IDENTITY STATEMENT
Reference code(s): GB 0377 M SERIES
Held at: College of Arms
Title: M Series
Date(s): c1312-1797
Level of description: Collection
Extent: 32 volumes
Name of creator(s): Various
CONTEXT
Administrative/Biographical history:
The L and M series, and the Visitation records, represent the main collections of the College pre-dating the English Civil War, being mostly the work of Tudor heralds. Samson Lennard's 1618 list of the contents of the library indicates that these volumes were part of the collection then, although descriptions are usually somewhat too general to allow for precise identification. The volumes are listed in the 'Syllabus' of College of Arms' manuscripts, compiled in c 1780
CONTENT
Scope and content/abstract:
M. 1 - Lists of Summonses to Parliament 4-16 Edward II (1310-1322) and 1-22 Edward III (1327-1348). 16th century
M. 1bis - Precedents and Miscellany. 16th century. Includes:
ff 1r-7bis - extracts from various sources relating to the office of Marshal
ff 18r-25r - descents of Ambrose Dudley, Earl of Warwick, and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
ff 26r-30v- lists of certain baronies, castles, manors and towns belonging to: the dukedom of Lancaster; Roger Mortimer, Earl of March and Ulster, 22 Richard II (1398-99); Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford and Essex
ff 31r-35v - retinue for the king and queen to Canterbury, thence Calais and Guisnes, to meet the King of France, 1520
ff 36r-41r - account of the meeting of the King of England and the Emperor at Canterbury and of the Kings of England and France, 1520 (the Field of Cloth of Gold)
ff 43r-45r - ordinances of the field in the war, that the High Marshal, his deputies, provosts, harbingers, etc, ought to observe
ff 45r-46v - the authorities and power that the Provost Marshal and his lieutenant have in the jurisdiction of the artillery
f 47r - summons to the town of Doullens to surrender, made by Thomas Wall, Rouge Croix Pursuivant of Arms (d 1536 as Garter) in the name of the King and the Duke of Suffolk, 12 Oct 1523
ff 47v-49r - information given by Thomas Wall (d c 1522 as Norroy King of Arms and father of the Thomas Wall who d 1536 as Garter) concerning the taking of the defiance of King Henry VIII to the King of France in 1513
ff 49v-51r - petition to the King touching the rights, annuities, and largesse appertaining to ancient customs to the Officers of Arms. Incorporating copy of tract on droits and largesse
ff 51v-52r - memorandum of a Chapter of the Officers of Arms, 19 Nov 1487, establishing a system of waiting at court in rotation. With note that this was entered in this book by Thomas Wall, 2 Jan 1528 (1529)
f 52v - memorandum about livery for the Officers of Arms
ff 54r-57v - translation into English of the defiance published in the Star Chamber by the Duke of Norfolk to the French ambassador in the presence of the Emperor's Ambassador, undated
ff 58r-71r - roll of names of nobles, bannerets, and knights in the reign of Edward III, mid to late 16th century, with note in hand of Robert Cooke (d 1597 as Clarenceux) that this is a copy of a roll given to Elizabeth I at New Year's tide, 1573
ff 73r-76r - order of proceeding in a procession in Bologna when Pope Clement VII and Emperor Charles V were present [1530?]
ff 80r-82r - narrative of the siege of Melun by Henry V [1420]. With account of the romantic story of single combat between Henry V and the governor of the town, the Sire de Barbazan
ff 84v-95r - account of the fiançailles of James IV of Scotland and Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII, 1502: two near contemporary copies
f 111v - rough notes in hand of Robert Cooke, e.g. of noblemen slain or taken prisoner at battle of Bayonne
ff 114r-115v - rights and duties of the Constable and Marshal in regulating the King's host in time of war. 16th century copy
ff 117r-134r - copy of roll of the names of those who were with the King at Agincourt, 1415, made by Sir Robert Babthorp, steward of the household, 19 Nov 1416 (sometimes styled The Agincourt Roll)
ff 135r-140v - The First Calais Roll, shorter version: 16th century roll of arms based on accounts of Walter de Wetewang, Treasurer of the Household, of wages paid to soldiers present before Calais in 1346 and 1347. (Described in Wagner, CEMRA, as Version II).
ff 141r-149v - second part of the longer version of The First Calais Roll: additional material from the account of Walter de Wetewang. (Described in Wagner, CEMRA, as Version I).
M. 2 - Grants of Arms, 1561-1638: shields of arms and crests, tricked in printed shield outlines, with notes of grantee, grantor, and date
M. 2bis - Extracts from Records. 16th century
extracts and notes from public and parliamentary records; lists of inquisitions (time of King Henry III - 5 Edward III (1276-7)); treatise on form and manner of keeping Parliament of England; treatise on droits and perquisites of the Marshal of England, attributed to Gilbert de Striguil, time of King Henry II; ordinance of King Henry VIII for the Office and due attendance of the Knight Marshal; treatise concerning rights which, by ancient custom of England, ought to pertain to the Office of Marshal in time of war (described in the title as the usage of Thomas Brotherton, as Marshal of England)
M. 3 - Armorial: Ballard's Book, c 1465-1490 and early 16th century.
With fine painted arms, arms in blazon, accounts of ceremonies, and other miscellaneous material.
Two discernible parts: original nucleus written and painted by or for William Ballard (d c 1490 as March King of Arms), and additions by Sir Thomas Wriothesley (d 1534 as Garter). Thomas Wriothesley's father (John Wrythe, d 1504 as Garter) acquired the manuscript from Ballard's widow. Ballard's part contains early examples of armorial surveys of his own province and other parts of England suggestive of Visitations; Wriothesley's additions include a page of jousting cheques, perhaps the oldest extant, and two sections of ordinary from his armory and ordinary of English arms.
