Winter of Content

“Today, we bear witness to history. We peer 500 years into medieval times and literally reach into the grave.” So began Richard Taylor, the University of Leicester’s deputy registrar, at a press conference on February 4, preciptating a media storm over the discovery of the remains of King Richard III of England.

Richard III, made all the more famous by William Shakespeare’s depiction, was King of England for two short years, from 1483 to 1485, at which point his death at the Battle of Bosworth snatched away his reign. The burial was without ceremony and the body was lost for over five centuries. Richard Buckley, the lead archaeologist on the ‘Search for Richard III’, said at the conference: “It is the academic conclusion of the University of Leicester that the individual exhumed at Grey Friars in August 2012 is indeed King Richard III, the last Plantagenet King of England”.

Richard III, made all the more famous by William Shakespeare’s depiction, was King of England for two short years, from 1483 to 1485, at which point his death at the Battle of Bosworth snatched away his reign. The burial was without ceremony and the body was lost for over five centuries. Richard Buckley, the lead archaeologist on the ‘Search for Richard III’, said at the conference: “It is the academic conclusion of the University of Leicester that the individual exhumed at Grey Friars in August 2012 is indeed King Richard III, the last Plantagenet King of England”.

The Analytical Scientist spoke with Turi King, lecturer in genetics and archaeology at the University of Leicester, who justified the use of mitochondrial DNA analysis: “We already had two distantly related female line relatives, and mitochondrial DNA also happens to be the DNA that is most likely retrieved from ancient remains.” Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is transmitted from mother to child and therefore has distinct advantages when tracing female lines of descent – 18 generation’s worth in the case of Richard III.

“Ancient DNA is fragmented and so requires amplification of smaller fragments than would normally be used when typing modern DNA,” said King who carried out the analysis on a tooth sample in dedicated ancient DNA facilities at the University of York, UK. She later traveled to the Université Paul Sabatier in Toulouse, France, where the work was verified – King was happily able to confirm a match. Coincidentally, King is based out of the university’s Department of Genetics, the birthplace of modern DNA fingerprinting (discovered by Sir Alec Jeffreys back in 1984).

The DNA analysis was just one part of an investigation that saw osteoarchaeology, geneaology, historical evidence, forensic pathology (including micro-computed X-ray tomography) and radiocarbon dating all coming together to build a full picture. Radiocarbon dating showed that the individual died some time in the second half of the 15th or early part of the 16th century, and had a high protein diet, including significant amounts of seafood – consistent with someone of high status. “Like I've said all along, the DNA work has to be taken alongside all the other evidence. Just as in any forensic case, a person wouldn't be convicted on DNA evidence alone; the same is true in this case. Fortunately, the mitochondrial DNA type is a relatively rare one, which further strengthens the case,” says King.

There is still further confirmatory work to be done, though; King concludes, “I'm working on the Y chromosome analysis now and hope to then compare the DNA from the skeletal remains with those of putative male line relatives.”

As a somewhat relevant but distinctly non-scientific aside, one camping shop in Leicester apparently quipped on a billboard after the announcement: “Now is the discount of our winter tents”. I think even Shakespeare would smile at that.

For more information on the investigation click here.