History is not fact: depending on your point of view, one minute you're a villain and the next you're a hero. This is because the teller of the tale is usually biased in favour of the victor over the loser. Take Richard III for example. We were brought up to believe he was a hunchbacked, murderous villain as played by Sir Laurence Olivier in Shakespeare's 'Richard III'; a great piece of Tudor propaganda it is claimed. One of Richard's greatest crimes was placing the little princes in the Tower of London: they were never seen again, and presumed murdered. But were they? There are many who have sprung to Richard's defence and he has a very strong fan club in the Richard III Society.

The Return

of the King

You could not have failed to have been unaware of the great media spotlight on Richard III over the past couple of years culminating in his reinterment in Leicester Cathedral at the end of March. Thousands flocked to the city for a week of events which began with Richard's last journey from Bosworth Field to Leicester Cathedral: thousands of people lined the route. Thousands more went to see him lie in state in the cathedral during the three days prior to his interment there, all of which was broadcast live to the nation. It was infectious and I have to admit, I was there.

By coincidence, I had planned a trip to Bosworth some time ago, following as I do the Tudor story: I wanted to see the place where it all happened. So I just couldn't resist going up to Leicester to see the coffin bearing Richard's mortal remains in Leicester Cathedral - even though it meant queuing up for well over an hour! It was interesting too to chat to people in the queue many who, like me, had come from afar and a great many locals as well. One Leicester couple told me they had queued over five hours to see the procession from Bosworth the day before - now there's dedication for you.

The Ricardian Stronghold

I did feel somewhat that I was in the camp of the enemy. Proud as I am to come from the birthplace of the victor at Bosworth, I found myself surrounded by Ricardians, some of whom were really emotional about the downfall of their king.

"Where you from then?"

"Perhaps I'd better not say"

"Why's that then?

"I'm from Pembroke ..."

"Mmm ... better keep quiet about that!"

Some people were really cashing in on the event, selling white roses (the emblem of the House of York) and many people did buy them to throw on Richard's statue which stands in front of the cathedral. £2 a stem? No thank you!

The Bishop of Leicester greeted us as we entered the cathedral and we proceeded to walk around the coffin draped in a beautifully embroidered black cloth around which candles were lit and veterans stood still, eyes down, in revered silence. The crocodile wound past taking photographs. One nice touch was that Michael Ibsen, a Canadian cabinet maker who was found to be a descendant of Richard III, was asked to make the casket from English oak. It was from Michael that the DNA was obtained which confirmed that the discovered skeleton of Richard III really was he.

Medieval Kings

One could easily be caught up in all this sentiment about Richard, but before doing so, best to have a reality check. Medieval kings were ruthless and murderous: to be anything else would lead to them losing control and literally losing their heads. Several kings lost their crowns to a stronger usurper. Richard's brother Edward IV seized the throne from his uncle, Henry VI who was eventually murdered: Henry's son Edward Prince of Wales was killed following the Battle of Tewkesbury.

"There's no proof Richard murdered the princes in the Tower," the Ricardians argue and passionately believe he has been much maligned by history. But this was the man who staged a ruthless coup d'etat following the premature death of his brother Edward IV, whose sons he had sworn to protect, mercilessly killing his enemies on the way.

A Fascinating Story

But this whole Richard thing is fascinating. It began with the discovery of his skeleton under a car park. In August 1485, following his death at the Battle of Bosworth, Richard's naked body, bloody, filthy, was slung over a horse and taken to Leicester. There his body was laid out in a church so people could actually see that the King was dead before his unceremonious burial in the Greyfriar's Church.

But Greyfriar's Priory had vanished over time, the site built over, Richard's resting place lost. There was even a story that the body had been dug up and tossed into the River Soar. However, historians kept an open mind over this and, after much research, the University of Leicester's Archaeological Services started to excavate the site where Greyfriar's, a project instigated by Philippa Langley of the Richard III Society whose persistence launched the 'Looking for Richard' project. Much of the site had been developed over the years, apart from the car park of the Department of Social Services so the odds on finding him were deemed to be extremely unlikely. However, a skeleton with battle scars and a curvature of the spine was discovered and later confirmed to be the lost king. It is an amazing story, even to the tracking down of a living descendant of Richard's and the matching of the DNA to confirm it all. It is a story which has captured the imagination of the nation and attracted great international interest as well.

On the Battlefield

Shortly afterwards, I went to Bosworth to see where the battle took place, first visiting the exhibition in the large, modern heritage centre and then joining a guided walk of the battlefield. Here again, preconceptions have been challenged and the actual battle field has since been discovered to lie some distance away from Ambion Hill, site of the centre, where it was once believed to have taken place. With support of a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Leicestershire County Council and the Battlefields Trust undertook to research the area to find the true battlefield: this was achieved in 2010 with the discovery of finds which included canon balls and a silver Boar badge which was known to have been worn by Richards's knights.

There is something about looking out over a place where history was made - a place where, over 500 years ago two armies clashed and history, the fate of this country of ours, was changed. There was the spot where Richard III made his last fateful charge at Henry, cutting his way through Henry's bodyguard and would have succeeded in killing him had he not been betrayed at the last minute. Sir William Stanley attacked on Henry's side; Richard found himself surrounded by the enemy and died bravely, cut down whilst 'fighting in the thickest press of his foes.'

A monument stands high on Ambion Hill, a memorial to the thousand or so men who died that day on August 22, 1485. Above it fly the standards of Henry and Richard, the red dragon and the white boar. Perhaps that is the most touching thing of all that so many had died that day.

Looking to our Past

Why all the interest? The past has the power to reach out and touch us: this was real, not a story in a book. We can find connection with these remains realising that they were once a living, breathing man, a king of England. And if it stimulates an interest in our past, a questioning of belief, that is all to the good. While the Richard III Society is passionate about Richard, we in Pembroke should get a bit more passionate about Henry; how many towns can boast of being the birthplace of a king after all? Richard may have had the makings of a great king but that is something we shall never know. What we do know, however, is that Henry Tudor was undoubtedly one of our great kings. He brought peace to a troubled kingdom at last, a kingdom which at his death was rich and secure.

Leicester City Council has done Richard III proud by investing greatly in promoting 'their King' and this is of great benefit to Leicester. We should do likewise for the victor of Bosworth.

Contact

If you have any stories, photographs or feedback for this column, please contact me, Linda Asman, on 01646 622428, email [email protected]">[email protected] and visit http://www.pembrokeandmonktonhistory.org.uk">www.pembrokeandmonktonhistory.org.uk

Next event

Friday, April 17, at Monktkon Church Hall, 7.30 pm, talk by Simon Hancock 'Women in Pembrokeshire in World War One.' Free event, all welcome.