Ballard's manuscript: arms, painted and in blazon, with accounts of ceremonies in which he took part and miscellaneous notes concerning his office his genealogy, etc. Includes:
On two unnumbered folios before f 1, a Latin poem on King Arthur; a poem in honour of Richard, Duke of York, father of Edward IV on his death in 1460; a narrative note of Ballard's genealogy; part of the oath of a provincial king of arms, and knights' fees in co Cheshire from the Red Book of the Exchequer
ff 6r-8r - account of the coronation of Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV, 26 May 1465
ff 8v-14v - Ballard's account, as a participant in the ceremony, of the marriage of Richard, Duke of York, son of Edward IV, to Anne, Countess of Norfolk, in 1477, and of the jousts held to celebrate it
f 15r - oath of a provincial king of arms
Arms of nobility and gentry of part of the province of March King of Arms, some with particulars of issue and tenure; arms of the nobility and gentry of particular counties (Lancashire, Cheshire, Yorkshire, Devon, and Cornwall)
Wriothesley's additions: painted arms and some narrative material relating to marriages of Henry VII's son and daughter in 1501 (part of this may have been added by John Wrythe). Includes:
f 8r - copies of contracts of marriage between Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII, and Patrick, Earl of Bothwell, as proxy for James IV of Scotland, 1501
ff 24v-26r - the articles of the jousts of Edward, Duke of Buckingham, at the marriage of Prince Arthur, 1501, and copies of the tournament score cheques
p 27- determination by the Earl of Derby, Constable of England, between Sir Thomas of Asheton and Sir Piers a Leigh, concerning arms claimed by both of them
f 29v-32r; 48v-98v - arms of families in certain counties; arms of the bishop, dean, and see of Salisbury and of individual deans there; arms of saints and of British and Saxon kings; arms of towns
M. 3bis - Ceremonial. 17th- early 18th century
ff 1r-3v - account of procession and partnering of jousters at the first tournament in which Charles, Prince of Wales (later King Charles I) participated, 24 March 1619/1620, with note of fees paid to Officers of Arms
ff 6r-7v - account of procession to tilt and list of combatants, at tournament held on 24 March 1620/1621, with note of fees paid to Officers of Arms
ff 10-12 - account of procession of Charles I through London, 25 November 1641, on his return from Scotland, and how he was received by the Lord Mayor, aldermen and citizens
ff 13-19 - description of King Charles II's entry to Dover, Canterbury, Rochester, thence London, 29 May 1660, and the manner of his reception
ff 20-21 - entertainment of King Charles II at Guildhall, London, 5 July 1660
pp 26-32 - ceremonial for entry of King William III through London to Palace of Whitehall, 16 November 1697. In hand of Gregory King (d 1712 as Lancaster)
pp 1bis - 5bis - ceremonial for the reception of King George I on his arrival from Holland (1714)
on 14 unnumbered folios - 2 folios of ceremonial for the reception of King William III on his arrival from Holland after the conclusion of the peace with France, 16 November 1697, and another version of account of his procession through London; 12 folios of drafts of and working papers for these accounts, in several hands
pp 36-64 - proceedings of Queen Anne to St Paul's Cathedral for service of thanksgivings for military victories including the Battle of Blenheim, 1702 and 1705
bound in after p 64 - order to Laurence Cromp (d 1715 as York and Carolina Herald) to be at the House of Lords on 31 December 1706 to take care of calling the peers' coaches that will go in the procession to St Paul's Cathedral
bound in at end - miscellaneous papers relating to the funeral of Queen Anne and the reception of King George I
M. 4 - Heraldic Precedents and Proto-Visitation of the North. 16th century
Miscellany, mostly in French, including:
Grants of arms (John Hilsey, Bishop of Rochester, f 9r; confirmation of arms and crest to Robert Cromer of Yarmouth, Norfolk, f 34v; Christopher Askew, Mayor of London, f 38r; Robert Cosyn of Dorset, f 38v; William Harrington of Eastrington, Yorkshire, Canon of St Paul's Cathedral)
ff 3r-7v - genealogical and heraldic notes relating to Pierre de Luxembourg, Count of St Pol
f 8r - copy of challenge issued by René, Duke of Lorraine, to Charles, Duke of Burgundy, and delivered by Lorraine Herald
ff 9v-21r - French treatise on military procedure, with drawing on f 18v of an assault on a castle
f 21v - form of a grant of arms and crest in English by Thomas Benolt, Clarenceux (d 1534), with name and blazon left blank. In hand of Christopher Barker
ff 22r-24v - names of dukes and counts of France; computation of annual military expenditure for the kingdom of France based on income from towns paying 20 francs a year
ff 25r-27 - version of treatise on the making of various degrees of nobility
ff 27v-28v - short treatise on the duties of heralds and other military officers
ff 29r-30r - oath of obedience to his office of a new herald
ff 30v-31r - petition of the Kings of Arms and heralds of France that the King might order that no one be received into the office of herald or pursuivant unless he is expert and appointed by the King or another prince or by four principal officers of arms. No date
ff 31r-33v - petition of the Kings of Arms and heralds of France for reform and regulation of the manner of creating heralds, Marshals, and Kings of Arms, and for the correction of the abuse of the French heralds' hospitality by foreign heralds
ff 35r-37v - short heraldic treatise in French, including origins of heraldry under Alexander the Great and heralds as arbiters of battles and questions of arms under Julius Caesar
ff 39r-88v - alphabet of English arms in French blazon, with some small shields in trick in the margins
ff 89r-90v - manner of blazon in the terminology of precious stones
ff 96v-98r - pedigrees of Welles and ap Adam; Barton and Ayleworth; Berkeley
ff 99v-135r - Proto-Visitation of the North, after 1491, and pedigrees of northern gentry
f 141r (bound out of order) - note of the count of those killed at the Battle of Crécy and at the Battle of Hastings
ff 136r-138r - French blazons of standards of English noblemen and gentlemen
ff 144r-145v - arms and standards of the kings of England from Brutus to Henry VIII, in French blazon, followed by those of a few noblemen (some of these additions)
f 146v - names of the occupants of the Garter stalls on the south side of St George's Chapel, Windsor
M. 4bis - Tournament Score Cheques. 1571-1616
Score Cheques for dates in the years 1571, 1572, 1580, 1583-1600, predominantly for the Accession Day tilts, 1583-1600.
Also includes: on f 58v a list of paired opponents for a joust on 26 March 1616, but not set up for scoring as a tournament cheque; details of prizes given by Queen Elizabeth I in 1571; a few other notes of prizes; proclamations of jousts in [? 1571], 1594, and 1599; occasional notes of the judges and of the fees given to Officers of Arms; notes of heraldic proclamations of postponements for various causes; on f 1 the proclamation for a tournament on Twelfth Night, 1570, at Hampton Court; drafts and working papers relating to tournaments, including lists of combatants; a list dated 1578 signed by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (d 1588); division of tournament fees between Officers of Arms
M. 5a - Armorial. Probably 17th century
ff 2-40 - ecclesiastical and corporate arms, in trick, with captions in an early 17th century or possibly late 16th century hand, organised in the following groupings:
ff 2-8 - arms of sees
ff 9-13 - arms of a few religious houses, colleges of Cambridge University, Eton College, and Westminster Abbey
ff 17-28 and 33-40 - arms of cities and towns
ff 41-135 - arms of Scottish families, in trick, with names of families written above in a late 16th or early 17th century hand
ff 136-331 - arms of English families, in trick and some partly coloured, with names of families in several 17th century hands, and a number of arms without names
M. 5b - German Rolls of Arms: the Hyghalmen Roll. c 1450
ff 1v-43 - roll of arms known as the 'Hyghalmen' (or High Almaine) Roll, painted by a German artist. In the opinion of Mr Rodney Dennys in The Heraldic Imagination it was probably produced in the Archdiocese of Cologne between 1447 and 1455. Contains 691 shields, most with crests, arranged on the page in three rows of three. Includes:
ff 1v-2 - arms of Jesus Christ, emblems of the Passion marshalled on shield and banners held by two facing figures of Christ, or worn as part of their crests
f 5v - figure of an angel holding the arms of the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire
f 12v - figure representing the Dauphin of France, holding his arms
with some mid 16th century English additions
also includes: on f 32v, shields of arms of four Saxon earls, in trick (early 16th century additions); on f 43v, rough pedigree of the Counts of Westerburg in Germany, probably early 16th century
M. 5c - Register of Knights. 1622-1822
Register of knights, kept as a record of their precedence, in accordance with a royal order of 1622:
pp 1-2 - catalogue of baronets made, 1626-29
p 3 - baronets created 1681-84
p 5 - copy of order to the Earl Marshal by the King under his privy seal, for the registration in the College of Arms of all persons receiving the honour of knighthood. New knights were to show proofs of their honour to the Earl Marshal within one month to ensure their due precedence, 15 May 20 James I (1622)
pp 7-8 - names of knights made since the order of 15 May 1622, with details of date and place where they were knighted and of their place and county of residence, 1622-23
p 9 - additions to list of knights, 1624-25 and 1634-35
pp 23-87 - a retrospective 'Catalogue of the Knightes Bachelors made by King James...' March 1603 - February 1625
pp 89-[244] and 9 unnumbered folios - knights made from March 1625-1822. Break from April 1646 to 1649
M. 6 - Ceremonials and Precedents. Mid 16th century. Contents fall into approximately two categories: 1) descriptions of royal ceremonies including Christenings and funerals and drawings of a state procession of Queen Elizabeth, possibly based on her Coronation procession; 2) group of precedents relating to tournaments, illustrated with fine pen and ink drawings.
