Richard III
Society
Richard III
Society
History of the Society
Our Founder
The Richard III Society was founded in 1924 by a Liverpool surgeon, Dr Saxon Barton, and a small group of amateur historians. Originally known as The Fellowship of the White Boar, they believed that history had not treated Richard fairly and that his reputation was worthy of re-examination.
In the 1950s, three events converged to prompt a surge of renewed interest in Richard III. Two books were published – Josephine Tey’s novel The Daughter of Time, and Paul Murray Kendall’s sympathetic biography of Richard, together with the release of Laurence Olivier’s film of Shakespeare’s Richard III. In response, the Fellowship of the White Boar opened up to a wider membership and in 1959 changed its name to The Richard III Society.
In 1980, HRH Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester (Richard III’s namesake) agreed to become the Society’s patron, a role he has fulfilled ever since. As he says:
‘…the purpose – and indeed the strength – of the Richard III Society derives from the belief that the truth is more powerful than lies; a faith that even after all these centuries the truth is important. It is proof of our sense of civilised values that something as esoteric and as fragile as reputation is worth campaigning for.’
Our Supporters
Our Patron
The Society is now 100 years old. With a growing membership, and the increased importance of the digital world, we are moving forward with the way we communicate. We have an unrivalled fund of knowledge and research, making us the foremost authority on Richard III. Our members achieved what was considered an impossible feat – finding the mortal remains of Richard himself. Much is expected of us, and our ambition is to embrace a variety of opportunities to engage with our members and the wider public. We look forward to a stimulating centenary experience.