The Character of Richard the Third

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 16, 26 October 1934, Page 6

The Character of Richard the Third

To the Editor, ’ Sir I was greatly astonished at sorae ‘of the statements. made by Mr. W. M. ° Rushworth, M.P., in his broadeast fron‘ station 2Y¥A on the personal character of King Richard the Third. Many efforts have been made to whitewash Richafd, but each has failed to explain the hard fact of the disappearance. of the nephews. Not long ago. an: {agenious attempt was made to shift’ the™ réspousibility for this crime of tothe shoullets of Henry VII. But anatomical examination last autumn established beyond all shadow of dowht that the bones disinterred in the Tower were those of boygsof 13 and 9 yeurs old respectively, Not.of 15 and 11 as Wolild have: beef the case had they been muitdéred after Bosworth. There is at. the «pieséit~time a ten deuey to stibject past histofians to the most searching ahd déstrictive criticism, atid in many casas with the "avowed intent of upsetting. their lotig established verdict. While it-has" done good to.. verify olir knowledge of thé past, there. is a danger of following». ‘the modeta." school blindly. .~: Sometimes: the over----zealous history, ighunter™ will find on

tracking his quarry to its Jair that it is fo lie after all, _ Personally I have still to leatn that Shakespeare was drawing upon his inagitiation or actiig as a Tudor propagandist in thé dépi¢ting 6f Richard as the villain of the pievé-I am, éte.,

E.

LLOYD

Wangahui: