Yes FTM is great for basic descents and quite customizable with fonts, borders etc. For multiple and complex descents you would have make multiple trees in FTM and use editing software such as Adobe Photoshop to stitch them together and delete overlapping info. The problem is Photoshop is expensive and to know how to use all the features with layering, dpi sizing, and so forth. I am not aware of a complex tree maker that exists, if you find one let us know.

Yes FTM is great for basic descents and quite customizable with fonts, borders etc. For multiple and complex descents you would have make multiple trees in FTM and use editing software such as Adobe Photoshop to stitch them together and delete overlapping info. The problem is Photoshop is expensive and to know how to use all the features with layering, dpi sizing, and so forth. I am not aware of a complex tree maker that exists, if you find one leg is know.

On Saturday, 20 May 2017 15:16:19 UTC+1, Chris Hampson wrote: > Hello Peter, do the St George's and Charles' Rolls say anything about where the holder of the arms was from? I should also have mentioned the value of seals. Rolls may give the tinctures that are otherwise missing, but I much prefer seals. They are cast-iron evidence of the arms borne by the owner at that particular time, and most of the time they have the owner's name round the edge. Rolls can be, and quite often are, mistaken. And because seals are often still attached to documents, you get all the additional information there that genealogists are used to handling. It's just that there are so many different places to search for seals. Peter Howarth

I have used Family Tree Maker, which you can use for ascendancy and descendancy charts. I'm not sure what you mean by "multiple descents". With FTM you can show all of the descendants of a person for a selected number of generations. On Sunday, May 21, 2017 at 3:42:32 AM UTC+3, Jordan Vandenberg wrote: > Good day, > > I was wondering if anyone had experience creating large charts that show multiple descents from a person/couple in medieval times, and if so if they know of any decent software, or an app that is good for creating such a chart? > > Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. > Thanks, > Jordan Vandenberg.

Good day, I was wondering if anyone had experience creating large charts that show multiple descents from a person/couple in medieval times, and if so if they know of any decent software, or an app that is good for creating such a chart? Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, Jordan Vandenberg.

William Alliston b. 1480 was Yeoman to De Vere 13th Earl of Oxford and received payment in the 13th Earls will.

