Dering Roll
Encyclopedia
The Dering Roll is the oldest English roll of arms
surviving in its original form. It was made between 1270 and 1280 and contains the coat of arms
of 324 knights, starting with two illegitimate children of King John. Sir Edward Dering acquired the roll during the 17th century and modified it to include a fictitious ancestor of his own. It was eventually purchased by the British Library
(as Add Roll 77720) following fund raising involving a number of other charities and individuals.
Glover's Roll, made in 1586, is a copy of a now lost roll dating from even earlier, from the reign of King Henry III
(1216–1272).
during the era of Edward I
. Emphasis was given to knights from Sussex
and Kent
, as it was produced in Dover
between 1270 and 1280 and the document was designed to list the knights who owed feudal service there. It depicts 324 coats of arms, beginning with Richard Fitz Roy
and William de Say, two of King John's illegitimate sons. The shields are arranged in 54 rows, with six shields on each line. Above each shield reads the knight's name, except in six cases where it has been omitted or removed. Stephen de Pencester
may have commissioned the roll during his time as Constable of Dover Castle.
Sir Edward Dering acquired it whilst lieutenant of Dover Castle
, and modified the roll after 1638, removing the coat of arms of Nicholas de Croill
and inserting his own coat of arms with a fictitious ancestor named Richard fitz Dering in order to prove the history of his own family.
During the 20th century it was acquired by Sir Anthony Wagner
. On 4 December 2007, the roll was sold at auction at Sotheby's
for the sum of £192,000 to a private individual who subsequently applied for an export licence. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport
placed a temporary block on the roll being moved overseas and the British Library
led efforts to purchase it, after the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art
confirmed it to be of sufficient importance and significance. The library raised £194,184 to acquire the roll; the Head of Medieval and Earlier Manuscripts, Claire Breay said of the purchase, "the acquisition of the Dering Roll provides an extremely rare chance to add a manuscript of enormous local and national significance." They were assisted in funding the purchase from The Art Fund (£40,000), the National Heritage Memorial Fund
(£100,000), Friends of the British Library
(£10,000), Friends of the National Libraries
(£10,000), and a number of individual benefactors. It is now on display at the Sir John Ritblat Gallery in the British Library, and available to researchers in the library's manuscripts reading room.
Roll of arms
A roll of arms is a collection of coats of arms, usually consisting of rows of painted pictures of shields, each shield accompanied by the name of the person bearing the arms...
surviving in its original form. It was made between 1270 and 1280 and contains the coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of 324 knights, starting with two illegitimate children of King John. Sir Edward Dering acquired the roll during the 17th century and modified it to include a fictitious ancestor of his own. It was eventually purchased by the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
(as Add Roll 77720) following fund raising involving a number of other charities and individuals.
Glover's Roll, made in 1586, is a copy of a now lost roll dating from even earlier, from the reign of King Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
(1216–1272).
Description
The Dering Roll depicts the coats of arms of around a quarter of the English baronageBaronage
The baronage is the collectively inclusive term denoting all members of the feudal nobility, as observed by the constitutional authority Edward Coke. It was replaced eventually by the term “peerage”-Origin:...
during the era of Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
. Emphasis was given to knights from Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
and Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, as it was produced in Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
between 1270 and 1280 and the document was designed to list the knights who owed feudal service there. It depicts 324 coats of arms, beginning with Richard Fitz Roy
Richard Fitz Roy
Richard FitzRoy was feudal Baron of Chilham, Kent, and the illegitimate son of King John of England. His mother, John's cousin, was Adela, a daughter of Hamelin de Warenne and Isabel de Warenne, 4th Countess of Surrey....
and William de Say, two of King John's illegitimate sons. The shields are arranged in 54 rows, with six shields on each line. Above each shield reads the knight's name, except in six cases where it has been omitted or removed. Stephen de Pencester
Stephen de Pencester
Stephen de Pencester was Warden of the Cinque Ports when the first authoritative list of Cinque Ports Confederation Members was produced in 1293....
may have commissioned the roll during his time as Constable of Dover Castle.
Sir Edward Dering acquired it whilst lieutenant of Dover Castle
Dover Castle
Dover Castle is a medieval castle in the town of the same name in the English county of Kent. It was founded in the 12th century and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history...
, and modified the roll after 1638, removing the coat of arms of Nicholas de Croill
Nicholas de Croill
Nicholas de Croill was Warden of the Cinque Ports during the 13th century.In 1263 the Constable of Dover Castle was Robert de Glastonia, who was instructed to assist Nicholas de Croill, Keeper of the Coast from 1260 by providing him a place at the Castle 'where he could be received on his return...
and inserting his own coat of arms with a fictitious ancestor named Richard fitz Dering in order to prove the history of his own family.
During the 20th century it was acquired by Sir Anthony Wagner
Anthony Wagner
Sir Anthony Richard Wagner, KCB, KCVO, FSA was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He served as Garter Principal King of Arms before retiring to the post of Clarenceux King of Arms...
. On 4 December 2007, the roll was sold at auction at Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
for the sum of £192,000 to a private individual who subsequently applied for an export licence. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, such as broadcasting and internet....
placed a temporary block on the roll being moved overseas and the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
led efforts to purchase it, after the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art
Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art
The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is a committee of the United Kingdom government, advising the Department of Culture, Media and Sport on the export of cultural property...
confirmed it to be of sufficient importance and significance. The library raised £194,184 to acquire the roll; the Head of Medieval and Earlier Manuscripts, Claire Breay said of the purchase, "the acquisition of the Dering Roll provides an extremely rare chance to add a manuscript of enormous local and national significance." They were assisted in funding the purchase from The Art Fund (£40,000), the National Heritage Memorial Fund
National Heritage Memorial Fund
The National Heritage Memorial Fund is a non-departmental public body set up under the National Heritage Act 1980 in memory of people who gave their lives for the United Kingdom....
(£100,000), Friends of the British Library
Friends of the British Library
The Friends of the British Library is a registered charitable organisation in the UK with close links to the British Library. It provides funding in the form of grants to the British Library in order to allow the Library to acquire new items and collections, procure new equipment and facilities,...
(£10,000), Friends of the National Libraries
Friends of the National Libraries
The Friends of the National Libraries is a British registered charity founded in 1931 that supports the British Library, the National Library of Scotland and the National Library of Wales and other libraries in the UK recognised as being of national importance....
(£10,000), and a number of individual benefactors. It is now on display at the Sir John Ritblat Gallery in the British Library, and available to researchers in the library's manuscripts reading room.