ff 1-13 - account of the proceedings for the funeral of Queen Jane Seymour, 1537
ff 17-22 - account of the funeral of Elizabeth, Queen of King Henry VII, 1503
ff 23-26v - the Christening of Prince Edward (later King Edward VI) at Hampton Court, 1537
ff 28-30 - the Christening of Prince Arthur, son of King Henry VII, at Winchester, 1486
ff 35-48 - pen and ink drawings of the procession for the entry of Queen Elizabeth I into London on 14 January 1559, the day before her Coronation
f 49 - list headed 'The chef officers at the coronation', of the functions to be performed in the Coronation ceremonial, as their prerogative, by various high officers and noblemen
ff 56-62 - collection of precedents for the holding of tournaments, comprising 15th century ordinances for jousts and a series of challenges, in mid to late 16th century hand:
ff 56-57 - ordinances made by John Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester, Constable of England, for jousts of peace royal, 1466. With pen and ink illustrations
ff 57v-58 - challenge at the Castle Loyall, a tournament held at Greenwich, Christmas 1524. With pen and ink illustrations
ff 58v-59 - challenge of six nobles for jousts royal and tourney, Westminster (dated by Sydney Anglo, Journal of the Society of Archivists, vol 3, no 1, 1962, p 195, as November 1494). With pen and ink illustrations
ff 59v-60v - challenge of the Spanish knights to fight on foot at the barriers, at an Anglo-Spanish tournament held at court, 4 December 1554. With pen and ink illustrations
ff 60v-61 - the proclamation of the prize winners at the Anglo-Spanish tournament held at court, December 1554
ff 61 - fees appertaining to Officers of Arms
f 62 - full page pen and ink illustration showing a foot combat being waged
ff 63v-68 - ordinances for single combat attributed to Thomas, Duke of Gloucester, Constable of England (d 1397), with pen and ink drawing at the head of f 63v, showing the Duke of Gloucester presenting a copy of his ordinances to King Richard II
ff 72v-75v - pen and ink drawings of an unidentified funeral procession
ff 77v-82v - pen and ink drawings of the procession to the Christening of Prince Edward (later King Edward VI) and of the font
ff 85v-86 - the ceremonies of proclaiming traitors Thomas Percy, Earl of Northumberland, and Charles Nevill, Earl of Westmorland, 26 November 1569, and of degrading from the Order of the Garter, 27 November 1569
ff 87-97 - rough pen and ink sketches or cartoons of a procession
ff 98-102 - De Rege et Regno scocie: a chronicle of events relating to the English claim to receive homage of the Scottish king, 1291-1367, with a detailed account, illustrated by extracts from documents, of events in the reign of King Edward I, beginning with the court held by King Edward at Norham to determine the succession to the Scottish crown in 1291. In Latin, in a 15th century hand
M. 6bis - Ceremonial and Miscellany. Early 16th century. Mostly in hand of Christopher Barker (d 1550 as Garter). Including:
ff 1, 2, 3 and 13 - account of the visit of King Henry VIII to Boulogne and Calais in 1532
ff 7-12v and unnumbered folio before f 52 - account of the Field of Cloth of Gold, 1520, beginning with the entertainment of the Emperor at Canterbury
ff 15-24 - list of the retinue that went with King Henry VIII to Calais in 1532, including servants, and on f 24 the number of 'messes' to be served Calais for the three days that the French king would be with the English king, with figures for expenditure beside each entry
ff 26v-30v - treatise on naval warfare and seamanship, with special reference to the Romans
ff 31-36 - constitutions for the officers of the Order of the Garter, 1521 [recte 1522]
ff 36v-47 - the interment of Lady Katherine, Dowager Princess of Wales [Queen Catherine of Aragon] [d 6 Jan 1536]
ff 47v-48 - names of noblemen attending the marriage of Mary Tudor to King Louis XII of France, October 1514
ff 48v-51 - a reckoning given by the Queen's silk woman of mourning and fringes, etc, delivered to the mourners at the burial of the late lady dowager [Catherine of Aragon]
f 54 - miscellanea, including a multiplication table and a guide to high tides at Sandwich and Gravesend, Kent, and at London Bridge
ff 55-59 - list of the lord mayors of London, 1402-1512, with a brief note of events for each of those years, a set of annals written by London citizens, particularly full for the years 1482-1487, and containing a suggestion that the Princes in the Tower 'wer put to deyth ... be the vise of the duke of Buckingham', in a contemporary hand
ff 61-64 - general procedures concerning ceremonial for a coronation, for the marriage of a prince's daughter, for laying the surnape, or tablecloth, at the king's board, questions of etiquette concerning the king's proceeding in a day of estate, ending incomplete with the sixteenth question
f 64v - text of the ratification of Francis I, King of France of the peace treaty between him and the King of England on 8 April 1515; also confirmation of arms to Thomas Wodde [Wood] by John Wrexworth (d between 1463 and 1472 as Guyenne King of Arms), 2 December 1456
ff 67-69v - list of retinue that accompanied Henry VIII to the Field of Cloth of Gold
ff 69v-73 - names of the challengers of England and of France, and of answerers: list of participants in the Field of Cloth of Gold, 1520
f 73 - account in French of the coming of Henry VIII to Gravelines on 9 July 1520, his welcome by the Emperor, and his progress to Calais where he in turn welcomed by the Emperor on the 11th and entertained him until 14th July
ff 73v-74v - text of a dialogue in French and Latin between the king speaking as King Arthur and servitors placed at the doors of his pavilion (presumably included here as part of the entertainment for the Emperor)
ff 75-78v, 80v-81r, 82-84v, 91v, 94v-95v - fragment of an alphabet of arms in blazon for the letters M-R
f 79-81v - account of the deaths and funerals of Sir Thomas Brandon (d 27 Jan 1510), Richard Nevill, Earl of Salisbury (d 30 Dec 1460), and Sir Stephen Jenyns or Jennings, Alderman [and Lord Mayor] of London (funeral 1523)
ff 85-86 - account of the Christening of Princess Mary (later Queen Mary I), daughter of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, born 18 February 1516
f 86-88v - accounts of the Christenings of Frances and Henry, children of Mary, Dowager Queen of France, and Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, born 17 [recte16] July 1517 and 11 March 1516
ff 89-90v - ordinances of Princess Margaret, Dowager Countess of Richmond, for the reformation of mourning apparel of princesses and great estates, and of other ladies and gentlewomen, 18 Henry VII (1502-03)
ff 92-93v - articles of a tournament to be held at the Palace of Richmond at Candlemas, following the birth of a prince. Undated
ff 97-100 - treatise on the virtues of the precious stones
ff 102v-103 - the oaths of a pursuivant and of a herald, English version
f 103v - rough notes in French giving the names of nobles attending the King of the Romans (the Emperor) and the numbers of fighting men with them, undated
f 106v - offices at La Rochelle in the gift of Mary, Dowager Queen of France. Undated
ff 114-115 - charges of the painter-stainers for the funeral of Lady Catherine (of Aragon), late wife of Arthur, Prince of Wales, 1536
ff 118-119v - order taken how the king shall ride at the meeting with Lady Anne of Cleves, January 1540
