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| 32d Roll of Arms | |
|---|---|
| Name | 32d Roll of Arms |
| Type | Roll of arms |
| Date | 13th century (circa) |
| Language | Anglo-Norman and Latin |
| Material | Parchment |
| Location | British Library (presumed) |
32d Roll of Arms The 32d Roll of Arms is a medieval armorial roll compiled in the 13th century that lists and depicts coats of arms of knights and nobility. It functions as a heraldic register used in the contexts of chivalric tournaments, feudal service, and diplomatic display associated with royal households and noble lineages. The roll connects to contemporaneous documents and institutions across England, France, and the Angevin realms.
The 32d Roll of Arms appears amid a corpus of armorials including the Dering Roll, the Cambridge Roll, the Cole Roll, the Segar's Roll, and the Walford's Roll. It is often compared with chronicles like the Anglo-Norman Chronicle, the Chronicle of Matthew Paris, and the Flores Historiarum for corroboration of knightly identities. Contemporary rulers and magnates referenced alongside entries include Henry III of England, Louis IX of France, Simon de Montfort, Philip II of France, and Richard of Cornwall. The roll’s circulation reflects networks involving houses such as House of Plantagenet, House of Capet, House of Lusignan, House of Montgomery, and House of Courtenay.
Compiled during a period shaped by events like the Barons' Wars, the Seventh Crusade, and the institutional growth of the College of Arms precursors, the roll emerged when heraldic practice was solidifying across Normandy, Anjou, Gascony, and Wales. The compilation process drew upon heralds associated with courts of Henry III of England, Louis IX of France, and nobles such as Earl of Salisbury and Earl of Chester. External influences include the administrative practices of the English Exchequer, the patronage of ecclesiastical centers like Canterbury Cathedral and Winchester Cathedral, and the scribal traditions of monastic scriptoria at St Albans Abbey and Ely Cathedral. Military engagements reflected include the Battle of Lewes, the Battle of Evesham, and skirmishes in Poitou and Guyenne.
The roll is organized as a sequence of painted escutcheons with captions naming knights, barons, bishops, and royal retainers, following conventions seen in the Roll of Caerlaverock and the Glover’s Roll. Entries often cite feudal ties to manors held in Essex, Sussex, Yorkshire, and Cornwall and reference tenure under magnates like William Marshal and Hugh de Lacy. The structure groups arms by region, homage affiliation, and tournament cohorts, mirroring registers used by royal chancery offices such as the Chancery of England and the administrative records of the Duchy of Normandy. Illustrative programs align with manuscript illumination styles found in works of the Master of the Bedford Hours and ateliers active in Paris and London.
Prominent blazons depicted correspond to figures tied to the Third Crusade legacy and Angevin politics: families such as de Clare, de Vere, FitzAlan, de Bohun, and de Montfort. Episcopal arms linked to Bishop of Winchester, Bishop of Durham, and Bishop of Ely appear alongside secular heraldry. Tournament lists name individuals who later feature in chronicles by Roger of Wendover, Matthew Paris, and Henry Knighton. Miniatures and pigments show affinities with illuminations in manuscripts commissioned by Eleanor of Aquitaine, Isabella of Angoulême, and patrons like Peter des Roches. The roll’s depiction of heraldic ordinaries and tinctures aligns with conventions codified later by heralds associated with the College of Arms and by treatises such as works attributed to Gerald of Wales and rubrication practices seen in royal charters of Edward I.
The roll contributes to the development of systematic heraldic description that informed the practices of heralds attached to tournaments, coronations, and embassies involving Edward I of England, Louis IX of France, and Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor. Its codification of familial devices influenced later armorial compilations like the Armorial Général precursors and regional heraldic collections kept at repositories such as the College of Arms, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and cathedral archives in York Minster. The roll served as a reference in disputes over precedence and summoning for service under lords like Simon de Montfort and during assemblies such as parliaments convened by Henry III of England.
Provenance traces suggest movement through private noble libraries, ecclesiastical collections, and royal chapels, with custodial links to families including de Clare, de Lanercost, and de Mortimer. The roll bears annotations in hands resembling scribes from houses like St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury and catalogers associated with the British Museum in the early modern period. Ownership marks and marginalia correlate with cataloguing practices of collectors such as Sir Robert Cotton, Henry Savile, and Humfrey Wanley. Confiscations and transfers during events like the Dissolution of the Monasteries and later acquisitions by national institutions mirror trajectories of manuscripts now in collections including the Bodleian Library and the British Library.
Recent scholarship situates the roll within interdisciplinary studies linking heraldry, genealogy, and medieval material culture. Editions and studies reference comparative analyses alongside the Dering Roll, the Harl. Misc. 2021 corpus, and catalogues of medieval armorials published by scholars at institutions like the Society of Antiquaries of London, the Institute of Historical Research, and university presses at Oxford University and Cambridge University. Contemporary projects employ multispectral imaging used by teams at the British Library and digital humanities initiatives funded by bodies such as the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Leverhulme Trust to produce critical editions and databases. Ongoing debates engage researchers from the Heraldry Society, medievalists affiliated with King's College London, and manuscript conservators at the V&A.