Heraldry Links
- The largest and best medieval heraldry site on the web. Over 5200 coats of arms have been emblazoned from the early medieval rolls.
Wikipedia
Aspilogia I: A Catalog of English Medieval Rolls of Arms, ed. by Sir Anthony Wagner (1950).
Aspilogia II: Rolls of Arms, Henry III, ed. by Sir Anthony Wagner (1967).
Includes the Matthew Paris shields, Glover's Roll, Walford Roll and corrections to CEMRA.
Aspilogia III:
A Roll of Arms of the Reign of Edward the Second, by Joseph Gwilt, British Museum (1829)
- This is the Parliamentary Roll dated 1312-1314.
The Siege of Carlaverock in the XXVIII: Edward I., By Nicholas Harris Nicolas
- Arms and bios of the knights present at Carlaverock in June 1300.
Notes on Early Medieval Rolls
Matthew Paris (c1240-1259)
Matthew Paris was a historian writing 12xx to 1259. He illuminated his manuscripts with drawings and paintings, including many examples of heraldic shields. For example, when recording the death of an important individual, Paris would commonly paint their coat of arms upside down in the side margin. Though his interest was historical and not heraldic, Matthew Paris' work is generally held to be the earliest example of a roll of arms.
Aspilogia I: A Catalog of Early Mediaeval Rolls of Arms gives these arms the designation 'MP'
Aspilogia II devides his work as follows
I. Historia Anglorum
II. Some vellum leaf manuscripts on which there are 113 painted shields.
III. Chronica Majora
IV. Chronica Majora, vol. II
V.
VI.
VII.
Glover's Roll (c1253-1258)
A total of 220 shields, this is named for Robert Glover, Somerset Herald who made copies of a now lost roll in 1586. What is called Glover's Roll is actually 7 different manuscripts which exist in 4 different versions. There are 2 copies of Version I, Ia (214 shields) is the copy by Glover in 1586 and Ib (215 shields) was made by Robert Cooke, Clarenceux Herald from 1567-1593. The original of Version I must date to c1253 though itself appears to have been primarily based on another roll made 1240-1242 with additions to make it up to date in c1253. Version II is also a copy made by Glover in 1586; of the 218 blazons, 211 are found in version I with 7 additions which date this copy to c1310. The three known copies of Version III hold only 54 painted shields and contains 1 addition, James Audley, and several name changes (father to son, title changes) which date the original to c1258. Thus, Glover's Roll is frequently said to date from 1253-1258. The three copies themselves were made late a. 16th century, b. 1607 and c. 1640. Version IV contains 1 addition compared compared to the previous versions. It is really an extract from Grimaldi's Roll, a 15th century copy of a mid-14th century manuscript and named for Stacey Grimaldi the owner in 1835.
Aspilogia I: A Catalog of Early Mediaeval Rolls of Arms gives this roll the designation 'B'
Dering Roll (1270-1280)
British Library
The Dering Roll is named for Sir Edward Dering who acquired the roll in the mid-16th century. It consists of 324 painted shields of knights, primarily from Sussex and Kent. It was purchased by the British Library where it is currently displayed in 2008.
Aspilogia I: A Catalog of Early Mediaeval Rolls of Arms gives this roll the designation 'A'
Walford's Roll (c1275)
Named for Weston Styleman Walford who published his copy of the manuscript (ver. I) in Three Rolls of the Latter Part of the Thirteenth Century in 1864. This roll is called by Foster the 'H III - Norfolk Roll.' Walford's Roll exists in 4 different copies of three versions. The first copy was made by Nicholas Charles, Lancaster Herald from 1608-1613 and from the language would seem to be a copy of a 14th century manuscript. The second version was made by the antiquary John Leland who lived c1506 to 1552 and is likely much closer to the original c1275. A second copy (made by a very unskilled transcriptionist) of Leland's appears to have been made around the time of Henry VIII. A final copy was originally part of Wrest Park MS. 16 'Ancient Rolls' (as was Glover Ia) which was sold piecemeal in 1922. This last copy is currently missing and unpublished.
Aspilogia I: A Catalog of Early Mediaeval Rolls of Arms gives this roll the designation 'C'
Herald's Roll (c1280)
FitzWilliam Museum, Cambridge MS297 (Copy, 15th.c.)
Consists of 690 painted coats.
Camden Roll (c1280)
British Museum, Cotton Roll, 8.
270 painted coats of which 185 are also blazoned.
St. George's Roll (c1285)
College of Arms, London, MS Vincent 164 ff.1-21b.
677 painted coats.
Charles' Roll (c1285)
This roll is called by Foster the Arden Roll.
Falkirk Roll 1298
British Museum MS Harl 6589, f.9-9b.
Arms of 115 knights present at the battle of Falkirk on 22 July 1298.
Roll of Caerlaverock or Poem of Caerlaverock (1300)
Near contemporary copy, vellum: British Museum, Cotton Caligula A XVIII, ff.23b-30b.
110 blazons written in the form of a poem of knights present at the siege of Caerlaverock in 1300.