f 120 - proclamation by Garter [Barker] and Clarenceux [Thomas Hawley, d 1557], made 2 January 1540, as to the attendance on horseback of nobles, knights, and others at Blackheath at the meeting between Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves, a certified true copy in Hawley's handwriting
ff 123-127 - account of the journey of Anne of Cleves from Düsseldorf to Calais; names of the pensioners, esquires and knights in attendance at Blackheath, Kent, 3 January 1540
at end - back part of original parchment cover, on which is written a treatise about the hatching of birds
M. 7 - Armorial. 16th and 17th century. Finely painted arms on vellum. Composed of two originally separate manuscripts, the first of which, on pp 2-36 and ff 37-44, is a production of the workshop of Sir Thomas Wriothesley (d 1534 as Garter), with some later additions, and shows arms of knights made by Henry VIII, and Knights of the Garter; the second, on ff 45-63, contains arms of 17th century Knights of the Bath. Containing:
pp 2-6 - arms and crests of Knights of the Bath made at the Coronation of Henry VIII, 1509
pp 7-16 - arms of knights made by Henry VIII, 1513-1527, most with crests
p 17 - painting of arms and badge of Queen Jane Seymour and the badge of Edward, Prince of Wales [later King Edward VI]
pp 18-19 - record of the election of Francis I, King of France, and of John de Vere, Earl of Oxford, as Knights of the Garter, at Greenwich, 21 October 1527; lists of occupiers of Garter stalls at St George's Chapel, Windsor, 26-29 Henry VIII, 1534-1537
pp 20-25 - arms and crests, and some badges, all or nearly all of Knights of the Garter, early 15th-century - time of King Henry VIII, but arms shown without an encircling garter
pp 28-30 - an alphabetical list, mostly arranged by Christian names, of those who have been Knights of the Garter
pp 32-33 - arms of Knights of the Garter, possibly time of King Henry VII. Including arms of Prince Arthur and Henry, Duke of York (later King Henry VIII)
pp 34-35 - arms, nearly all Wriothesley and allied families
pp 36, ff 37-44v - arms and crests of Knights of the Garter, mostly time of King Henry VIII but continued into the reign of Philip and Mary. With notes of the 'fines' given by the new knights to Garter King of Arms at their installation, generally a gown or sum of money
ff 46-60v - arms and crests of Knights of the Bath, made on six occasions between 1603 and 1661
f 62 - achievement of arms of Anthony Maria, Viscount Montagu (succeeded 1592, d 1629)
M. 8 - Ceremonial. Time of Henry VIII. Ordinances for officers of the royal household in the conduct of their offices on various state occasions. Almost certainly in hand of Thomas Hawley (d 1557 as Clarenceux King of Arms)
Within the body of procedures for ceremonies at court is a nucleus, on ff 27v-56v, which is a copy of an older manual of instructions, time of King Henry VII. The surrounding manuscript expands on this, time of King Henry VIII:
f 1 - names of the king's cupbearers, carvers and sewers, Christmas 1521
f 2r - names of the Lords Temporal as they sit in Parliament (undated)
f 2v - the oath for the king's servants, knights and squires for the body and others
ff 3r-3v - the oath that a gentleman usher gives to any that is sworn the king's servants
ff 4-19v - ordinances concerning duties of knights and squires for the body, gentlemen ushers and yeoman ushers, yeomen of the crown, guard, and of the king's chambers, groom porters, grooms and pages of the king's chamber, these containing much informative detail about the daily round of waiting in the king's chambers and at his table
ff 20r-37r - ordinances including for the making the king's bed; the order of the king's going to the chapel on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday; ordinances for the day of estate; ordinances for various of the king's relatives; ordinances for the receiving and deliverance of a queen; for the christening of a prince or princess; for the burial of a prince
ff 37r-37v - under the heading 'As for the Trappers', a description of the horse-trappers of the coursers in the procession bringing the body of Henry V into England from France
ff 37v-39r - the sitting of all dukes, earls and barons: apparently a memorandum by an old servitor of procedures at court in earlier reigns, differing from the rest of the treatise by being in the first person
ff 39-41 - under heading 'The beryeng of An Erle', an account of the funeral of Richard Nevill, Earl of Salisbury, and of his son Sir Thomas Nevill (both killed at or after the battle of Wakefield, 30 December 1460) at Bisham [in Buckinghamshire in the manuscript, but should be Berkshire], 15 February 1463
ff 41-42 - how the king ought to be served in the great chamber
ff 42-46 - four chapters relating to state occasions, which have been copied as a unit into other more miscellaneous manuscripts: for the coronation of a king; for the marriage of a prince's daughter; for the sewer and the usher and the laying of the survage (surnape, or tablecloth) at the king's board; for the day of estate, a series of questions and answers on points of ceremony
ff 46-56v - ordinances including for the evening when a 'voyd' shall be had; the making of Knights of the Bath; setting of the king's board; feasts including Twelfth Night and New Year's Day'; for when the Queen delivers a child; the christening of a prince or princess, including bringing them to church; for the great cradle of estate; the creation of a prince; homage
ff 56v-57v - articles appointed by Henry VII at his palace at Westminster, 31 December 1493, concerning the duties of knights and squires for his body and gentlemen ushers, especially in safeguarding the king's person at night
ff 57v-59v - articles appointed by Henry VII, concerning the ordering of his chambers and the dignities of his officers and servants belonging thereto (undated)
ff 61-65 - ordinances for the banquet at Greenwich on St Thomas' Day, 12 July 1517, including a long list of court officers and servants appointed various functions, and, on f 65v, a seating plan
ff 66-67 - memoranda of the seating when the French ambassador dined at court on Monday and Tuesday after Easter, 25 and 26 April 1519, and a description of the reception of the Papal Legate, 4 August 1518, with a plan of the seating at dinner
f 68v - memoranda of creations: creation of George, Duke of Clarence, brother of King Edward IV (1461); description of a duke's dress; creation of Louis de Bruges, Seigneur de la Gruthuyse, as Earl of Winchester, 1472
f 69 - painted illustrations of the royal crown and of coronets and circlets, with sketch of the royal arms (a near contemporary or slightly later addition to the manuscript)
ff 71r-72v - the manner of drawing the surnape at the Coronation of Queen Anne Boleyn, wife of Henry VIII, by John Stephens, Marshall of the Hall
ff 73v-85v - the order of the Hall by John Stephens, Marshall of the Hall: list of names of officers and servitors that shall attend upon Queen Anne Boleyn at the Queen's board at the Great Hall of Westminster on the day of her Coronation
ff 86r-88v - account of the Coronation of Richard III and Queen Anne Neville on 6 July 1483, with a list of names of noblemen and knights at the Coronation and of Knights of the Bath made on that occasion
ff 89r-89v - account of the Christening of Princess Elizabeth at Greenwich, 10 Sept 1533 (not in the hand of the rest of the manuscript)