Following a DNA match with a Liston from Scotland with a TMRCA of between 600 and 900 years ago I am trying to find the links. The names I am researching are Liston, Alliston and Alston. This is a draft of what I have so far. Now looking for the missing links if anyone has any information. Alliston, Elliston and Alston are very much an East Anglian surname, Liston is more Scotland near Edinburgh What I have researched so far: Domesday Book: Alestan holds Stambourne not far from Castle Hedingham in 1086 it is held invasio ( against the wishes of the King ). This could mean t is Alestan that is holding it or Hamo the registered holder. Talbot holds Liston from Guernai 1163 Roger De Liston witnesses a charter by Richard Bishop of St Andrews 1185 Avicia De Liston daughter of Robert and widow of Godfrey the Chamberlain is confirmed her rights to make the wafers for the Kings coronation. She has a son, John of age. The serjeancy of making the Kings wafers is inherited along with the manor of Liston and stays in the Liston family until the late 1300's when it is sold to Richard Lyons who is killed at the manor in the peasant revolt 12 June 1381 Richard I Feet of Fines Geoffrey son Godfrey buys land at Stanfeld, Suffolk a couple of miles from Liston 1212 John De Liston held "per serjantariam faciendi canestellos" or "wafres" 1224 John son od Adam De Alliston sells land at Stansfeld Suffolk 1226 Godfrey De Liston is found holding by the service of making them "ad coronacionem domini Regis" but the Inq. p.m. on Godfre De Liston in 1267 returns him as holding the manor "by servce of making wafers when the King wears teh crown at the Kings cost" King S Sergeants and Officers Cb: Kings & Sergeants By J. Horace Round Godfrey also held lands in Witham by the serjeancy of carrying flour to make the wafers (the history and topography of Essex) 1250 Henry III Godfrey De Liston is ordered to buy six hundred Pike and let 100 of them be put into the Kings pond at Westminster to tock those ponds 1250's Godfrey de Liston, bailiff of Cookham, Berkshire, to Henry de Hengham: the lands of Henry de Henneye. 1255 Fine Roll C 60/53 Henry III 30 Oct. Westminster. Concerning wardships of the king’s castle of Windsor which have been committed. The king has committed to Godfrey de Liston’ custody of the wards, rents and and all other things belonging to the king’s castle of Windsor outside the body of the same castle for as long as it pleases the king so that he is to answer for the issues of the same at the Exchequer. Order to the same Godfrey to receive the custody of them, as aforesaid. 1256 Patent Roll May, Reading. Mandate to the justices next in eyre for please of the forest in the county of Berks, to reynold le Forester of teh forest of Windsor, and to Godfrey de Liston to cause the letter to be observed. 1267 Godfrey De Liston dies and his estate goes to his son Sir John De Liston Edward I The family of Alston is upon record so early as the reign of Edward I when ” William Allston, of Stisted, in Essex, for want of warranty of Brocks-croft, in Stisted, did grant and confirm to John de Carpenter, of Naylinghurst, so much of the better land in Stisted, except his mansion-house there. In the time of Edward III Hugh Alston bore for arms, * asure, ten stars, or, four, three, two, one ; ‘ which was long before coat armour was granted by patent.” John Alston, of Newton, in Suffolk, descended from the above-mentioned William, of Stisted, was father of William Alston, of Newton, who had by Ann his wife, daughter of Thomas Symons, a son and heir, Edward or Edmund Alston, of Saxham Hall, in Newton, who m. Elizabeth, daughter of John Cole-man, and had two sons, viz. Henry and Robert Alston are also mentioned in the Botule (?) Hundredorum as having land at Fulbourn Cambridgeshire.(Cresswel, 1898) 1296 John De Liston is ordered to do military service for the defence of the sea coast for holding lands in Essex. He is unfit for service https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=JKqJOnq9anQC&pg=PA710&lpg=PA710&dq=john+liston+The+Parliamentary+Writs+and+Writs+of+Military+Summons&source=bl&ots=4dNZznZ2os&sig=91CNEE1EHxKCJ1gDPhqPi6l8VrI&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi3i8PFrf_TAhUGBcAKHRs2ANEQ6AEIKjAA#v=onepage&q=john%20liston%20The%20Parliamentary%20Writs%20and%20Writs%20of%20Military%20Summons&f=false Edward II 25 William Alston of Ixnyng and Margaret his wife v. Henry Alston of Ixnyng in Ixnyng (Exning near Newmarket) a bit further away but still in the same area as Stansfeld and Cambridge. 1320 Hugo ( Hugh ) Alston flees to Scotland with Hamilton after Hamilton Kill Earl Spencer According to a seventeenth-century tradition the ancestor of the Scottish Alstons fled to Scotland from England during the reign of Edward II (1302-1327), as a retainer of Hamilton ( William De Hambleden ), who had killed Lord Spencer in a duel. Hamilton was pursued and to escape he disguised himself as a sawyer. Alston rode on with Hamilton's clothes and horses, acting as a decoy. This incident, according to the story, is the origin of the Hamilton crest: an oak tree being cut by a frame-saw. 1332 John De Liston dies and leaves Liston to his son John by his wife Maud. This John marries Elizabeth daughter of William Carbonell. 