The Ricardian Century a History of the Richard III Society by John Saunders

An idea sown during an after-dinner discussion about Richard III between friends in still-rural Middlesex in 1924 has over the past century grown into a worldwide historical society with nearly 5,000 members. The Ricardian Century tells the story of the founding of the Fellowship of the White Boar and its early activities – right through to its reinvention as the Richard III Society in 1959, and its expansion and many achievements ever since. John Saunders explains how an English king who reigned for scarcely two years half a millennium ago came to have a modern Society dedicated to the rehabilitation of his reputation, which has the Royal Patronage of his namesake, HRH Richard, Duke of Gloucester.

The author has been a member of the Richard III Society for nearly 50 years, and at various times has served on the London Branch Committee, the Research Committee, the Bulletin Committee an the Executive Committee. He is a past chairman of the Devon and Cornwall Branch and was editor of the Ricardian Bulletin for eight years. He currently lives in Somerset with his four cats.