M. 9 - Chronicle of the Wars with France, 1415-1429. Probably written in 1459.
On ff 31-66, a chronicle of the English campaigns in France, beginning in 1415 and breaking off incomplete in 1429. Written by Peter Basset and Christopher Hanson, both men serving with English garrisons in the Maine district of France in the years covered by the chronicle. In French, probably written for Sir John Fastolf, who had been Governor in Maine for part of the period covered by the chronicle, the manuscript apparently incomplete at his death and left unfinished. Scribal fair copy in a French hand of the period, possibly that of Luket Nantron, whose name figures in the added rough title, with spaces left for initials and for a title on f 31, which were never filled in.
Other contents:
ff 1-7 - proclamation of a tourney, with the rules of combat, evidently for the Field of Cloth of Gold, June 1520
f 7v - mid 16th century copy of 'The order of the state[s] of the blode Ryalle'
f 66r - added at the end of the chronicle, a note in English of the taking of Cherbourg in 1450, a short description of Normandy, and a note of the ransom and release of Charles, Duke of Orleans, in 1440, in a 16th century hand
f 66v - copy of the oath taken by Francis I of France to be bound by the treaty of peace with England, Montargis, 8 May 1515
f 119r - notes on the violating or breaking of a sepulchre or monument, a mid 16th century copy, in the same hand as f 7v
f 119v - two lines of Latin verse, apparently a hymn to St George, in a 16th century hand
f 120r - list of names of those present at the siege of Leysaye [Lagny] sur Marne, 1432
f 120v - memorandum delivered to Master Palgrave regarding the furnishings in his chamber
on a half leaf bound in after f 120, notes relating to the wars in France
on 50 folios, only the first 7 of which are numbered, account of jousts held at Paris, November 1514, written in French
M. 9bis - Armorial. 16th century. 7 pages and 224 folios. Including:
p 1 - full page painting of the arms of Henry VIII impaling those of Catherine of Aragon, surmounted by a royal crown
pp 2-6 - painted arms of Knights of the Garter, time of Henry VII and Henry VIII.
ff 1bis - 7bis and 8-25v - 1244 shields of arms in the style of the workshop of Sir Thomas Wriothesley (d 1534 as Garter). The arms on ff 20v-25r comprise a copy of the Herald's Roll (c 1270-1280), listed by Anthony Wagner in Catalogue of Medieval Rolls of Arms
ff 29r-32v - arms, in trick, of the lords spiritual and temporal attending the Parliament held at Michaelmas 1545
ff 36r-37v - names of the kings of England since the Conquest and where they were buried, with names of noblemen created in their reigns
ff 37v-38r - names of peers in order of seniority
ff 38v-71v - arms, in trick, of noblemen and knights created by Edward VI, 1547-49, incomplete; names only, without arms, ff 71v-72v
f 74r - letters of confirmation by Christian III of Denmark of peace treaty concluded on 23 May 1504 [1544] with the Emperor Charles V, consigned to William Hervy (d 1567 as Clarenceux King of Arms) to be carried to Henry VIII
f 74v - ratification by Henry VIII of the peace between Christian III of Denmark and the Emperor Charles V, 20 August 1544
ff 75r-80r and 81v-84v - chronicle, The Flowars of Engelonde, by Thomas Gardiner, monk of Westminster, c 1516
ff 85v-86r - arms and standard, in trick, of Wendout, and arms of Norton, Horton (with crest), and Egmonton
ff 93r-214v and 216r - an alphabet of arms in trick, probably late 16th century, including a number of leaves at the ends of alphabetical sections blank except for prepared shield outlines
f 215v - rough short pedigrees and arms in trick of Sheffield, Loundes, Delves, Babington, etc, in the hand of Robert Cooke (d 1593 as Clarenceux King of Arms
M. 10 - Armorial, c 1480-1550, including Wrythe's Book (c 1480)
Shields of arms. Those on ff 71-190 known as Wrythe [or Writhe]'s Book and described by Anthony Wagner in Catalogue of English Medieval Rolls of Arms. Including:
ff 12r-44r - arms, in trick, in a variety of 16th century hands
ff 48r-70r - c 350 painted shields of arms, probably early 16th century, unfinished and many unnamed
ff 71r-190r - shields of arms and banners, attractively painted, by more than one artist. Part 1, up to f 123: arms of knights and gentry, mostly time of Henry IV but painted probably c 1480; after f 118 very incomplete and mostly in trick only, probably additions of late 15th or early 16th century; on f 121 the arms of Sir John Wriothesley [John Wrythe, d 1504 as Garter] and two other families allied to Wrythe by marriage (Lusthill and Castlecombe), with captions above in a later hand, possibly that of Sir Thomas Wriothesley (d 1534 as Garter). Part 2: ff 125r-127r - 26 painted banners of arms of saints and sovereigns; ff 128r-136v - 162 painted banners of the arms of English princes and noblemen, time of Edward IV and earlier; ff 137r-185v - painted arms of English knights and gentry, many identified by surname only, and of religious houses, time of Edward IV and earlier; ff 186r-187r - 49 painted shields of arms of English princes and noblemen, without names
ff 187v-194v - eight sheets of accounts, in Italian, probably of Italian merchants or bankers, c 1420-1425
M. 11 - Armorial and Funeral Certificates. Late 16th - early 17th century
pp 1-18 - funeral and burial certificates, most attested by a herald or herald's deputy, 1619-1621, well written with skilfully painted arms, some apparently with original signatures
p 31 - painted achievement of the Tudor royal arms, probably time of Elizabeth I
pp 49-51 - twelve painted shields of arms of knights, mostly time of Elizabeth I, with helms and mantling, ten with crests
ff 1rbis-24vbis - painted arms and crests, with mantling and helms, of the lord mayors, sheriffs and aldermen of London, most with the name of the livery company to which the person belonged, with dates between 1245 and 1590, added by later annotators. Various other annotations mostly made by John Gibbon (d 1718 as Bluemantle)
ff 27rbis-40rbis - arms and crests of citizens of London, officers of the royal household, etc, time of Elizabeth I
M. 12 - Armorial. Mid 16th century
ff 2r-47r - crests in blazon [written descriptions], time of Henry VII - (probably) Mary I. Listed by surname only, beginning incomplete
ff 47v-49r - list of badges used by noblemen and bannerets in time of Edward IV
f 50r - list of the lordships belonging to the dukedom of York, with blazons of the badges associated with them
M. 13 - Armorial. Mid to end 16th century. Made up of several series of arms, painted and in trick, apparently gathered together from different sources. Some part of the manuscript probably originally belonging to Ralph Langham (d 1569 as York Herald)
M. 13bis - Ceremonial. Early 16th century
ff 1r-11r - reception of Catherine of Aragon on her marriage with Arthur, Prince of Wales, 1501, in a contemporary hand, beginning incomplete. A later 16th century hand (identified as that of William Colbarne, d 1567 as York Herald, by Glynne Wickham of Bristol University, whose notes on the manuscript are bound in at the front) added a title describing the narrative as 'Thorder of the [receiving] of Quene [K]ath[erine] dowager', this title now partly lost through decay of the margin, but transcribed immediately below in the hand of Sir William Dugdale (d 1686 as Garter)
[ff 12-14 blank; no ff 15-26]
ff 27r-67r - narrative description of the reception of Catherine of Aragon and of the celebration held on the occasion of her marriage with Arthur, Prince of Wales, 1501, including a detailed account of the speeches in the pageants of welcome, also descriptions of tournaments, disguisings, banquets, etc. Early to mid 16th century copy
ff 68r-74v - the death and funeral of Prince Arthur, 1502, begun in the same hand as ff 27r-67r, continued from f 73 possibly in another hand
ff 76r-115v - account of the progress of Princess Margaret, daughter of Henry VII, from London to Edinburgh and her marriage to James IV, King of Scotland, 1503. In a contemporary hand, probably that of John Yonge (d 1516 as Norroy King of Arms) who, as Somerset Herald, accompanied Princess Margaret to Edinburgh, and who is credited with the authorship of this account; signed at the end, 'Somersett le herault'.