1332 Charter of Eleanor wife of John de Liston. ( http://www.medievalgenealogy.org.uk/families/strelley.shtml ) Eleanor's husband John de Liston died shortly before 17 October 1332, leaving a son and heir John, aged 22 [Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, vol. 7, no 451]. The younger John died in 1349, leaving a son John who had been born in 1337 [Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, vol. 9, no 349; vol. 10, no 392], who in turn died in 1359, leaving as heir his uncle William de Liston, aged 30 and more [Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, vol. 10, nos 473, 551]. In fact William must have been well over 30 years old, as his son and heir Thomas was born around 1341 [Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, vol. 12, no 151]. Other lands held by Sir William de Creye were later in the hands of the Liston family. The inquisition post mortem of Eleanor's husband John mentions a son of John and Eleanor named Thomas, presumably the same Thomas de Lystone who in 1346 was holding with others half a knight's fee in the hundred of Rokesley, Kent, formerly held by William de Crey [Archaeologia Cantiana, vol. 10, pp. 156, 157]. The inquisition also notes that John held lands in Ramsden Crays, Essex, as of the inheritance of Eleanor, and in 1330 a plea was pending between the king and Sir John de Liston concerning the advowson of Ramsden Crays [Calendar of Close Rolls, 1330-1333, p. 89]. Evidently this property, including the advowson, passed eventually to his son William [Calendar of Close Rolls, 1360-1364, pp. 527-8]. Eleanor's seal shows three shields of arms. At the top in the photograph above are the arms of Liston (vert ten bezants). At the bottom right are the arms of Sir William de Creye (gules a cross engrailed or, over all a bend azure), who bore the arms of Creye with a bend for difference [N. H. Nicolas, ed., A Roll of Arms, of the Reign of Edward the Second, p. 24 (1829)]. The arms at the bottom left appear to be those of the Trailly family (or a cross between four martlets gules). Comparison of the arrangement with that of similar seals and chronological considerations suggest that Eleanor's father may have been a Trailly, and her mother a daughter of Sir William de Creye. NOTE: The coat of arms of Ealeanor de Liston are very similar to those in use by the Alstons later. 1341 Alston in Oxford from this story (EDITED BY REV. H. E. SALTER, 1917) A woman named Alice fitz-Ralph obtained a writ from the king that she should receive her maintenance for life at the Hospital. Our information is derived from the Patent Roll of 15 Edward III, where we read that Alice on payment of twenty shillings obtained from the king that her complaint should be tried by a commission. She seems to have had difficulty in framing her complaint correctly, and it was first drawn up on May 1st, and amended on May 8th and July 3rd . Her statement was that Adam, master of the Hospital of St. John, Henry de Stodeleye, John le Peyntor, John Peggy, Richard Selwode, John Alston, John Norton, and others assaulted her in a suburb of Oxford, imprisoned her, afterwards veiled her face, brought her by night so veiled and imprisoned to a street there, threw her into a filthy place, took from her a writ under the privy seal addressed to the master of the Hospital that she should have her sustenance in the Hospital for life at the king's request, took her goods at Oxford and at Shaldeswell, and carried them away. We gather from this that she was a native of Shaldeswell (i. e. Shelswell), and as the residents of Oxford who took part in the assault are known to have been men of high position and the leading men of the town, we may guess that they represented public opinion and that the general feeling was that Alice was unfit to be admitted to the Hospital. We also notice that the writ she received was under the privy seal, which explains why the Close Rolls, of which there are calendars from 1270s for the next hundred years, give none of the writs which nominated women to be received in the Hospital. We do not know what was the result of the inquiry. 1342 John Coggeshale and Robert Bourchier both fought under Bohun in 1342/43 as did John and Thomas Liston. ( JohnHawkwood an English Mercenary in 14th century Intaly by William Caferro ) 1343 638. Mich. John de Wauton, 'chivaler,' and Elizabeth his wife and John their elder son, pi. by John de Depeden in place of Elizabeth ami by the same as guardian of John the son. Thomas de Preston, vicar of Reydon, John de Alston, ' clerk,' and Avice his wife, def. 19 acres of land in Great Perndon PI. and the heirs of John the son to hold of the chief lords. Cons. 20 marks. 1346 Battle of Crecy (John fighting under De Vere their Feudal Lord) 1349 John dies and is succeeded by his son. 1359 The son dies and is succeeded by his uncle William. 1367 Joan Widow of William De Liston was returned as making wafers for the Kings Coronation. 