| Description | Parchment roll, detailing a table of the kings of England up to Edward IV. The names of monarchs, their spouses and children are shown in roundels coloured red, green and occasionally blue and are interconnected with coloured lines to show their lineage. The roundels of monarchs are crowned with gold. There are copious notes accompanying the table in the same 15th century hand. The roll is comprised of 8 parchment membranes glued(?) together and measures approximately 6 metres / 10 feet when unrolled.
The table traces the descent of Edward IV from Adam, including legendary figures such as Brutus, the first king of Britain, and King Arthur. The genealogy is preceded by a brief preface stating that the scribe intended to show the descent of all the kings up to Henry VI, which implies that the work may have been started during the reign of Henry VI but completed during the reign of his successor Edward IV. The last entry in the accompanying text is dated 1453 but the date of completion is uncertain, as Edward’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville which took place in 1464 is not illustrated in the table, but his sister Margaret is named as the wife of the Duke of Burgundy, which she became when she married Charles the Bold in 1468.
Preface begins: "Considerans cronicorum prolixitatem... ad henricum sectum originaliter finem perduxi". Edward IV's roundel is inscribed "Edwardus dei gracia verus heres et rex istius britannie, francie, et hispanie". Flanking notes, all in Latin, begin "Adam in agro damasceno" and end at the birth of Prince Edward, "qui natus erat in festo translacionis sancti edwardi confessoris, anno domini m.cccc.liii". |
| AdminHistory | Rolls such as this were used to prove the owner's ancestry and to support claims to titles, arms and other accoutrements of nobility. |