M. 14 - Ceremonial and Miscellany. 16th century. In several hands. Includes:
ff 1r-6r - arms in trick
ff 17r-21r - group of memoranda relating to the conduct of state occasions, apparently taken in first instance from M. 6bis, ff 61r-64r, but ultimately from a book of court procedures: questions for the Day of Estate; remembrance to the ushers of the king's chambers on Coronation Day; for the marriage of a prince's daughter; the laying of a surnape
f 21v - remembrance for the Christening of a prince or a prince's child
ff 21v-22v - account of birth and Christening of Mary, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon [later Queen Mary I]
f 22v - opening lines of the ordinances of the Dowager Countess of Richmond for mourning apparel for ladies
f 28v - on the burial of a king [headed as being on the ordering of the burial of every noble estate, but deals only with a king]
f 29 - account of the interment of King Henry V
ff 42r-46v - How England shuld haue homage and feaulte of Scotland [How England should have homage and fealty of Scotland], probably in the hand of Thomas Hawley (d 1557 as Clarenceux King of Arms)
f 48 - grant of arms and crest to Sir William Paget of [Abbots] Bromley, Suffolk, one of the king's two principal secretaries, by Sir Christopher Barker (d 1550 as Garter King of Arms), 27 April 1544
ff 49v-50r - copy of a declaration of a truce for 15 days between the English and French armies while their emissaries treat for peace, signed at Boulogne, 20 February 1549 [1550]. One of the signatories, as part of the English delegation, is Sir William Paget
M. 14bis - Medieval Rolls of Arms. Early 16th century copies in blazon [written descriptions] of five medieval rolls of arms. Also includes mixed material including extracts from inquisitions and feet of fines, paintings of royal badges, and pedigrees. In part and probably almost wholly in the handwriting of Sir Thomas Wriothesley (d 1534 as Garter). Includes:
pp 4-8 - royal beasts, badges and arms, painted
pp 13-16 - inspeximus, in the form of letters patent, relating to Windsor family estates, 14 July 10 Henry [8, 1518?]
pp 44-94 and 364-373 - copy of the Parliamentary Roll, c 1312, version II.B, in blazon. [Listed by Wagner in Catalogue of English Medieval Roll of Arms, where it is stated to be a copy by Sir Thomas Wriothesley. According to Wagner, this copy was taken from a lost original by Thomas of Lancaster, Duke of Clarence, who was Constable of the Army in 1417. The association rests on the title given to this copy of the roll, liber constabularii anglie, and a note written by Sir Thomas Wriothesley beside this title, 'Th de lanc constable of England'
pp 96-308 - lists of escheats in reigns of Henry IV, Edward I, Edward II and Henry III
pp 322-362 - extracts of surnames and properties, apparently from final concords, Edward I-Henry VI (mainly Devon and Cornwall for reign of Edward I)
pp 377-390 - copy of the Galloway Roll, 1300, in blazon. Unique copy of this roll. [Listed in Wagner, Catalogue of English Medieval Roll of Arms,where it is attributed to Sir Thomas Wriothesley]
pp 392-421 and 461 - copy of St George's Roll, c 1285, version II, in blazon. Unique copy of this version. [Listed in Wagner, Catalogue of English Medieval Roll of Arms,where it is described as 'probably' by Sir Thomas Wriothesley]. The heading of this item shows it to have been copied from manuscripts belonging to Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who was made Constable of England in 1469 and as such would have had charge of the heralds; as Richard III he granted the heralds their first charter in 1484
pp 423-427 - copies of inquisitions in Sussex, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, following the death (15 September 1408) of Edmund Holland, fourth Earl of Kent
pp 429-434 - will and testament of Richard Welles, Lord Welles and Willoughby, 5 May 1469
pp 445-449 - inquisition held at Shefford, Bedfordshire, 21 February 1403, following the death (13 June 1402) of Amauri de St Amand
pp 451-459 - transcriptions of records relating to Scotland, beginning with the submission of William the Lion, King of Scotland, to Henry II of England, and including homage of John Balliol to King Edward I. Three forgeries of the chronicler John Hardynge (living 1464) are included on pp 454-455
pp 462-527 and 560-579 - copy of Thomas Jenyn's Book, c 1410, in blazon. [Listed in Wagner, Catalogue of English Medieval Roll of Arms,where it is attributed to Sir Thomas Wriothesley]. The heading of this item shows it to have been copied from manuscripts belonging to Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who was made Constable of England in 1469 and as such would have had charge of the heralds; as Richard III he granted the heralds their first charter in 1484
pp 529-530 and 535-558 - series of pedigrees, apparently intended to have been with painted arms, but these never added in several cases
pp 531-532 - descriptive sketches in Latin verse of kings of England, William I - Edward I
pp 580-586 - copy of the Stirling Roll, 1304, in blazon. Unique copy of this roll. [Listed in Wagner, Catalogue of English Medieval Roll of Arms,where it is attributed to Sir Thomas Wriothesley]
pp 588-608 - list of wills proved 1414-1424, time of Henry Chichele (Archbishop of Canterbury, 1414-1443)
pp 622-635 - extracts, apparently from the nomina villarum returns, of hundreds and towns, with their lords, for counties Essex and Hertfordshire, breaking off incomplete at the end and also possibly at the beginning; on pp 609-621, and alphabetical list of names of domini villarum, towns and hundreds, beginning with the letter C
M. 15 - Miscellany. 16th century
Copies of historical documents, in several hands. Including:
ff 1r-10v - accord made in Parliament between King Henry VI and Richard, Duke of York (1460)
ff 12r-17r - account of visit of Lord Gruthuyse to King Edward IV (1471-72), with detailed description of the giving of largesse to the officers of arms, and the creation of a Richmond King of Arms
ff 18r-26v - note of all the raids made into Scotland by the garrisons and others of the east marches, 12 June - 2 Oct 1544
ff 58r-62r - acts and ordinances made in council for the direction of the king's council and the government of the kingdom, 1453 and 1454
ff 75r-77v - the duties and privileges of officers of arms, including tournament droits, in French
M. 16 - Parliamentary Roll of Arms, c 1312 - 16th century copy in blazon
[Listed in Wagner, Catalogue of English Medieval Roll of Arms, as Version II. A]
M. 16bis - Heraldic and Historical Miscellany and Precedents. 16th century
Copies of miscellaneous historical and heraldic materials, including musters, treatises on warfare, ordinances and precedents relating to heralds and to the marshal, heraldic treatises, lists of knights, and rolls of arms. In several mid 16th century hands, apparently included those of Sir Thomas Wriothesley (d 1534 as Garter) and Sir Christopher Barker (d 1550 as Garter). Includes:
On 6 unnumbered folios at front of volume - short heraldic treatise in French for the instruction of pursuivants, including opening section on supposed beginnings of heraldry under Alexander and Julius Caesar, and essay depicting the archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel as the first heralds
ff 5v-10v - the office of constable and marshal and statutes and ordinances to be kept in time of war
f 13r - charge and commandment of Charles, Duke of Suffolk, for the repression of the rebellion in Lincolnshire, 21 Oct 1536
ff 14r-15r - the manner of wearing powdered ermine, with drawings of the width of ermine trim allowed to different degrees
