Cotton Roll XV 7

This manuscript may also be referred to as Cotton Charter XV 7. Order as Cotton Roll XV 7.

Contents: A genealogical chronicle with a commentary in Anglo-Norman, produced during the reign of Edward I (r. 1272-1307).

Face of the roll:

Membrane 1: A paragraph on the history of Britain from the arrival of Brutus to the death of St Alban in c. 300, beginning 'Devant la nativite Nostre Seignur Ihesu Crist M e CC anz Brutus le fiz Silvius', preceded by a drawing of Brutus conquering giants and followed by a drawing of the martyrdom of St Alban . The text is based on the short Brut chronicle or Livere des Reis de Britanie; a version of the same text is found on the dorse of another roll, Add MS 8101).

Membrane 2: A diagram of the Heptarchy followed by the commentary beginning, 'Par ceste figure desus l'em poet savoir'.

Membranes 3-8: A genealogical diagram of the kings of England from Egbert to the children of Henry III with commentary; a roundel with commentary on King Arthur has been added between Alfred and Edward the Elder.

Membrane 9: A continuation on an added membrane, with of a drawing of Edward I killing a potential assassin with a stool, followed by a commentary (including a poem in praise of Edward I) and a diagram from Edward I to the descendants of Edward II.

The dorse of the roll is blank (dorse abbreviated as d).

Decoration:

Three ink-drawings with colour wash, illustrating events in the chronicle, as described above. Roundels in colours, some with gold (in the continuation), containing ink drawings with colour wash of kings and their descendants; the kings are depicted with their attributes, each seated on a different style of throne, some with carved animal heads; the descendants are portrayed only as busts. A diagram of the Heptarchy with a green roundel containing fish to represent the sea around Britain. A puzzle initial at the beginning of the first paragraph of the commentary. Initials in red or blue with pen-flourishing in the other colour at the beginning of paragraphs. Highlighting in red. Paraphs in red or blue.

The artist also worked on miniatures in Windsor, Eton College MS 123, believed to have been copied and illustrated at Westminster, and on Oxford, Bodleian Library, Broxbourne MS 112.3, copied from this manuscript, according to Laborderie, 'Ligne des Reis' (2002), p. 1393.