The Grey Friars Project How to identify King Richard III - Resource Pack -
How to identify a skeleton In 2012, when archaeologists were searching for the remains of King Richard III, they found a skeleton inside the Greyfriars church. They called it Skeleton 1, but who was it? During the excavation, the archaeologists collected evidence about where the person was buried in the church and how the person was treated after they died. When Skeleton 1 was taken back to the lab, the archaeologists could tell a lot about the person from their bones: They could determine if the person was male or female by studying the pelvis, base of the skull, the forehead and the jaw. o Men usually have a more prominent brow ridge and jaw. o Women have a wider pelvis. They used formulas to determine the person s height based on the length of the leg and arm bones. By studying the mineral content in the bones they could tell what sort of diet the person had. o Different levels of carbon in the bone show whether they ate mostly fish or meat. o Different levels of nitrogen in the bone show whether they ate mostly meat or vegetables. They were able to approximate how old the person was when they died by examining the joints, bones and teeth. By radiocarbon dating the bones, they could work out when the person died. o All living organisms take in an isotope of carbon called Carbon 14 until they die, then the amount of Carbon 14 in the tissue begins to decrease over time. Scientists are able to count the amount of Carbon 14 left in the skeleton and work out how long ago this happened the more found, the younger the sample. By looking for signs of disease and trauma on the bones, they could tell how the person died. Putting all the evidence together, the archaeologists were able to work out who Skeleton 1 was. Look at the archaeological evidence and the evidence on the skeleton. What does the evidence tell you about Skeleton 1? Can you work out which person is the most likely match for the evidence?
Skeleton 1: Meet some of the people buried in the church I am Brother William Giles. I am the last warden of the friary. We built our church in the year 1230 and we buried people in it for over 300 years until King Henry VIII demolished it in 1538. We buried important people at the eastern end of the church; you can meet some of them below. I am Master Peter Swynfield. I am an important friar, in charge of all the Franciscan friars in England. I am Ellen Lavener. I am not rich, but I gave the poor friars some land in Leicester so they could build a bigger friary. I am Sir William Moton. I am a local knight. I gave the friars a lot of money to pray for me after I died. We even buried King Richard III. He was the last Plantagenet king of England and was killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.
The Search for King Richard III By piecing together the evidence, archaeologists could tell in which part of the church Skeleton 1 was buried. Can you? Archaeologists can tell a lot about how a person was treated after they were dead from the way the body was buried? What does the evidence suggest to you? The grave is too short for the person in it. The head is propped up. Skeleton 1 The grave appears to be messily dug. The skeleton is twisted in the grave. There is no evidence for a coffin or shroud. The hands may be tied together. The feet are missing because a cellar had been dug through them after this person was buried.
Skelton 1: The skeletal evidence Both arms are normal. There is no evidence for a withered arm. This person suffered from Scoliosis. This caused the spine to curve sideways. They were not hunchbacked. The curved spine meant that the right shoulder may have been higher than the left shoulder. Radiocarbon dating the bone tells us that this person died between 1450 and 1540. By measuring one of the leg bones we can work out that this person would have been 5ft 8in tall (1.72m) tall. The teeth tell us that this person was between 27 and 37 years of age. The pelvis shows that this person is male. The skull has been sliced many times by a sharp weapon. This suggests that the person died in battle. The feet are missing. Both legs are the same. There is no evidence for a limp. The bones are very slender. This person would have been slim. Analysis of the minerals in the bone tells us that this person ate a lot of fish and meat. This person appeared to be healthy. There is no evidence of disease.
Problem One: Who is Skeleton 1? 1 Brother Peter Swynfeld Supporting evidence? Brother Peter was male Yes No He was 5ft 6in tall Yes No He ate a lot of fish and meat Yes No He died in 1272 Yes No He was aged 72 when he died Yes No He died of old age Yes No He was buried in the presbytery Yes No 2 Ellen Lavener Supporting evidence? Ellen was female Yes No She was 5ft 3in tall Yes No She did not eat a lot of fish or meat Yes No She died in 1349 Yes No She was aged 37 when she died Yes No She died of the plague Yes No She was buried in the choir Yes No 3 Sir William Moton Supporting evidence? Sir William was male Yes No He was 5ft 7in tall Yes No He did not eat a lot of fish but ate a lot of meat Yes No He died in 1362 Yes No He was aged 60 when he died Yes No He died from a fall which fractured his skull Yes No He was buried in the presbytery Yes No 4 King Richard III Supporting evidence? Richard III was male Yes No He was 5ft 8in tall Yes No He ate a lot of fish and meat Yes No He died in 1485 Yes No He was aged 32 when he died Yes No He died in battle Yes No He was buried in the choir Yes No 5 Brother William Giles Supporting evidence? Brother William was male Yes No He was 5ft 8in tall Yes No He ate a lot of fish but not a lot of meat Yes No He died in 1538 Yes No He was aged 35 when he died Yes No We do not know how he died Yes No He was not buried in the friary Yes No Who is Skeleton 1?
Problem Two: Who is right? Since I died, people have written many things about me; what I looked like and what I did during my life. Now that my skeleton has been found, can you tell if they were right or wrong? Or does the archaeological evidence not answer the question? Historic Fact True False Not Sure I was born at Fotheringhay in Northamptonshire I had slender arms and legs. My right shoulder was higher than my left. I was buried in the choir of the Greyfriars church. I was hunchbacked. My left shoulder was higher than my right. I murdered my nephews, the Princes in the Tower. My body was dug up when the church was demolished in 1538. My body was thrown in the river in 1538. I was buried hastily. I was an evil tyrant. I had a withered arm. I had a limp. I was killed in battle in 1485.