Harley MS 1416

Contents:

ff. 1r-59v: Anonymous, ‘The Progenie of the monarchs of the English men – Conteyning: The titles and reignes of them ; the coronations and parentage of them and their wyves : the names, armes, nativities, mariages, deceasses, burialles, and issue, of them, theire wyves, and theire children – 1595’. A history of the kings of England in two parts; the first part begins with the kings of the Heptarchy and ends with the reign of Harold II; the second part begins with the reign of William I and ends with the reign of Edward III. Each entry for a king, queen, prince and princess is accompanied by a coat of arms, many of which precede the age of heraldry and are later attributions. Among these is ‘Woden, whom the auncient latin wryters call othinus, is accoumpted the most noble and notable of all other the progenitours of the Saxon princes and kings, in so much as they, and especially the Engle Saxons, oure auncestours, have in theyre superstitious concepte imagened him to be theyre principall and avowrie God, and of him named one of the weeke dayes Wodensday, his wife was named ffry, a woman, of lyke imagenarie pietie sanctitie and Deitie of whom they lykwyse called another of the weekedayes by the name of ffryday’.

Decoration:

A title-page with a full border of 16 coats of arms in black ink (f. 1r); coats of arms drawn in black ink in columns, 3 or 4 per page, with colours on ff. 2r-7v. Rubrics in red throughout.