ff 16r-19v - Barnard's Roll of Badges, 1475: a muster roll of the expedition of Edward IV to France in 1475, with blazons of the badges of the leaders, in the hand of Sir Thomas Wriothesley. Edited by F P Barnard, Oxford, 1925. [Listed in Wagner, Catalogue of English Medieval Roll of Arms, as the unique copy of this roll]
ff 27v-33r and 38r-45r - names of those mustered before the king, the prior of St John's, and Garter King of Arms (14 September, no year, but time of Henry VII), and muster returns of the Earl of Shrewsbury and others before the king (15 September, no year)
ff 33v-36r - account of the expedition of Edward IV against the Earls of Oxford and Warwick, and the Battle of Tewkesbury, 1471
ff 61r-63r - short heraldic treatise in French, concerning the rules governing the rights to arms
ff 63v-65r - short treatise on the duties of heralds and other military officers
f 65r - the properties of a man, each quality linked to an animal. In French
ff 66v-67r - account of the ceremonies at the publishing of the peace between Henry VIII and Francis I of France at Greenwich, 29 April 1526
ff 70v-73r - ordinances made by Richard II, John Duke of Lancaster, Steward of England, and other lords, earls, etc., at Durham, 17 July 1385 (ordinances to be kept in time of war). In French
ff 74v-76r - description giving specifications for the tents of the king and his household at the siege of Thérouanne and Tournai, 1513
ff 81r-81v - sizes of standards, banners, pennons and guidons
ff 82r-97r - the First Calais Roll, version I. 'Spurious' 16th century roll of arms based on accounts of Walter de Wetewang, a treasurer of the household, of wages paid to soldiers present before Calais in 1346 and 1347, with the arms of 87 bannerets tricked alongside their names. [Described by Wagner, Catalogue of English Medieval Rolls of Arms]
ff 97v-101r - documents concerned with preparations for Henry VIII's expedition against France in 1544, including warrants for issue of coloured cloth for liveries to officers of arms appointed to be attendant on the army; for conduct money for officers and their servants to Dover; for the conveyance of officers' baggage to Calais, 1544
ff 101v-103r - account of the proclamation by the kings of arms and heralds of the peace between the Kings of England and France, 13 June 1546
f 106r - petition of the officers of arms to the king to grant them a house in which to hold their chapters and keep the books and registers of the office, with rents for its support. Undated, but probably time of Henry VIII
f 114v - allowances for ambassadors, time of Edward III, and to Richard, Hereford Herald
ff 115v-117v - shortened version of the First Calais Roll
ff 121r-131r - group of documents mostly relating to the English wars in France, some of them time of Henry VI, all in French. Including commission to Thomas, Lord Scales, John Fastolf, and John de Montgomery, to conduct the campaign in Anjou and Maine, 25 August 1424
ff 142v-143r - proclamation declaring alliance with the Emperor and the King of Spain in enmity against the King of France and forbidding all Englishmen to serve the French king in battle, 20 April 1513
f 145r - wages of war for the officers of arms
ff 145v-147r - account of the Battle of Flodden Field, 9 Sept 1513, apparently the report of Thomas Hawley (d 1557 as Clarenceux), who as Rouge Croix carried the challenge to James IV
ff 148r-149v - account of the meeting between Kings Henry VIII of England and Francis I of France at Calais, undated but 1532
f 154r - petition by Esperance Pursuivant to the Earl of Northumberland for the payment of his wages, undated (after 1504?)
f 156r - memorandum that Francis I, King of France, sent 31 mules, each carrying 40'000 crowns, to the Emperor to ransom the Dauphin and the Duke of Orleans, undated (1529)
ff 158r-158v - copy of lines 1-40 of poem 'These Foure Thinges' by Sir Thomas More
M. 17 - Ceremonial, mostly Order of the Garter. Before 1534. In hand of Sir Thomas Wriothesley (d 1534 as Garter)
Mostly concerning the Feast of St George, and including accounts of the keeping of the Feast by Henry VIII. These are printed by John Anstis in Register of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, 1724, vol 2
Also includes, ff 53v-54r - account of the arrival of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon by water to Bridewell, 22 Oct 1528, and of the arrival of Thomas Wolsey, Legate of York, and Lorenzo de Campeggio, Bishop of Salisbury, at Blackfrairs Stair, with a reference to the creation on the Feast of All Saints of Thomas Bysley as York Herald, John Narbon as Bluemantle, Allen Dagnell as Guisnes and Richard Storke as Risebank Pursuivants
M. 18 - Medieval Heraldic Treatises. Late 15th or early 16th century copies
On 28 unnumbered folios - the Tractatus de armis of John de Bado Aureo, c 1395, in a French translation
On 10 unnumbered folios - the treatise De insigniis et armis of Bartolo di Sasso Ferrato, c 1354, in a French translation
Also includes a series of 5 challenges to tournaments, in French, c 1400, copied from part of a series also in College of Arms MS L. 6
M. 18bis - List of Knights. 17th-18th century
pp 1-92 blank. On pp 93-194, lists of knights made in the time of Elizabeth I - Charles I, including knights made by the Earl of Essex at Cadiz, 1596, and in Ireland, 1599. Also includes certificates of knighthood, and blazons of arms of baronets and Knights of the Bath in the time of Charles II
M. 19 - Medieval Heraldic Treatise, including Visitation of the Pays de Caux. Early 15th century
In French. A compilation of works, including some found in other manuscripts in the L and M Series, intended as a manual and book of precedents for the instruction of officers of arms. In the opinion of H Stanford London and Paul Adams-Even, probably compiled during the English occupation of Normandy, perhaps by a Norman employed as a herald under the English. Containing:
ff 1r-24r - heraldic Visitation of the Pays de Caux in Normandy
ff 25r-55v - French translation of the 'Book of the Order of Chivalry', a tract on the institution of knighthood by Ramón Lull, c 1280
ff 55v-59r - description of the coronation ceremonies of the kings of France
ff 59v-79v - tract on the government of princes, in verse and in prose
ff 79v-84v - treatise 'Cy apres ensuit la creation des offices et en especial lordre et office des heraulx et poursuivants et ce qui appartient a eulx a connoistre pour lestat de leurs offices'
ff 85r-87r - concerning modes of address to be used to persons of various degrees and dignities
ff 87r-130v - exposition of the rudiments of heraldry
ff 130v-132r - on crying largess, with specimen proclamations of the largess to be used before the Emperor and the King of England
ff 132r-140r - on the ceremonial of tournaments
ff 140v-143v - instruction in the ceremonial of occasions at which the heralds and pursuivants must know what it is their duty to do
ff 143v-151r - treatise beginning 'Comment on doit faire empereur'
ff 151r-153v - essay depicting the archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel as the first heralds
ff 153v-229v - roll of arms in blazon, beginning with the Pope, Prester John and the Emperor of Constantinople, but containing mainly the arms of French nobility
M. 19bis - European Arms in Blazon. 16th century
Arms of noble families of several countries but chiefly on France, arranged by countries and within France by pays or regions. In French blazon
ACCESS AND USE
Language/scripts of material: English French Latin
System of arrangement:
M. 4 bound with L. 18
M. 5b, M. 6bis, M. 14 and M. 18 bound together
M. 13bis and M. 16bis bound together
M. 15 bound with L. 10bis
M. 17 bound with L. 18
Conditions governing access:
By appointment with the archivist. A letter of introduction and an item of photographic ID are required and a daily research fee of £10 is payable.
