‘No evidence to say Richard III wanted burial in York’ says professor

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Published: September 6, 2013 at 8:23 am

No records exist proving Richard III wished to be buried at York, a University of York historian has said. Having considered what is known about the Plantagenet monarch, Professor Mark Ormrod has concluded not enough historical evidence exists to be able to confidently say the king wanted to be buried at York Minster. A High Court ruling cast doubt on where the bones will be reinterred.

‘Map “casts doubt on when Europeans discovered Australia”‘

A map which appears to cast doubt on when Europeans discovered Australia is to go on display for the first time. Novae Guineae Forma and Situs, a 1593 map that depicts a giant, unnamed land mass believed by some experts to be Australia, pre-dates the earliest confirmed map of the continent by more than a decade. Image courtesy of National Library of Australia and Ozri/Esri Australia.

‘Debate continues over truth behind “oldest”

Australia map’

A map which appears to cast doubt on when Europeans discovered Australia has been described by a historian as “fanciful”. Dr Simon Sleight, a lecturer in Australian history at King’s College London, told historyextra the map “says far more about imagination than reality”.

‘Dig to uncover model First World War battlefield’

An archaeological dig is to take place to uncover a model of a World War I battlefield in Staffordshire that was built as a training aid for soldiers. The model, built by German prisoners of war on their return from Messines in 1917, was used as a training ground in the build-up to the much larger battle of Passchendaele which began in July of that year.

‘Nazi-era war crimes cases made available online for first time’

Thousands of Nazi-era war crimes cases have been made available online for the first time. Housed in an archive at the United Nations, the 2,200 documents have until now been fiercely guarded. Following a campaign led by Dr Dan Plesch, chair of the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy (CISD), the documents are now available to the public.

‘Richard III “had roundworm infection”‘

Richard III had a roundworm infection, according to new research. Soil samples taken from the skeleton’s pelvis and skull, as well as from the soil surrounding the grave, revealed multiple roundworm eggs where the intestines would have been situated in life.

‘Charles Dickens’ Kent home to be restored to former glory’

The home of Charles Dickens is to be restored to its former glory for the first time since his death. Gad’s Hill Place in Higham, near Rochester, where the author penned novels such as Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities, has been used as a school since the 1920s. Now, as pupils move into new buildings, visitors will be able to gain a true sense of how the house looked and felt during Charles Dickens’ era. Image courtesy of Gad’s Hill School.

‘£10,000 Victorian doll’s house up for sale’

An 1850 doll’s house complete with furniture, china, utensils is to be auctioned for £10,000. The house, created by a husband and wife called Mr and Mrs Newton, has been passed on through the generations of the family.

‘Germany may charge 30 Auschwitz Nazi guards’

Some 30 former Auschwitz death camp guards should face prosecution, German justice officials have said. The Baden-Wuerttemberg state justice ministry, heading the investigation, said 49 guards had been investigated, of whom 30 should be prosecuted.

‘First Iron Age “loch village” discovered in Scotland’

The remains of an Iron Age ‘loch village’ have been discovered in south west Scotland. During a small-scale excavation of what was initially thought to be a crannog in the now-infilled Black Loch of Myrton, archeologists found a settlement of at least seven houses. Image courtesy of Historic Scotland/AOC Archaeology Group.

‘Your country needs you! Volunteers called upon to transcribe historic archives’

Volunteers are being sought to help transcribe more than 150,000 pages of historic archives in Scotland. In a bid to develop knowledge and understanding of Scotland’s history, Transcribe ScotlandsPlaces is calling on helpers to dig through archives dating from 1645 to 1880.