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Stone Coffin to Be Opened at Richard III Site

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Rowan
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Stone Coffin to Be Opened at Richard III Site

Post by Rowan » Wed July 24th, 2013, 2:15 pm

Archaeologists are set to lift the lid on a stone coffin discovered at the site of the English friary where Richard III's remains were found.

Excavators suspect the tomb — billed as the only intact stone coffin found in Leicester — may contain the skeleton of a medieval knight or one of the high-status friars thought to have been buried at the church.

Richard III, the last king of the House of York, ruled England from 1483 to 1485, when was killed in battle during the War of Roses, an English civil war. He received a hasty burial at the Grey Friars monastery in Leicester as his defeater, Henry Tudor, ascended to the throne. Grey Friars was destroyed in the 16th century during the Protestant Reformation, and its ruins became somewhat lost to history.
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Divia
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Post by Divia » Thu July 25th, 2013, 12:53 am

Interesting, but why open it? I dunno, I guess I can see digging i the ground and going opps I found a body, but to crack open a casket just rubs me the wrong way.
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LoveHistory
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Post by LoveHistory » Thu July 25th, 2013, 9:52 pm

I believe the answer to why is: because they can. Must be hoping to find something, or someone special.

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Post by lauragill » Fri July 26th, 2013, 2:17 am

[quote=""LoveHistory""]I believe the answer to why is: because they can. Must be hoping to find something, or someone special.[/quote]

I think someone important was buried near Richard III, but offhand I can't remember who it was.

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Madeleine
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Post by Madeleine » Fri July 26th, 2013, 8:22 am

Yes I imagine they want to see if they can work out the status of the person, and if anything interesting was buried with them.
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Post by LoveHistory » Fri July 26th, 2013, 6:23 pm

[quote=""lauragill""]I think someone important was buried near Richard III, but offhand I can't remember who it was.[/quote]

Sir William de Moton of Peckleton was mentioned in the article.

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Post by lauragill » Mon July 29th, 2013, 5:33 pm

And the stone coffin contains....another coffin, made of lead.

http://news.yahoo.com/medieval-coffin-k ... 25581.html

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