Latest NewsThe model head of Richard III is doing a grand tour. It’s at Bosworth Battlefield from June 11 to July 16; Yorkshire Museum from July 19 to October 13; Northampton Museum and Art Gallery from October 19 to January 5; the British Museum from January 11 to March 16, then it goes to Gloucester before returning to Leicester and the new visitor centre.
From Antiquity 87 (2013): 519-538: ‘The king in the car park’: new light on the death and burial of Richard III in the Grey Friars church, Leicester, in 1485: Richard’s grave at Greyfriars was too short for his body. It’s a lozenge shape with sloping sides, so the bottom of the grave is much smaller than the opening at ground level. All the other graves found were neatly dug to the correct size so obviously Richard was buried in a hurry. There was no shroud or coffin.
Someone would have stood in the grave to receive the body, which was lowered feet first, torso and head second. Thus the legs were straight but the upper torso and head were propped against the side. Because his hands were crossed at the wrist it seems pretty certain that Richard was buried with his wrists bound.
From British Dental Journal 214 (2013): 415-417: Richard III – the final act: The king had generally poor oral health and may have suffered stress-related bruxism (teeth grinding) as there is evidence of tooth surface loss on a number of back teeth and upper right central incisor (front tooth).
Several of his back teeth are missing, most likely due to decay resulting from a diet rich in carbohydrates and sugars. Tooth decay in medieval times was a disease of the rich, the opposite of today.
There is evidence of the gaps left by these teeth having closed, so Richard may have had them extracted early by the skilled hands of barber surgeons, the dental practitioners of the day, who had been granted a royal charter in 1462.
Mineralised deposits were found on the front and side surfaces of the teeth on Richard’s upper jaw. But the build-up of tartar was less on the upper right front tooth than on the adjacent teeth, which suggests some understanding of dental hygiene.