King Richard III: ‘Rogue Royal’ in Scarborough
While he had a short regal reign, Richard III was one of our most memorable monarchs.
Born in 1452, he was brother to Edward IV.
Richard Plantagenet of the House of York was crowned King Richard III on 6th July 1483.
He led the Yorkist forces in the final battle of the War of the Roses at Bosworth Field.
Richard died in battle on 22nd August 1485, aged just 32.
His armies were defeated by Henry Tudor, who became Henry VII.
Richard married Anne of Warwick and their only son died at Middleham Castle in North Yorkshire.
Richard is also connected to the murder of two princes in the Tower of London, although this has not been proven.
During Richard’s reign, the printing press, which was introduced by William Caxton in 1474, enabled knowledge and reading to become more readily available.
Richard was connected to Scarborough in a number of ways.
He was the Admiral of the North; he made the Borough a County, separate and distinct from York.
Scarborough could have a mayor, sheriff and twelve aldermen, later revoked by Henry VII.
He decided that Scarborough was suitable enough to become his northern naval base, and ordered 300 oaks from the forest of Pickering to be used for the jetty and quay.
The other perhaps more noticeable connection is King Richard III House, in Sandside, overlooking the Harbour.
Richard stayed in Scarborough Castle during his visits and is thought to have stayed in King Richard III house on several occasions, too, perhaps finding the Sandside location more convenient than the Castle.
The dates are thought to be 22nd May 1484 and from 30th June to 11th July in the same year.
Visitors and residents of Scarborough will know that Richard III House is a relatively short yet steep walk from the Castle entrance.
The property, now a popular eating place, is a complex mix of architectural styles and eras, from the 15th Century through to the 20th.
According to a small pamphlet written about King Richard III house, the original building was built in around 1350.
The publication goes on to describe in detail the three floors within the building, including the King’s Bedchamber.
For the building to still have the moniker of King Richard III House there must be a strong connection to the divisive monarch.
Yet this enigmatic king simply couldn’t be left in peace after he was slain in battle.
In 2012, an archaeological dig in the City of Leicester searched for Richard’s remains beneath a car park.
His remains were discovered just six hours into the dig and tests confirmed the skeleton was that of Richard III.
Tudor historians and storytellers have ‘informed’ us that Richard was ‘deformed’: it was said he had a ‘hunch back’, a withered arm and other ‘abnormalities.’
While his skeleton revealed he did have curvature of the spine, he didn’t have a withered arm or any of the other characteristics that have been suggested over the centuries.
King Richard III Visitor Centre in Leicester opened in 2014 and while a good many Yorkshire folk wanted Richard to be laid to rest in his ‘home’ county (at York Minster) he was moved to his final resting place in Leicester Cathedral.
While King Richard III is often considered to be a rogue royal, his connections to Scarborough are many.
With its spectacular view of the Harbour, the property has connections to Scarborough’ shipbuilding heritage.
One of the best-known shipbuilding families were the Tindalls (the family has a street named after them in the town).
Members of the Tindall dynasty purchased King Richard III House: John Tindall the Elder (1722 to 1771) married Jane Dowker and their ten children were born there.
As the years went by, the House was used as the Tindall’s offices and stores, with ships built on the sands opposite.
King Richard III House had several owners over the years, including Mr E Booth Jones who drowned on the Lusitania in 1925.
Since then, various people have owned the property and it was a museum for a time.
It is one of the many landmarks in Scarborough that signify the town’s rich, deep and fascinating past.
You can find out more about King Richard III via these links.