed the archaeologists to rule out certain areas and focus their efforts on locations that were free of modern obstructions. One area of interest identified by the GPR team was the former school playground adjacent to the car park, which was later found to contain a sarcophagus burial, though not Richard’s.

The main excavation began in August 2012, on the anniversary of Richard’s original burial. On the very first day, the team uncovered human leg bones in the northern end of the car park, precisely where Langley’s research had predicted the choir of the friary church would be located.

The skeleton exhibited signs consistent with historical accounts of Richard III: severe scoliosis, which would have caused a pronounced curvature of the spine, and multiple battle injuries, including a fatal blow to the skull.

Subsequent DNA analysis, radiocarbon dating, and forensic examination confirmed the identity of the remains as those of the last Plantagenet king, the National Center for Biotechnology Information writes. The grave itself was crudely dug, too short for the body, and the king’s torso had been crammed into an odd position, suggesting a hurried burial.

While ground-penetrating radar did not directly reveal the grave of Richard III, it was an essential tool in the archaeological toolkit. RF technology enabled the team to plan their excavation, avoid modern hazards, and focus on the most promising areas based on historical and geophysical evidence, safely and efficiently. The discovery and subsequent identification of Richard III’s remains not only resolved a centuries-old mystery but also displayed the power of combining historical scholarship with innovative technology.