Richard III rediscovered in unique Yornight event

Posted on 22 September 2015

A panel event featuring experts directly involved with the discovery of Richard III in Leicester will take place at Yornight on 25 September.

Professor Caroline Wilkinson, a forensic pioneer in facial reconstruction responsible for creating the bust of Richard III, Dr Turi King, Lecturer in Genetics and Archaeology at the University of Leicester, and Mathew Morris, an archaeologist who led the Leicester dig, will explore the fascinating story of the enigmatic king.

Chaired by Professor Mark Ormrod, from the Department of History at the University of York, the panel will reveal first-hand experiences of their involvement in the discovery.

The story of Richard III captured the world's attention when his remains were discovered in a Leicester car park in 2013. Since then, controversy has surrounded the location for his reburial and the University of Leicester has conducted a project to sequence the entire DNA genome of his remains.

Professor Ormrod said: “This event offers a rare opportunity to hear from those directly involved in the rediscovery and analysis of Richard III's remains about some of the amazing discoveries they have made about the life and death of England's most controversial king.”

YorNight is part of the annual EU-funded European Researchers’ Night, an initiative that showcases research in 300 cities across Europe on the same evening. Over 80 free events will take place in venues across the city on Friday 25 September.

The event runs from 7.00pm – 8.30pm in the Tempest Anderson Hall, Yorkshire Museum. Admission is free but tickets must be reserved through http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/rediscovering-richard-iii-tickets-18203163151.