Could you have Plantagenet blood?
Pop-up Globe, currently in Auckland, is searching for living relatives of King Richard III, who died at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.
Richard, also known as Richard Plantagenet, was the subject of Shakespeare’s dark comedy Richard III, now playing at Pop-up Globe, cementing his reputation as being responsible for the murder of his two young nephews in the Tower of London.
While Richard himself had no children, and was considered to be the last of the Plantagenets, an illegitimate line of the dynasty survives, represented by David Somerset, 11th Duke of Beaufort, however.
“There are known to be several lines of Plantagenet relatives around the world, including in Canada, Australia and New Zealand,” Pop-up Globe’s artistic director Dr Miles Gregory said.
Canadian-born Michael Ibsen, the 17th generation nephew of Richard III, was present at the start of the archaeological dig in a carpark in York, where the king’s long-lost remains were discovered in 2012, Dr Gregory saying Richard’s mother Cecily Neville could (mathematically) have several million direct descendants today.
Surnames that had been linked to the king included Somerset, Neville, Plantagenet, Ibsen, Constable, Babthorpe, Cholmley, Slingsby, Bellasis, Talbot, Yelverton, Calthorpe, Gough, Spooner, Neale, Frere, Stokes, and even Brown.
Anyone who could show a familial connection was invited to contact Pop-up Globe, for tickets to see Richard III ,a backstage tour and special meeting with the cast and company.
“Richard III is one of the most iconic and notorious kings in history,” Dr Gregory said.
“He’s portrayed by Shakespeare as a ruthless, devious, manipulative man who murders his way to the throne. However, the historic King Richard has a much better reputation. Having done so much research as part of our rehearsal process, we’d love to meet any living relatives of King Richard and host them at our playhouse.”
Pop-up Globe’s research team would assess all claims, and their decision would be final.