News and Events
© Richard III Society - Leicestershire Branch
Richard III Society
Leicestershire Branch
THURSDAY MAY 15th 2025
Branch Annual General Meeting
All meetings are held at the Richard III
Visitor Centre, 4A St. Martins,
Leicester. LE1 5DB commencing at 7pm
unless otherwise stated. Meetings are
free to branch members, but visitors
are requested to donate £3 towards the
expenses of the meeting.
The Leicestershire Branch of the Richard III Society presents
THURSDAY MARCH 20th 2025
The Wars of the Roses and the
Sengoku Jidai – Joe Robey will tell us
about some of the striking similarities between
the Wars of the Roses and the Period of
Constant Unrest in Japan. He will also
reference the contrasts and similarities
between Europe’s knights and Japan’s samurai.
This is the delayed talk from July 2023.
Details of meetings to be held
from June 2025 to May 2026 will
be appearing on this website shortly,
so please check back at regular
intervals.
Pilgrimages – Some people went on
pilgrimages to ask forgiveness for their sins,
others to pray for fertility and some sites were
purported to have healing powers. Pilgrimages
were also big business as inns were needed to
accommodate travellers and naturally there
was always the opportunity to purchase holy
relics. Peter Liddle will tell us the story of
medieval pilgrimages.
Study Day
Programme of speakers 2025
Death, Burial and Reinterment
The Face of Death in Medieval England
by Dr. Miriam Gill
Saturday May 31st 2025
The programme will feature talks on
By
the
later
Middle
Ages,
the
personification
of
death
was
developed
and
public.
This
striking
imagery
was
widely
depicted
and
the
confrontation
between
death
and
royalty
was
dramatised
as
the
most
vivid
reminder
of
its
levelling
reality.
Through
a
survey
of
the
types
of
display,
this
presentation
will
explore
the
complex question of how these images were used and interpreted.
'Forsooth here woll we lye’:
Reinterring a deposed king, pitfalls and potential
by Dr. Euan Roger
In 1483 Henry VI’s body was reinterred at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, after his
death at the Tower of London and subsequent burial at Chertsey Abbey. The
decision, undertaken during Richard III’s reign, would subsequently provoke a
furious debate over the deposed king’s final resting place: Westminster, Windsor or
Chertsey? This talk will explore the narratives behind the decisions made; the
potential which could come from the reinterment of a divisive king; and the political
contexts in which events unfolded. It will also reference previous attempts to reinter
a deposed king under Henry IV and more recent debates surrounding the
reinterment of Richard III.
Herbs and Plants, Protection in the Medieval Period
by Elaine Perkins aka The Cunning Woman, Agnes Peterkin
In the Medieval Period, if the church couldn't help, you turned to the local cunning
woman for the answers. From ancient spells, such as the Nine Herb charm and
mandrake root Agnes Peterkin, has the knowledge to help. Whatever your problem,
she has the answer, using natural items, roots, plants, herbs and trees.
‘England Now Pours Tears’:
the death and funeral of Arthur, Prince of Wales
by Dr. Sean Cunningham
Prince Arthur had been trained from birth to be king of England. His life on the Welsh
Marches at Ludlow created an ideal environment for him to learn how to lead people
and manage his lands. Arthur’s sudden death aged fifteen in April 1502, however,
threw the Tudor regime into turmoil, and Henry VII had to rebuild plans for the future
of his family’s grip on power. Managing the implications of Arthur’s death began in
step with urgent preparations for elaborate funeral and memorial ceremonies at
Ludlow and Worcester. This talk explores Arthur’s final weeks of life, his fatal illness,
and the complex details of his funeral procession and interment service at Worcester
Priory.
Morning and afternoon refreshments are included in the price.
Own arrangements for lunch.
Please apply for tickets (27 pounds each) and further details by May 17th 2025 to:
Sally Henshaw, 28 Lyncroft Leys, Scraptoft, Leicester. LE7 9UW.
Telephone: 0116 2433785.
Email: sallyoftarahill@gmail.com
Regrettably, we are unable to offer refunds for this event.
