Eastwell church in Kent was once a place of great importance. Royals were regulars. Queen Victoria enjoyed being pulled across the frozen lake there in her sledge-chair. And in the churchyard, are the remains of Richard III’s illegitimate son, Richard Plantagenet…

#thread

It’s thought Richard III fathered three children out of wedlock and that this Richard was one. For years, Richard worked as a bricklayer at Eastwell Park for Sir Thomas Moyle. In his late 70s, he was seen reading a book in Latin. Only then did he reveal his secret...

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He told Sir Thomas that growing up, he didn’t know his parents. He had been brought up by a schoolmaster and was assisted by a gentleman who paid for his schooling and was interested in his well-being.

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Aged 16 he was taken to Bosworth Field on the eve of battle. Here he met his father – the king - who told him ‘I will provide for you as befits your blood'. And that if he won, he would acknowledge Richard as his son. But if he lost, the boy must never reveal his identity.

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The next day, Richard’s father and benefactor were killed. Richard retreated to London and found an apprenticeship with a bricklayer. He kept his father’s confidence until 1546.

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Richard died in 1550, aged 83. He was buried in the churchyard at Eastwell. The church registers record his death, “Rychard Plantagenet was buryed on the 22. daye of December 1550”.

Four hundred years later, in the early 1950s, the church at Eastwell, Kent fell into ruin.

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Over the past few months, we've been repairing the ruin: re-pointing the stonework, replacing eroded masonry and rebuilding weathering details. We've also lightly repaired Richard Plantagenet's tomb: re-pointing the chest and resetting the capstone.

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