Is another king buried under an old car park?

Royal could lie beneath abandoned Reading jail

- EMMELINE SAUNDERS

Finding one king buried under a car park was astonishing enough, but it now appears another British monarch could be lying beneath the tarmac of a disused lot.

The historian who discovered Richard III's remains at Leicester in 2012 believes she has pinpointed the final resting place of Henry I, who died in 1135 aged 66.

Philippa Langley claims her research has led her to a car park at the town's now-closed jail. The site lies near the ruins of Reading Abbey, where Henry was buried at the high altar.

But over the centuries the building was expanded and it is believed the king's remains may have been moved.

Part of Philippa's Abbey Project aims to fundraise enough to carry out a full archeological dig of the car park, which would cost around £55,000.

Princess Diana's younger brother Earl Spencer has backed the proposal, saying he "hopes crowdfunding can finance excavations to recover the remains" of King Henry I.

The dig to find Richard III at Leicester's Greyfriars came in at £35,000. His remains were found on the first day of the search.

Henry, the fourth son of William the Conqueror, took the throne after his brother William Rufus died in a suspicious hunting accident in 1100. Henry was present. 

His rule was efficient but harsh - he once threw a powerful burgher from the top of a castle as an example to other would-be rebels.

His death was every bit as dramatic as his potential final resting place is not. Henry had travelled to Normandy to shore up support for his rule, but fell sick after eating a surfeit of lampreys" - his favourite jawless fish with suckers for mouths. Henry's condition worsened over a week and he died on December 1.