1367 Joan dies and her son Thomas inherits who sells the estate to Richard Lyons whose servant was Wat Tyler leads the peasants revolt, killing Richard Lyons. Henry IV Feet of Fines Thomas Alleston sells land at Cambridge to John Castre of London 1399 Hugo De lston is named in a charter ( Scotland) 1415 A Hugh Austyn or Allstyn (Essex) is recorded as being an Archer for Richard De Vere in the French Expedition which resulted in the battle of Agincourt. (Henley Business School, 2014) ( National Archives 101/46/36 ) Some Geneological sites list Hugh as being married to Elizabeth but give no reference. 1425 Hugo De Alston dies (Scotland) Dominus de Candor (Lord of Candor). Hugo's heir was his only daughter, Margaret, who married one of the Hamiltons of Cadzow. 1430 John Alston Born (Creswel 1898 ) c1440 Thomas Alston b about 1440 of Sudbury Will proved (Arch Sud) 1469 married Isabel 1469 The will mentions a brother William 1480 WILLIAM, yeoman c1480-1556 (will ERO 110 BW 10), wives 1) Margaret, was wife in 1511 and 1515, 2) Elizabeth, was wife in 1528, 3) Alys, was wife in 1556 Sons: 1) ROBERT (nothing else known), alive in 1528 (land records (ERO D/DMA M4-M57); could be the Robert living at Earls Colne in the 1550s (“fined for answering back the watch when told to put out his candle and go to bed”; wife fined for selling drink on the Sabbath). No indication of children. 2) William, linen draper, alive in 1528 (D/DMA M10), (will dated 1578), Joan was wife in 1538, bought Hopwell Farm, 1575, left to son Edward. 1) Elizabeth m. 1569 CH John Bedell, he died 1600 (will D/ABW 6/78) 2) Mathew the Elder, died 1625 (will PCC 45 Clarke), m. 1570, wife Anne Wighte 3) Joseph m Alice bu CH 1587, will 1586 (ERO 109 MW 2), only son Joseph bu 1589 4) John m. Joan Payne 1577 CH, was in Chelmsford 1586 (deed) I THINK THIS IS MY LINE but the 1578 births page in the parish records has been destroyed ( St Nicholas ) 5) Edward bap 1559 CH m. Agnes Purcas 1588 Great Yeldham (also called Anne), inherited Hopwell Farm in 1578, died 1620 (will ERO 31 MW 2), hers 1635 ERO 246 MW2. 3) GEORGE of St Botolph, Agnes was wife in 1540, died CH 1571 (will PROB11/53) , Mayor of Sudbury in 1564, Burgess from before 1554 to 1568 when he resigned to go to London. 4) LAWRENCE -of Colchester m. dau of John Jenkyn, may be buried CH 1578 Mentioned in the 15th Earl Of Oxfords Will as a Yeoman (THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES C 142/136/12 ) and in a document granting him a lifetimes use of Manors in Cornwall by the Earl. ( PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE WARD 8/13 ) A copy of several of the documents relating to the Alliston/Alstons and the De Veres can be seen at: http://www.oxford-shakespeare.com. 5) JOSEPH 6) JOHN (searcher of woollen cloth (Sudbury town book), clothier (Morant), mayor of Sudbury twice), m Margaret Fisher, step-dau of Richard Goulding, John died 1588 (will). 7) Gilbert m. Alice Randall, Acton 1558, he died 1613 Sudbury, Alice bur 1562 Acton, 2nd wife 1610. 8) Hyeue (Hugh) or Eyan, not mentioned in William’s Hedingham property deals, Sergeant of Sudbury 1568-72 (1568 paid fee for tennis court, Sudbury town book) In Scotland Taken from MEMOIRS OF MY ANCESTORS/ COLLECTION OF GENEALOGlCAl, MEMORANDA RESPECTING SEVERAL OLD SCOTTISH FAMILIES. WITH AN APPENDIX CONSISTING OF A GENEALOGY OF THE McCALL FAMILY. By HARDY BERTRAM McCALL 1884 The family of Liston has been one of distinction in the south east of Scotland from time immemorial. Tradition says that the progenitor was a Norman who came to this country with William the conqueror, and tirst settled in Essex, where the family anciently possessed lands, still designated ' Liston Manor.' Coming down to Scotland, at the time of one of the English invasions, and seeing the fertility of the Lothians, some of them are said to have settled there. The first of the surname which we have seen mentioned is one Roger de Listona, whose name appears as witness to a charter of Richard, Bishop of St. Andrew's (anno) 1165—78, and also to a charter of Hugh, Bishop of St. .Andrews, 117S — 8S. Reginald de Listona witnesses a charter of Earl David, brother to King William the Lion, 1189— 1214; and Robert de Liston, chaplain, was also witness to a charter of William, Bishop of St. .Andrews from 1202—1233 Thomas de Listoun, is mentioned in 1334 ; Symon de Lystone was a notary public 1410—13 ; William, of Hundby, was Serjeand of the Burgh of Edinburgh in 14S3, and John, Vicar of Glammis, was provost of St. Salvator's College 1488— 92, professor of Theology 1496, and envoy to Denmark in 1491. Thomas Liston was a doniinican monk at Perth in 1549, David a monk at New bottle in 1582. The family seems also to have been connected with Linlithgowshire from very early times. John de Listoun witnesses a deed at Linlithgow in 1440, anti the names of places in this county, such as ' Listonshiels,' ' Kirkliston," and ' Overnewliston,' seem to imply that the Listons have in times past been large landowners in that district. The immediate ancestor of the funily in question is WILLIAM LISTON, who held the lands of Overnewliston in Linlithgowshire in the days of Oueen Mary. He had three sons, viz. (i.) Patrick his heir: (ii.) Walter of Muirend, who had three sons, Patrick, Walter, and john ; and (iii.) William, minister of the Gospel, fled to Ireland in troublous times and died, leaving a son William (Possibly Kenneths Ancestor).

