Richard III in the University Archives

In November 2023, Archives and Special Collections launched the Richard III Digital Preservation Project, a two-year initiative to safeguard the born-digital records created by the University during its involvement in the discovery and identification of King Richard III (2012–2015). The archive project was made possible by a generous legacy gift of £70,000 from Catherine Janet Neaverson.

The project aimed to identify, capture, and safeguard born-digital materials documenting the University's involvement in this globally significant event. These included correspondence, photographs, research data, media coverage, and internal communications that collectively tell the story of the University's role in the archaeological dig, scientific analysis, and public engagement.

Over the course of the project, the Archives team transferred, accessioned, appraised, and catalogued the digital records, preserving them in specialist digital storage to ensure their accessibility for future research and study.

Find out more about the Richard III discovery.

Our Richard III discovery collections 

Our digital archives of the discovery and identification of Richard III are particularly rich on the communication of the story through the press and media. We have also collected records created by key members of the project team. The following material is can searched and browsed on our archives catalogue: 

• Press Office files (ULA/PM). These records include external press cuttings, emails sent by the University's press office, media strategy and monitoring, press releases, briefings and media packs from the initial Grey Friars dig, osteology, genealogy and DNA analysis, through to the reinternment. 
• Audio-visual press material (ULA/PM/A). Captured by the University's External Relations Division, these files include photographs and videos of the Greyfriars excavation, discovery of RIchard III and the University's analysis to confirm the identity of the remains. 
• Lin Foxhall digital files, 2012-2015 (ULA/D66). Professor Lin Foxhall was Head of Archaeology and Ancient History at the University during the time of the discovery of Richard III. Her files relate to the Grey Friars project and the work of the department during this period. They include material relating to the book, The Bones of a King, published in 2015. 

A small selection of audio visual material from the second Grey Friars dig in July 2014 is available online.

How to search

To search this material visit our archives catalogue. To restrict your search to the Richard III collections, choose Advanced Search and enter the above Reference Numbers into the Document Reference Number field. 

Alternatively, you can use Advanced Search to select ‘University of Leicester Special Collections’ as the Archive Repository and ‘Richard III’ in quotations into the Any Text field.

Other collections

Our two year project collected more material than we have been able to process so far. These include: 

• Project files and correspondence from key stakeholders
• Outreach materials
• Additional video and photographs
• External news coverage
• Marketing material and publications
• Legal documents relating to the excavation and reinternment
• Podcasts
• Webpages

This material is still being processed and will be made available after it has been reviewed for legal restrictions and sensitivities. If you have material you would like to offer us please find out more about how we accept donations.  

We also have a number of Special Collections rare books, spanning hundreds of years, which feature accounts of Richard III and his life and death. These are searchable through the Library catalogue.