Richard III

People from across Britain, and Europe, watched and took part in the first re-enactment of the Battle of Bosworth since Richard III was rediscovered.

The event gained a boost thanks to the fame surrounding the former King.

Big crowds attended a re-enactment of the Battle of Bosworth this weekend in Leicestershire.

It was the first re-enactment since the remains of King Richard III were famously found in Leicester.

The fame surrounding the rediscovery of the King has impacted on the popularity of the Bosworth event.

The remains of King Richard III, which were discovered under a city car park, were found in a hastily dug, untidy grave, researchers have revealed.

Academics from the University of Leicester said the bones of the last Plantagenet king were placed in an odd position and the torso crammed in. He was casually placed in a badly prepared grave, suggesting gravediggers were in a hurry to bury him or had little respect for the murdered king.

The lozenge-shaped grave was too short to contain the body conventionally, and there is evidence to suggest his hands might have been tied when he was buried.

There have been calls for calm in the ongoing row over the reburial of King Richard Third - whose remains were discovered under a council car park in Leicester.

Passions s are running so high to have him buried in York Minster that abusive letters have been sent to the city's Dean - and referred to police.

An MP from York has laid out the city's claim to the body of Richard III in Parliament today.

The monarch's remains are due to be reinterred at Leicester Cathedral, but campaigners in the former King's home of York, want him buried there.

Hugh Bayley MP for York Central, claims burying the king in York would reconcile the north and south of the country.

A York MP has appealed for calm in the debate over where the remains of King Richard III should be buried after the Dean of York had to refer hate mail to the police.

Hugh Bayley MP says the Government needs to appoint an independent panel to rule on where the remains should be re-interred.

The debate appeared good-natured at first but, according to Mr Bayley, it has now taken a more sinister turn after the Dean of York, the Very Rev Vivienne Faull, until recently the Dean of Leicester, received such abusive letters she had to pass them to the police.

Nine of the monarch's descendants have called on the Government to return the remains of the king to York for a "formal and ceremonial" burial, while a petition calling for his remains to be transferred to the northern city has been signed by more than 23,000 people.

Mr Bayley said:

A York MP will use a Parliamentary debate later to urge ministers to set up an advisory committee to recommend where and how to rebury the recently excavated remains of King Richard III.

The monarch's 500-year-old skeleton was uncovered during an archaeological dig at a council car park in Leicester last year.

It is due to be re-interred at Leicester Cathedral next year. But there are calls to bring them to Yorkshire after claims he wanted York to be his final resting place.

Hugh Bayley, the MP for York Central, said that some people "are sill fighting the War of the Roses" over the monarch's reburial.

He added: "I want the Government to set up an independent committee to decide how, where and when the reburial takes place, and to involve both cities and people from both North and South.”

The final resting place of King Richard III should be decided by an independent committee, the MP for York Central has claimed.

The remains of the monarch were discovered in a car park in Leicester last year.

He is due be re-interred at Leicester Cathedral next year despite campaigns to bring him to York.