On Friday, May 19, 2017 at 11:14:41 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote: > Every single one says "and more". I'm considering that to be the only accurate part. The numbers can't all be right, as they're all different. While "aged 30 years and more" could be aged 30 to 39 and "aged 50 and more" could be aged 50 to 59 you would expect the "aged 24 years and more" to mean he was aged 24. The most likely explanation for the difference the "aged 24 years and more" and "aged 30 years and more" IPMs is that the jurors who certified him as "aged 30 years and more" did not know his true age, but knowing that he was an adult of age to inherit recorded a date which would not be challenged. The most likely conclusion taking these three IPMs together is that he was exactly 24 years old in 1376.

On Saturday, 20 May 2017 15:16:19 UTC+1, Chris Hampson wrote: > Hello Peter, do the St George's and Charles' Rolls say anything about where the holder of the arms was from? Only rarely do any of the rolls ever say where the person is from; just occasionally a roll may distinguish one branch of a family from another. St George's and Charles' Rolls never do. Peter Howarth

On 20/05/2017 7:53 AM, taf wrote: > On Friday, May 19, 2017 at 2:31:29 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote: >> Dear John, normally I would agree with you about conjecturing, however the >> Despsner pedigree has been so difficult for everyone who have tried to pin >> it down, even in 2003/2004 John Ravilous even coined this pedigree as the >> "Holy Grail of Genealogy" for good reason. It's difficult, and tantalizing >> little info or records to go on, yet they rose to prominance. This genealogy >> requires a different approach and if I have to post conjectured lines which >> to me make perfect sense then that's what I will, in the hope someone sees >> something that stikes a memory or connection to advance this pedigree. > Over-the-top rhetoric aside, there is nothing special about this line, and no requirement for a different approach. Conjecture is part of the standard approach, but it should not be made on a whim and it should be clearly and explicitly marked and explained as such (and I mean the specific connections, not just a label at the top calling the whole tree conjectural without indicating what is and what isn't). Such conjectures tend to take on a life of their own, even when well marked, so one should exercise extreme care in presenting them, and absolutely should make it abundantly what is deduction and what is speculation and what is outright guesswork. > Well said - there is no value at all in genealogical conjecture that isn't backed up by reasoning from evidence. As for the over-the-top rhetoric about the "Holy Grail", this is another example of a blinkered British-first-and-foremost approach to medieval genealogy. In terms of the depth and breadth of interest, or consequence, the Despencer pedigree isn't even remotely close to DFA (and as someone who doesn't pursue either of these, or the lurid concept of a "Holy Grail" of research in the first place, I am not insisting on any relative-favourite topic). Peter Stewart

Hello Peter, do the St George's and Charles' Rolls say anything about where the holder of the arms was from?

Thanks to both of you.

Ah, I think this must then be a different error, it should be "John son and heir of John". Thanks.

