Medieval coffin to find new home at Bosworth Battlefield

A medieval stone coffin found by a local resident has been unearthed with the help of The One Show’s resident historian, Dan Snow.

Reg Colver discovered the stone coffin when working as a gardener in the grounds of a property in Earl Shilton, where it had been used for many years as a water feature. After seeing a television programme about Richard III’s coffin, which mentioned it was later used as a water feature, Reg wondered if the two could be related.

David Wilson Homes, who now own the property housing the coffin, were keen to preserve the local history and worked together with Leicestershire County Council’s archaelogical service and Bosworth Battlefield to extract the artefact last Friday.

Richard Knox, Curator of Bosworth Battlefield, said: “The coffin is a fascinating piece of medieval history and could only have been afforded by the wealthy, although who it belonged to will always be a mystery.”

The coffin will be cleaned and examined before finding a new home at Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre in Sutton Cheney, where it will be displayed for the public to view in the spring.

Ernie White, Leicestershire County Council’s Cabinet member for Community Services, said: “It’s fantastic that such an important piece of history will be displayed at Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre for members of the public to enjoy.”

Philip Lacey, Sales Director for David Wilson, says, “This has been a very exciting project for us and we are delighted to have been able to share it with The Battle of Bosworth Heritage Centre, preserving this piece of history for generations to come.”

The dramatic events of the Battle of Bosworth,1485, can be experienced in a new, interactive exhibition at the Battlefield Heritage Centre, which recently won the bronze award for Small Visitor Attraction at the East Midlands Tourism Enjoy England Awards.