Conditions governing reproduction:
Permission of the Chapter of College of Arms is required. A reproduction fee may be payable
Finding aids:
L Campbell and F Steer, A Catalogue of Manuscripts in the College of Arms: Collections, Volume 1 (London, 1988). The present listing on AIM25 is an abridged version of this more detailed published volume br/>See also A R Wagner, A Catalogue of English Medieval Rolls of Arms (Oxford, 1950) for rolls of arms in M. 1bis, M. 3, M. 9bis, M.10, M. 14bis, M. 16 and M. 16bis, and the other copies and versions of these which exist. See also his corrections to CEMRA, published in Aspilogia II, Harleian Society vols 113-114 (1967)
ARCHIVAL INFORMATION
Archival history:
Immediate source of acquisition:
Probably left to the College by Officers of Arms who created or collected them
ALLIED MATERIALS
Existence and location of copies:
Versions and copies of the The First Calais Roll in M. 1bis, L. 8a, M. 16bis, L. 12a, MS Vincent 92
M. 4 ff 25-27 version of treatise as in L. 10bis ff 8-15 and M. 19 ff 143v-151
M. 4 27v-28v, L. 6 ff 86-88, M. 16bis 63v-65 are copies of the same item; see also M. 19 ff 79v-84v
M. 4 ff 29-30, M. 16bis 3 folios bound in near the front, and L. 10 bis ff 24-26 are copies of the same item
M. 4 ff 35-37v and M. 16bis (6 unnumbered folios near the front) are copies or versions of the same item; L. 10bis ff 2-4v is a fragmentary English translation
M. 6bis ff 61-64 are excerpted from M. 8; another copy of the excerpt is in M. 14 ff 17-21
M. 6bis f 79 and College of Arms MS H. 12 ff 132v-133v are copies of the same item
M. 6bis ff 85r-86r and M. 14 ff 21v-22v are copies of the same item
Another copy of Thomas Gardiner's Flowers of England (M. 9bis ff 75r-84v) is in College of Arms MS D. 4, ff 182-201
M. 13bis ff 1r-11r, L. 12b ff 114r-121v and College of Arms MS W.B., ff 145-154 are copies of the same narrative
M. 13bis ff 27r-67r and College of Arms MS Vincent 25, ff 108r-142v are copies of the same narrative
M. 13bis ff 68r-74v, College of Arms MS I. 3, ff 14v onwards, and I. 11 ff 10r onwards, copies of the same item
M. 14 ff 42r-46v and L. 17 ff 170bis-175r are copies of the same item
M. 16bis ff 5v-10v, L. 8a ff 33v-38r are copies of the same item
M. 16bis f 39 and College of Arms MS Arundel 26 ff 56v-57r are copies of the same item
M. 16bis ff 121v-123r and College of Arms MS Arundel 26 ff 55r-56r are copies of the same item
M. 19 ff 25r-55v and L. 12c ff 35v-60r are copies of the same item
M. 19 ff 142r-143v a fuller version of L. 10bis ff 22v-24r
Publication note:
M. 1bis ff 84v-95 and M. 13bis ff 76-115v, edited in John Leland, Collectanea, ed T Hearne, 1774, vol 4
M. 1bis ff 117r-134r (the Agincourt Roll): Sir Nicholas Harris Nicolas printed the British Library MS Harleian 782 version of this roll in 1827 (History of the Battle of Agincourt part 2, pp 1-72) then collated it with the version in M. 1bis for his second edition printed in 1832
M. 3 ff 8v-14v - printed in W Black, Illustrations of ancient state and chivalry Roxburghe Club no 56, 1840, pp 27-40 and F H Cripps-Day, History of the Tournament in England and France, 1918, pp xliii-xlv
M. 6bis ff 31r-36r - printed in J Anstis, The Register of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, 1724, vol 2, pp 342-357
M. 7 pp 18-19 - printed in J Anstis, The Register of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, 1724, vol 2, pp 380-383
M. 8 ff 39r-41r - printed most recently in Herald and Genealogist vol 1, 1863, pp 252-254
M. 8 ff 86r-88v - printed most recently in L G Wickham Legge, English Coronation Records, Westminster, 1901, pp 193-197
Transcriptions of M. 13bis ff 27r-74v printed by F Grose,The Antiquarian Repertory vol 2, 1808, p 249 onwards, and Gordon Kipling, The Receyt of the Ladie Kateryne (Early English Text Society, 1990)
M. 16bis ff 5v-10v / L. 8a ff 33v-38r edited by Sir Travers Twiss in The Black Book of the Admiralty, Rolls Series no 55, vol 1, 1871, pp 281-295
M. 16bis ff 16r-19v - collotype reproduction and full transcript in F P Barnard, Edward IV's French expedition of 1475 the leaders and their badges being MS 2.M.16 College of Arms, Oxford, 1925
M. 16bis ff 33v-36r - text edited and discussed by Dr Richard Green in 'The Short Version of "The Arrival of Edward IV"', Speculum vol 56, 1981, pp 324-336
M. 16bis ff 70v-73r edited by Sir Travers Twiss in The Black Book of the Admiralty, Rolls Series no 55, vol 1, 1871, pp 453-458
DESCRIPTION NOTES
Archivist's note: The present listing on AIM25 is a (sometimes abridged) version, by Lynsey Darby, archivist, of the more detailed published volume by L Campbell and F Steer, A Catalogue of Manuscripts in the College of Arms: Collections, Volume 1 (London, 1988).
Date(s) of descriptions: 2 Feb 2015, from Catalogue published 1988