The 2012 excavation was small in scope relative to the full Greyfriars site. Only a portion of the car park was opened, and within that portion, only specific trenches were excavated. The decision about where to dig within the available area was guided by the documentary evidence: the historical records indicating that Richard’s burial had been in the choir, and the medieval map suggesting the choir’s location relative to the surviving street pattern.
The two trenches were oriented to maximize the coverage of the area most likely to correspond to the choir location. The first trench, running roughly north-south, was where the skeleton was found. The second trench, running east-west, was opened to establish the dimensions and orientation of the surviving remains of the friary church.
What the excavation found below the car park surface was a relatively well-preserved archaeological sequence. Medieval tile floors, architectural fragments, and evidence of the friary’s stone construction survived beneath the later development. The sequence of layers allowed the archaeologists to establish a rough chronology: the medieval friary deposits, overlaid by post-Dissolution refuse and building debris, overlaid by early modern and modern construction.
The skeleton was found in a position consistent with the choir. Its orientation — head to the west, feet to the east, the standard orientation for Christian burial — was consistent with medieval burial practice. The absence of a coffin was noted but not unusual: many medieval burials, even of individuals of high social status, were simple inhumations without coffins, particularly when the burial was conducted quickly without extensive preparation.