OUR KINGDOM FOR THOSE BONES
As two English cities bicker over a skeleton that could become a major tourist attraction, a judge has warned that the rivalry could spark a second War of the Roses. Nick Collins reports
ADISPUTE over whether the remains of Richard III should be buried in York or Leicester risks becoming the “Wars of the Roses Part Two”, a judge has warned.
Archaeologists discovered the skeleton beneath a car park in Leicester last year and decided, with backing from the British Ministry of Justice, that it should be reinterred in the city’s cathedral.
But their plan met strong opposition from groups based in Yorkshire, who claimed that the Plantagenet king should be buried at York Minster.
In a recent hearing, Justice Haddon-Cave gave the Plantagenet Alliance permission to start a High Court challenge against the justice secretary and the University of Leicester in what he described as an “unprecedented” case.
But he added in his written judgment that he hoped the matter could be settled without the need for an “unseemly, undignified and unedifying” legal squabble over the royal remains, urging both sides to “avoid embarking on the (legal) Wars of the Roses Part Two”.
Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 and first buried at Greyfriars church in Leicester, after his body was carried there by supporters of the victorious Henry VII.
The skeleton was rediscovered beneath a council car park last year by archaeologists from the University of Leicester, which was given permission to decide where it should be reinterred.
But while the discovery was welcomed by his supporters in York, the university’s subsequent decision to rebury the remains in Leicester Cathedral was not.
Justice Haddon-Cave added: “In my view, it would be unseemly, undignified and unedifying to have a legal tussle over these royal remains.”
Because the archaeological discovery “engages interests beyond those of the immediate parties, and touches on sovereign, state and church”, he recommended that an independent panel be formed to “consult and receive representations from all interested parties”.
He said the context of the king’s death and depth of public feeling raised an “obvious duty” to consult widely over how he should be reburied.
Some 26 553 people have signed a petition that the remains should be reinterred at York Minster and 8 115 people have signed a petition that they should be reinterred at Leicester.
“[The case] involves the remarkable, and unprecedented discovery of the remains of a king of England of considerable historical significance, who died fighting a battle which brought to an end a civil war which divided this country,” said Justice Haddon-Cave.
“The obvious duty to consult widely arises from this singular fact alone.”
A spokesperson for the university said they were “digesting” the judgment but insisted it would be “entirely proper and fitting” for the remains to be buried in Leicester Cathedral.
Vanessa Roe, of the Plantagenet Alliance and a descendant of Richard, said the group would not be opposed to an independent panel’s deciding, but said a legal challenge had been necessary as “they weren’t going to discuss it full stop”.
A tussle would be unseemly, undignified and unedifying