Collections
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| The Poetry Of John Ashdown-Hill | 2018 | Buy |
Non-Fiction
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| The Secret Queen / Eleanor | 2009 | Buy |
| Richard III’s ‘Beloved Cousyn’ | 2009 | Buy |
| The Last Days of Richard III | 2010 | Buy |
| Royal Marriage Secrets | 2013 | Buy |
| The Third Plantagenet | 2014 | Buy |
| The Dublin King | 2015 | Buy |
| The Mythology of Richard III | 2015 | Buy |
| The Wars of the Roses | 2015 | Buy |
| The Private Life of Edward IV | 2016 | Buy |
| Cecily Neville: Mother of Richard III | 2018 | Buy |
| The Mythology of the ‘Princes in the Tower’ | 2018 | Buy |
| Elizabeth Widville, Lady Grey | 2019 | Buy |
John Ashdown-Hill spent years researching Richard III and the Wars of the Roses before his work proved crucial to one of archaeology’s most dramatic discoveries. His genealogical detective work traced Richard III’s maternal line to identify living descendants who could provide DNA for comparison. When excavation beneath a Leicester car park uncovered skeletal remains in 2012, Ashdown-Hill’s research enabled confirmation that the bones belonged to the last Plantagenet king, killed at Bosworth Field in 1485.
Ashdown-Hill’s twelve non-fiction books focus primarily on late medieval England, with particular attention to Richard III, Edward IV, and the dynastic conflicts of the 15th century. He wrote as both a scholar and an advocate, challenging the Shakespeare-influenced portrayal of Richard III as a villainous hunchback. His works combine archival research with genealogical investigation, using detailed family trees and DNA evidence to establish historical facts about royal lineage and relationships.
Beyond medieval history, Ashdown-Hill published one poetry collection, showing interests outside historical research. He was a member of the Richard III Society and worked with the Looking for Richard Project that ultimately located the king’s grave. Ashdown-Hill died in 2018, but his research remains central to Richard III studies and demonstrated how genealogical methods could answer centuries-old historical questions. His work brought medieval history to mainstream attention and changed how historians think about using DNA evidence in historical investigation.