Yorkshire Branch
Message from the Branch Committee
The Yorkshire Branch has been in existence for close on 40 years, and is the oldest branch of the Richard III Society. It was formed when the 500th Anniversaries of the battle of Wakefield (1460) and Towton (1461) were being commemorated. Members of the recently re-formed Richard III Society living in York and the Three Ridings decided to organise some local activities here, in the county which Richard himself had known and loved.
The first Chairman if the Branch was R.J.A. Bunnett, who organised talks in Harrogate for members, and made his research papers available for study. When he retired, David Murgatroyd of Baildon was elected Chairman. Under David's leadership our thrice-yearly magazine Blanc Sanglier was begun, local groups in Leeds, Bradford and elsewhere were started up, and our first Medieval Banquet was held. All these activities still continue today, over 30 years later.
Over a decade ago we began our Leeds Spring Lecture, an annual event which is open to the general public. The branch also has a Library of books and papers. It is called The Dorothy Appleyard Library, after our first Librarian and long serving committee member. The library has been augmented over the years by gifts and bequests. All the stock is available.
In our site, we have provided easy access to information about our county and its very many historic sites, Castles, Monasteries, Abbeys and Fields of Battle, and particularly those relevant to our main research subject, Richard III. Visitors from other parts of England or overseas will quickly locate the sites likely to be of most interest to them during their projected visit to Yorkshire. They can learn more about the principal Ricardian locations to ensure that all their time in our county is spent to the greatest advantage.
We will also, in time, include information on travel and accommodation, provided by the Yorkshire Tourist Authority, to make the best use of the time visitors spend with us. For students and researchers, there is information on our branch and the sources of help and advice available from it, and from the Branch colleagues at home and across the World.
Our Society has important overseas links with Branches in both hemispheres, and we have had a great deal of help from them in formatting this, the newest site in the Ricardian field. We take this opportunity of thanking them for their support and look forward to still closer liaison with them in future years through our Internet links. If you find our site interesting, you will find many other absorbing topics through the various links on our home page.
