Project Status: Complete

The Canterbury Roll is a 15th-century, hand-written genealogy that begins with Noah and traces the rulers of England from the mythical Brutus to King Edward IV. The genealogy is accompanied by an extensive commentary in Latin. The five-metre long manuscript roll was purchased by the University of Canterbury, Aotearoa New Zealand in 1918 from a local family of British descent. The key products of the first stage of the Canterbury Roll Project are a new digital transcription and translation, both of which have been mapped to a high quality digital facsimile of the Roll. The ongoing project is a partnership between UC History, the UC Arts Digital Lab, the UC internship programme, the Collaborative Research Centre 933 of Heidelberg University, and Nottingham Trent University (UK).

Resource details:

Resource Type: Digital Edition

License: Unknown

Modern Language: English

Medieval content details:

Dates: 1429 - 1433

The Roll originated in 15th-century England. It was created at the beginning of Henry VI's reign, between 1429 and 1433. It was subsequently modified by at least three separate hands during the Wars of the Roses.

Subject: CodicologyEarly English StudiesGenealogyHistoryManuscript Decoration/IlluminationManuscript StudiesPaleographyRoyalty, Monarchs

Type/Genre of Medieval Primary Source Material: Chronicles, AnnalsLiteratureManuscriptsMaterial EvidenceTextual Evidence

Geopolitical Region: British Isles and IrelandEnglandEurope

Original Language: Latin