The Camden Roll is a 13th-century English
roll of arms
A roll of arms (or armorial) is a collection of coat of arms, coats of arms, usually consisting of rows of painted pictures of shields, each shield accompanied by the name of the person bearing the arms.
The oldest extant armorials date to the m ...
believed to have been created , containing 270 painted
coats of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic ac ...
with 185 French
blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...
s for various English and European monarchs, lords and knights.
The original roll is now held at the
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...
as
Cotton
Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...
Roll XV. 8. It consists of three
vellum
Vellum is prepared animal skin or membrane, typically used as writing material. It is often distinguished from parchment, either by being made from calfskin (rather than the skin of other animals), or simply by being of a higher quality. Vellu ...
membranes in total measuring 6.25" by 63". The face of the roll consists of 270 painted shields arranged in 45 rows of six shields, each with associated names and/or titles listed above each shield. The dorse includes French blazons for 185 of the shields on the face.
Provenance
The roll belonged to
William Camden
William Camden (2 May 1551 – 9 November 1623) was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of ''Britannia'', the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland that relates la ...
,
Clarenceux King of Arms
Clarenceux King of Arms, historically often spelled Clarencieux (both pronounced ), is an Officer of Arms, officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Clarenceux is the senior of the two provincial King of Arms, kings of arms and his juri ...
, , and is believed to have been among several documents and manuscripts which were willed to
Sir Robert Cotton in 1623. In 1700 Sir John Cotton, Sir Robert's grandson, sold the
Cottonian library to the nation, and in 1753 the collection was granted to the British Museum in London.
Contents
The coats on the face of the roll are loosely divided into the following sections:
*Shields 1–18: Emperors and kings
*Shields 19–24: Foreign dukes
*Shields 25, 27, 29, 30, 34, 36, 37: English earls
*Shield 26: "Sire Aunfour" (
Alphonso of England, Earl of Chester, eldest son of
Edward I
Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...
)
*Shield 28: "Prince of Gales" (
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...
)
*Shields 31–3, and 35: Foreign counts
*The rest are those of English lords and knights, with the following exceptions: 44–51, 54, 56–61, 71–2, 83, 88, 94, 102, 181, 184, 207–8, 226, 240, 243, 246, 256–67, 270
The blazons, written in French on the dorse, are of shields 1–202, with a small number of omissions: these include nos 9 "Rey de Escoce" (
King of Scotland
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers regulated by the British cons ...
) and 86 "Johan Giffard" (
John Giffard).
Copies
;16th Century
*A. Held at
Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault, queen of England. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassi ...
, MS 158, pp. 349–65. Tricked by
Robert Glover,
Somerset Herald.
*B. Held at the
College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...
, Vincent MS 164, fols. 111–19. Trick attributed to Richard Scarlett.
*C. Held at the
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...
,
Harley MS 6137, fols. 66b–72b. Tricked by Richard Kimbey.
;17th Century
*D. Held at the College of Arms, MS L 14, fols. 62–70. Trick attributed to
Nicholas Charles,
Lancaster Herald.
Illustrations
Below are a series of modern illustrations of the arms in the roll, based on the list of blazons published by James Greenstreet in 1882.
References
{{Reflist
Rolls of arms
Illuminated heraldic manuscripts
Cotton Library
13th-century documents
1280s works