Richard III facts: How deep was the grave, how tall was King Richard?

Using very careful genealogy, the Richard III team traced two direct descendants of Anne of York, King Richard's sister, to Canadian Michael Ibsen and a second DNA donor who wished to remain anonymous. Both were at the end of the line, genealogically-speaking, and had the body been discovered one generation later, there would have been no way to compare the DNA.When money for the search ran out, supporters in multiple countries, including the United States, Brazil and Belgium, stepped in to foot the bill. The search took four years and meant a great deal to many people.King Richard's feet were missing, but that wasn't a product of Bosworth Battlefield. Rather, Victorians had sunk the foundations of an outhouse near the grave, completely unaware of what was beneath. The foundations ground off the king's feet, which was unfortunate, but another few feet to one side and it would have ground the entire skeleton into powder.View the list »
In the wake of King Richard's discovery, Internet searchers want to know everything about the Plantagenet king.

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King Richard III has been located after more than 500 years in a shallow grave, and Internet searchers are looking for facts on the Plantagenet kings grave depth, missing feet, and how tall he was.

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The astonishing find came as the result of several coincidences, and Leicester University scientists have concluded that if things had been just a little different, Richard III might never have been found.

King Richard III's final adventure began when screenwriter Philippa Langley funded a dig to find Richard III's final resting-place. Ms. Langley told the Daily Mail that she felt a cold chill when walking over the parking lot where she had been hoping to research a new screenplay.

Somehow the archaeology got done, a long-lost medieval church was found, and a body was discovered in it. This triggered a series of events and coincidences that any fiction writer could be proud of.

Read this list to see how tall King Richard was, how deep was his grave, and why his discovery was so incredibly lucky.

View the list
  • King Richard's feet were missing, but that wasn't a product of Bosworth Battlefield. Rather, Victorians had sunk the foundations of an outhouse near the grave, completely unaware of what was beneath. The foundations ground off the king's feet, which was unfortunate, but another few feet to one side and it would have ground the entire skeleton into powder.
  • When money for the search ran out, supporters in multiple countries, including the United States, Brazil and Belgium, stepped in to foot the bill. The search took four years and meant a great deal to many people.
  • Using very careful genealogy, the Richard III team traced two direct descendants of Anne of York, King Richard's sister, to Canadian Michael Ibsen and a second DNA donor who wished to remain anonymous. Both were at the end of the line, genealogically-speaking, and had the body been discovered one generation later, there would have been no way to compare the DNA.
  • Richard III, without the curved spine, was around 5'8” tall, a typical height for a medieval man. However, the scoliosis made him appear shorter — about 4 1/2 feet to five feet (based on a quick and unscientific photograph measurement by this writer of ankle-to-skull compared to a measurement of the entire line of the body, curved spine included).
  • King Richard's grave was about 27 inches deep. The body was not so much as shrouded, and lay with its head propped up as if hastily thrown into a trench and covered. The Plantagenet king will now be buried in Leicester Cathedral.
View the list
Suggested by the author:

, British Royal Family Examiner

Linda Gentile is an ex-pat Brit and longtime armchair royal-watcher. She is a writer by profession, runs the historical marker/landmark site Markeroni.com, and her travels tend to lead into the past.

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