Richard III was killed at the
Battle of Bosworth Field which is only a few miles from Leicester. Over the centuries
there has been much speculation as to what happened to his body. Some say he
was buried in Grey Friars. Others say his body was thrown into the River Soar. Now we may be about to find out the truth.
In my book, The Children’s History of Leicester, I talked about the
Witch of Daneshill. They say that she was among the crowd who watched the King ride into battle on 21st August, 1485. Richard had stayed overnight
in the White Boar Inn near Leicester’s River Soar. As he rode off over the
river his foot knocked against the cornerstone of Bow Bridge. The Witch of
Daneshill called out,
“When next he comes over that bridge it will be his head
that knocks the cornerstone!”
They say that her prediction came true. His body was carried
back, thrown across a horse, and his head knocked against that very same stone.
Bow Bridge is still there. It’s now part of a busy thoroughfare and only a few
streets away from the archaeological dig. This area of ground has never before been
excavated as it had been private gardens for many centuries and then a car
park. I can’t wait to see what secrets it’s about to reveal.
Are there any historical mysteries beneath the ground in
your area?
If you want to keep up with the news of the dig as it breaks then you can find the latest on The Leicester Mercury site.
