11. Richard III: The University of Leicester has no shame

So today I had an interesting tweet waiting for me from the University of Leicester Twitter account in response to one of my tweets regarding the whole issue of the reburial of Richard III.

My original tweet.. 

Followed by the response I received earlier today and my reply..

I may be over sensitive about this these days, but you've got it coming when you bring it to my personal twitter account, especially when I have directly contacted you and have been more than happy to express gratitude at how much work they did to find him. Excuse me for pointing out the Richard III Society played as much a part, and have been doing so for years, and in bringing Richard to the public's attention long before the University started to tout this subject. 

I have to admit that I found it hard to remain impassive to the tweet, partly because upon investigation the account had posted pretty much the same generic message to others who did not necessarily support the university's claim. I take exception to anyone who will not take the time to connect to me personally on this point of reburial because it happens to mean a lot to me. I may not have any great claim or any stake in where he is ultimately going to be buried but it is my right as a free human being to have my own opinion and share it with like minded people, and those who oppose my views. So don't you dare tweet me about how much you contributed to this project as though it overrules what I think and feel.
Who are you to imply that because of that reason I am in the wrong, that others who feel so passionately about this important historical figure and where he should be laid to rest. It's so insulting. All they have made me think is that I was right all along about it being for material gain, and I quite frankly no longer care who that offends. Bravo, University of Leicester for confirming what I've thought all along about your motives behind this.   I feel like I may as well be talking to a brick wall when I try to express that my reasons for being so passionate and upset by the claim made by Leicester is that I feel like nobody is taking any time to think about the more moral reasons why there should be other options for places of burial other than Leicester. Ultimately it comes down to the fact that Richard was once a living breathing human being, whether you believe he killed him nephews or not, he deserves the right to have care due and attention to where he will be laid to rest. I've said it before, and I will say it again. He was a Yorkshire man, born and raised. King of the North and held in high esteem. He should be buried somewhere that meant something to him, (in fact Kerry makes some great suggestions for alternative places for Richard's burial here.) - and while ideally I'd like Westminster Abbey and a state funeral that has already been trampled well into the ground as a resounding no. Bury him in York. It's time for Richard to go home to York, and if not York let it be Middleham or Fotheringhay.  Now, don't get me wrong. It's not like I expect everyone to agree and to even more amazingly share the same view as I. I'm not an idiot. I know full well the university is fighting tooth and nail for the burial rights of our last Plantagenet Monarch. I'm sure I would be fighting their corner too had I been involved in things from their side of things. The thing is, they've been acting like it is a done deal from the get go, and I just don't like that. They didn't think the judge would rule in favor of his relatives either, and I'm glad that they were proved wrong in that sense.  The problem I have is that Richard isn't some object to be fought over by two spoilt children. He was once a living, breathing human being and sovereign of England - and as such there are many people who hold his memory and legacy (whatever you think that may be) dear. So it shouldn't be so surprising that many people feel that Leicester mainly want the burial site for tourism, which I think is one of the main things that have a lot of Ricardian's noses out of joint. You can see the table below for the amounts contributed and by whom, which was the link tweeted to me:

I don't dispute what the university has done, or contributed. I don't deny that they are mainly to thank and that we, as Ricardian's are indebted to the university. I do, however, believe that just because of the above they don't deserve any ultimate claim to the remains of Richard.  I think the moral of this story is don't respond to this Ricardian using finance involved in the dig and after because it comes across the wrong way. It does not give you, University of Leicester any right in my eyes to lay an undisputed claim to Richard and his eventual burial site. And just so you know, I know I'm not the only one thinking it either.

I guess it all comes down to who paid more then?

Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, University of Leicester.