MP Hugh Bayley calls for inquiry over Richard III’s body

9:02am Tuesday 12th March 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Mark Stead, Political Reporter

A YORK MP will today call for an independent committee to be set up to make recommendations on where and how the remains of Richard III should be buried.

The bones of the last Yorkist king, discovered during an archaeological dig in a Leicester car park, have been at the centre of a row over where they should be reinterred, with York’s claim being backed by the monarch’s living descendants and a petition signed by tens of thousands of people.

York Central MP Hugh Bayley will today use an adjournment debate in the House of Commons to press the Ministry of Justice to form an “advisory committee” to assess where Richard’s remains should be buried. He said the University of Leicester was given a licence to excavate the remains of “persons unknown”, but as these remains had now been identified, the Ministry could change the terms of the licence.

Mr Bayley said he would argue the Government should now decide the burial location, rather than Leicester University being responsible for the reinterment decision, which he said had been made without consultation with Richard’s descendants and other parties.

“King Richard III did a lot for York and the north of England, and during his life he made arrangements to be buried here,” he said.

“He was not well-treated in Leicester after his death and I think his soul would rest in peace back in York.

“It is dreadful that some people are still fighting the Wars of the Roses and we should seek reconciliation, wherever he is reburied. I want an independent committee to decide how, where and when the reburial takes place and to involve cities and people from both north and south.”

Comments(18)

airporttaxi says...
9:09am Tue 12 Mar 13

Even for Hugh Bayley, this is going some. Every single statement he makes is incorrect. Richard has long been commemorated respectfully by a monument in Leicester Cathedral; you cannot consult with people who do not exist (i.e. 'Richard's descendants'); Richard did nothing special for York and the North during his lifetime; he made no arrangements to be buried here. As for 'his soul would rest in peace', what kind of nonsense is that? This is all utter drivel, and Hugh Bayley is a posturing idiot. I bet he never gave a **!** for Richard III until all this blew up!

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Pete the Brickie says...
9:24am Tue 12 Mar 13

I knew this would be Hugh Bailey before I even read it, you really would think he could find a little bit better way to spend his time than constantly jumping on bandwagons.

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Digeorge says...
10:02am Tue 12 Mar 13

Well, surprise, surprise, it is Hugh Bailey!

Though I would far rather see Richard III in York than in Leicester!

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RedCyanNat says...
10:26am Tue 12 Mar 13

Well said MP Hugh Bayley , backing you all the way!

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Ignatius Lumpopo says...
10:38am Tue 12 Mar 13

I suppose he'd like Prince Andrew to be buried here, when the time comes. Fergie too.

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Garrowby Turnoff says...
11:25am Tue 12 Mar 13

Maybe burial in London would be the correct solution. After all it is where most of our Kings are buried.

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Podlet says...
11:31am Tue 12 Mar 13

Oh FFS! Cremate him and scatter the ashes over the UK as a whole.

Or send him out into the Irish sea - lots of Richard the thirds out there already.

Please stop wasting our tax.

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again says...
11:53am Tue 12 Mar 13

http://epetitions.di
rect.gov.uk/petition
s/38772

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Chunter says...
12:30pm Tue 12 Mar 13

"He said the University of Leicester was given a licence to excavate the remains of “persons unknown”, but as these remains had now been identified, the Ministry could change the terms of the licence."

Hugh Bayley is wrong. The University mentioned in their licence application that they might find the remains of Richard III.

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Jackanory2 says...
12:37pm Tue 12 Mar 13

Weeny boring and a waste of time, why is it such a bid deal where he is buried, he has been in Leicester this long, why not leave him there. Like someone said is Prince Andrew to be buried in York don't think so.

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capt spaulding says...
12:40pm Tue 12 Mar 13

Pete the Brickie wrote:
I knew this would be Hugh Bailey before I even read it, you really would think he could find a little bit better way to spend his time than constantly jumping on bandwagons.
Where there is Hugh there is an expenses sheet.

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jaycee says...
1:28pm Tue 12 Mar 13

For goodness sake Bayley get involved with things that are important to this country ie jobs,NHS ,child poverty etc .

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RedCyanNat says...
1:43pm Tue 12 Mar 13

Airporttaxi you are clearly very uneducated if you don't know what Richard did in and for York and that there are plenty of people with his bloodline still living! How else did they do the DNA?!

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Caecilius says...
5:44pm Tue 12 Mar 13

RedCyanNat wrote:
Airporttaxi you are clearly very uneducated if you don't know what Richard did in and for York and that there are plenty of people with his bloodline still living! How else did they do the DNA?!
But they're not his "descendants" - he has none. He had three children, one legitimate and two illegitimate, all of whom died childless.

We're actually talking about descendants of Richard's relatives. To give you an idea of the number of people that includes, Edward III, who was Richard's great-great-grandfat
her, is estimated by at least one genealogist to have roughly 100 million descendants alive today. Another estimate is that 80% of people in England are descended from him. And that's just from a single member of Richard's family. The idea of asking the opinion of a few people on the grounds that they're related to him is pretty meaningless.

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Fourkov says...
7:21pm Tue 12 Mar 13

Feed the bones to a pack of dogs and end the pointless debate.

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Fourkov says...
7:32pm Tue 12 Mar 13

Ignatius Lumpopo wrote:
I suppose he'd like Prince Andrew to be buried here, when the time comes. Fergie too.
Great call on Andrew being buried in York.

Stick the rest of the family with him as well. Ok, they're not dead, but let's not stop a technicality from continuing to waste oxygen and taxpayers money.

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JHardacre says...
7:37pm Tue 12 Mar 13

Why do MP's think that an inquiry is the answer to everything? We do not need an inquiry into this (nor anything else for that matter).

York Minster doesn't want him, Leicester does. End of. Now stop ******* about and just bury the poor man.

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echochamber says...
10:20pm Tue 12 Mar 13

How depressing all this is. I don't agree with the 'bring Richard to York' campaign but I do know that many of those who support that cause really do care about it. I respect that. I do not respect Hugh Bayley's shallow self-serving opportunism.

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