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Historian May Have Discovered Henry I's Final Resting Place

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.

Scott Simon is one of America's most admired writers and broadcasters. He is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday and is one of the hosts of NPR's morning news podcast Up First. He has reported from all fifty states, five continents, and ten wars, from El Salvador to Sarajevo to Afghanistan and Iraq. His books have chronicled character and characters, in war and peace, sports and art, tragedy and comedy.