A RARE document bearing the seal of King Richard III is to go on display at Scarborough Art Gallery to coincide with the reinterment of his remains at Leicester Cathedral.

Richard’s charter for Scarborough was produced in the spring of 1485, and effectively granted the town and its surrounding area the right to become an independent county.

However, Richard died at the Battle of Bosworth just over four months later and his successor, Henry VII, refused to recognise the charter, so it was never enacted.

It is dated April 1485. Richard died at Bosworth on August 22, 1485.

The original vellum charter, including Richard’s seal, now very fragile and protected by museum wax, is held in the Scarborough Collections, and in the care of Scarborough Museums Trust.

Richard III’s remains were found buried under a car park in Leicester in 2012. They will be reinterred in Leicester Cathedral at a special ceremony tomorrow (Thursday).

Richard’s charter for Scarborough will go on display at the gallery that day, and remain there until the end of the year.

Entry to the gallery is £3, which includes entry to both Scarborough Art Gallery and the Rotunda Museum for a year.

The gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10am to 5pm, plus bank holidays.

For information, phone 01723 374753.