Historian May Have Discovered Henry I's Final Resting Place

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

One more British monarch may have been discovered in a parking lot. Just three years after the discovery of the remains of King Richard III, researchers have turned their attention to another even older missing ruler - Henry I. Philippa Langley, the historian who led the search for Richard's remains, believes the ruins of Reading Abbey - which Henry founded in 1121 - may be beneath the school playground and parking lot. They hope to find Henry's tomb below. Now, Henry I played the 12th century "Game Of Thrones" with a good deal of savagery, and like Richard, he earned what political consultants now call a mixed reputation. Who knows what secrets might be exhumed if the body is found? Historians say that what finally killed Henry wasn't a human enemy but a surfeit of lampreys, the parasitic eel once considered a delicacy. Either way, when you park a car in Great Britain, take a moment to ponder which monarch might lie beneath your feet, and avoid chips and eels. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.