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Welcome to the world of the Vincent D'Onofrio obsessed - and a bit of real life thrown in.


Monday, March 23, 2015

Dick's Chapel of Rest

In 2012 an excavation in a car park in Leicester found almost with the first spadeful the remains of King Richard III, the Plantagenet king of England who was killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 during the Wars of the Roses. The victor was Henry Tudor, crowned as King Henry VII.

There was a lot of scientific investigation before it could be confirmed that the remains were Richard's. This was done by genealogists tracing the descendants of Richard's sister and comparing their DNA with that of the skeleton.

Thewoman in this photo, and the man on the left, are those descendants.


The coffin was made by Michael Ibsen, the male descendant, who happens to be a cabinet maker. He is Canadian, the female descendant is Australian.

The "family" wanted the remains buried in York Minster, since Richard was a member of the House of York, but the HIgh Court ruled that he should remain in Leicester.


The cortege arrived at Leicester Cathedral on a horse-drawn carriage, after being taken from the university to Bosworth Field on a gun carriage. The King was taken with dignity across the bridge where his body was brought back into the town naked and slung across a horse's back.

He returned this time with full honours.


I watched for hours with tears in my eyes. Whether he was a devil or an angel we will never know. Things like presumption of innocence and bail come from laws passed by his only government of 1485.

Richard will lie in state in the Cathedral till his interment on Thursday.

Vacancy

Bobby's looking a bit stern.  photo Vacancy184.jpg

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