The Richard III Foundation,Inc

We are proud to present a �Calendar of Events� honoring the 550th Birthday of King Richard III.  Please note that we have included events that are taking place at Middleham Castle.   Our thanks to Meryl Starmer and Susan Constantine for the information that they have provided us with on the events taking place at Middleham.  

Denotes events organised by the Middleham Key Centre

Denotes events organised by English Heritage 


April 13 and 14 � Middleham Castle
And what happened after Richard III?  A weekend seminar on April 13th and 14th led by some of the areas most respected historians.  A series of classes, workshops and visits trace the development of Middleham from the end of the 15th century to the present day.  The cost of the whole weekend is �125 and includes coffee, lunch, tea and dinner on Saturday, and coffee, lunch and tea on the Sunday. For full details and a booking form contact the Center.    Places will be limited so do book early.

  May 5 and 6 � Middleham Castle
A Taste of the Dales (Medieval Cookery) and book signing with Geoffrey Richardson for his new book "A Pride of Bastards".

June 22 and 23 � Middleham Castle 
A display of falconry will be held at Middleham Castle

 July 6 and 7 � Middleham Castle   
This weekend will mark the 519th year of the dual coronation of King Richard III and Queen Anne Neville.  Buckingham's Retinue will provide a �Day in the Life of King Richard III�.  The Foundation will have its educational booth in the castle. We will also unveil a new exhibition at the Key Partnership.   Wendy and Ian Mills will represent the Foundation at the castle and the Key Partnership.  More surprises are in the process of being planned!

  July 20 - The Trial of King Richard III - Middleham
The trial will be held in the Key Partnership.  Seating is limited to 150.  Tickets can be purchased at the Key Partnership or at Middleham Castle.  For further information, you may contact the Key Partnership at 1969-624002 or at the castle at 1969-623899.

  July 21 � Middleham Castle    
A demonstration of Living History will be showcased.

 July 27 and 28 - Gloucester Household � Middleham Castle   
The Gloucester Household�s main activity is the portrayal of the liveried and maintained troops of Richard III.  The household will be camped at Middleham Castle showcasing life in the medieval period. 

  August 3 and 4 - Royal Progress  - Middleham Castle  
Richard III - to coincide with the Royal Jubilee events of Elizabeth II.  The activity will take place at Middleham Castle.

  August 13, 14, 15 � Heuristics � Middleham Castle     
The Heuristics will once again showcase Medieval Pastimes and Sports at Middleham Castle.

 August 17 and 18 - Battle of Bosworth Anniversary Week-end � Bosworth Battlefield Center
Living History displays by the Wars of the Roses Federation with a medieval market and falconry display.   The Richard III Foundation, Inc. will showcase its exhibition of �The Royal Progress of Richard III�.

  August 31 and September 1 � Arrowflight � Middleham Castle  
Take a chance at testing your skills and knowledge at archery.

  October 5 - Richard III Symposium � Ripon Cathedral
The Foundation is pleased to provide the final details on the Richard III Symposium that will be held in the Nave of Ripon Cathedral.
This event is priced at �10.  If you wish to purchase a ticket, please contact Mrs. Wendy Mills, Millstone Cottage, 14 Crab Lane, New Millerdam, Wakefield, West Yorkshire WF2 7SU.   Be sure to make out your check to �The Richard III Foundation, Inc.�  Please note that tickets will not be sold at the door.  

Our speakers will include:
We are indeed honoured to have as one of our speakers, Professor Barrie Dobson. Professor Dobson�s topic will be  Richard III and the Church in the North�.  Barrie Dobson is a northerner who was educated at Barnard Castle, a town well known to Richard of Gloucester.     He is a Ph�D. Phil. Graduate of Oxford University but ended his career at Cambridge, where he was Professor of Medieval History from 1988 until his retirement in 1999.    He then returned to York where he is now an Honorary Professor of the History Department of the University of York: it was there that he taught for most of his career.  He is a late medieval English social and ecclesiastical historian, and has written studies of Durham, York and Canterbury cathedrals as well as of the Peasants' Revolt of 1381.  His other historical interests include the medieval Anglo-Jewry, Oxford and Cambridge before the Reformation, the Robin Hood legend and the history of the city of York itself.   After nearly forty years he still preserves his enthusiasm for what he calls 'this irresistible battered museum of a city'.
Peter Hibbard, former Mayor of Middleham, will speak on the history of Middleham.  Peter and Judith Hibbard established the Old School Arts Workshop over 20 years ago in Middleham.  Peter was instrumental in organizing the Quincentenary Celebrations in 1983 for Richard III. The Old School Arts Workshop has developed an international reputation for residential short courses that is built on Peter�s comprehensive knowledge of sculptural technique.  He is skilled as a teacher and has personal experience as a professional sculptor.  Peter is a former assistant to Henry Moore and an artist whose studio is packed with new creative sculptural work.
Richard Knowles will speak on the �Livery Collars Worn in the 14th and 15th Centuries�.    Richard will speak about the suns and roses collar of the Yorkist Kings and will use the Markenfield effigy as a prime example.   Our patrons who participated in the 1997 tour will remember Richard speaking at Sandal Castle and in the Chantry Chapel on Wakefield Bridge. Richard Knowles, FSA, is by profession a bookseller, but has had a life long interest in medieval armor and has made a study of the effigies.  He has been editor of the Journal of the Church Monuments Society, "Church Monuments" for some fourteen years and has published a number of books and articles on the subject, most notably "The Medieval Monuments of Harewood" in 1983. He has also made a study of and published articles on the 19th Century Antiquary, Charles Alfred Stothard, who drew and published detailed studies of monuments in Monumental Effigies of Great Britain, 1817-32.
Richard has a not wholly unrelated interest in T. E. Lawrence, Lawrence of Arabia, and has also had a number of studies on this subject published. Richard Knowles was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 1995.

Mary O�Regan,
is a member of the esteemed Yorkshire Branch of The Richard III Society for 35 years.  Mary joined as a student and is a former law librarian.  Mary has taught paleography part time at Keele University in the summer and is a published author. The topic of her speech will be �Richard III and York�.  Her lecture will examine the special relationship between the city of York and Richard III on a personal level.

David Santuiste�s talk will focus on �Edward V - King or Pawn.    His talk is based on the theory that Edward V was very much a player and not a spectator in the events of 1483.  David is this year's recipient of The Richard III Collegiate College Scholarship and is currently in his second year studying for his Ph'D at the University of St. Andrews.  His M.Litt dissertation, �The Northern Achilles�, is a study of Henry �Hotspur� in literary and narrative sources.  He also included a shorter piece, Honour in Late Medieval England: A Preliminary Survey, which sets out in some detail the ideas, which he wants to develop in his studies. David has started his second year of a Ph.D in Medieval History at St. Andrews University.

Professor Chris Given-Wilson is supervising his thesis entitled "Concepts of Honour in Late Medieval England".  It is a study of the modes of perception of aristocratic men in the year's c1350-1500, with special emphasis upon how far political motivation and action can be explained in terms of code and honor.

In the evening, we will conclude the day�s celebration with a special medieval service conducted by the Dean of Ripon at Ripon Cathedral.  The service will begin at 7 p.m. and is open to the public.