On Friday, 19 May 2017 22:31:29 UTC+1, [email protected] wrote: > Dear John, normally I would agree with you about conjecturing, however the Despsner pedigree has been so difficult for everyone who have tried to pin it down, even in 2003/2004 John Ravilous even coined this pedigree as the "Holy Grail of Genealogy" for good reason. It's difficult, and tantalizing little info or records to go on, yet they rose to prominance. This genealogy requires a different approach and if I have to post conjectured lines which to me make perfect sense then that's what I will, in the hope someone sees something that stikes a memory or connection to advance this pedigree. > > By the way, you say only two sons have been identified Geoffrey and ivo, that is not an accurate statement. William is named with Ivo in the charters of Cecily , Lady of Skipton. Ivo was the Constable of the Skipton fee and sometime Constable of the Castle of Coventry. > > John, you mentioned that two nephew's of Ivo de Alspath have been identified, perhaps suggestiing that Anschetil Dispenser had an otherwise unknown dau. > I'm just wondering if you have ever shared this information before this post? > > Thank you > Robert Dear Robert, Your suggestion that John Ravilious called the Despenser pedigree "the Holy Grail of Genealogy," seems a bit far fetched unless he was joking. Do you have a link for this, as I can't find anything in the archives. In my post of June 2014, I gave the bare bones of the Despenser pedigree - have I discovered the Holy Grail? - how exciting. http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/gen-medieval/2014-06/1402347309 I said that Ivo de Alspath had two nephews who witnessed his charter to Coventry and may have had a sister. Of course they could be sons of a sister, or two sisters, or a brother, or two brothers, or his wife's brothers or sisters, or even his grandsons as the word "nepos" was sometimes used for grandsons. I have no great interest in finding out - maybe you could do some research. He certainly had a daughter, because his grandson James le Bret confirmed his gift to Coventry. https://books.google.com/books?id=r71LN35ZEG4C&pg=PA194 Can you give a source for your claim that Ivo had a brother called William? Regards, John

Fourteenth century rolls of arms with their sigla, dates and sources K Caerlaverock Poem 1300 edited by Gerard J. Brault, Aspilogia III: Rolls of Arms Edward I, 2 v., London: Society of Antiquaries, Boydell Press, 1997 An anonymous French poem giving the names and blazons of 106 knights present at the siege of Caerlaverock, 15 July 1300. GA Galloway Roll 1300 edited by Gerard J. Brault, Aspilogia III: Rolls of Arms Edward I, 2 v., London: Society of Antiquaries, Boydell Press, 1997 A sixteenth-century copy, often garbled, of a lost roll of 261 names and blazons of some of the knights present at the Battle of Galloway, which probably took place on 8 Aug 1300. Several entries begin ‘Sir ...’ but go no further. Brault includes them and numbers them, but other editions, including that used by the DBA, omit them entirely. V Vermandois Roll c1300 transcribed by Brian Timms, Armorial du Hérault Vermandois, http://www.briantimms.fr/Rolls/vermandois/0veintroduction.html A lost roll in the Picardy dialect of names and blazons of 1076 coats of arms arranged in marches covering France and spilling over into parts of the Low Countries, Germany and Spain. Picardy was a region popular for the holding of tournaments. SP Smallpece’s Roll 1298-1306 edited by Gerard J. Brault, Aspilogia III: Rolls of Arms Edward I, 2 v., London: Society of Antiquaries, Boydell Press, 1997 A lost roll of 168 painted shields. ST Stirling Roll 1304 edited by Gerard J. Brault, Aspilogia III: Rolls of Arms Edward I, 2 v., London: Society of Antiquaries, Boydell Press, 1997 A lost roll of the names and blazons of 102 knights in the vanguard of an English force involved in the siege of Stirling castle 1304. It may originally have been part of the same manuscript as the Galloway Roll. M Nativity Roll 1307-8 edited by Gerard J. Brault, Aspilogia III: Rolls of Arms Edward I, 2 v., London: Society of Antiquaries, Boydell Press, 1997 A lost roll of names and blazons of 79 knights present at some unknown occasion held on the Monday before the Nativity of Our Lady (8 Sep). FF Fife Roll temp. Edw I edited by Gerard J. Brault, Aspilogia III: Rolls of Arms Edward I, 2 v., London: Society of Antiquaries, Boydell Press, 1997 The only copy of this compilation, made towards the end of Edward I’s reign, is in poor condition and several of the 32 painted shields are not clear. The roll is unusual in giving prominence to Scottish earls, with only one English earl listed. WNR Sir William Le Neve’s Roll temp. Edw I edited by Gerard J. Brault, Aspilogia III: Rolls of Arms Edward I, 2 v., London: Society of Antiquaries, Boydell Press, 1997 A lost roll of 167 painted shields without Christian names, making it difficult to date. L First Dunstable Roll 1309 transcribed by C. E. Long, ‘Tournament at Stepney, 2 Edw. II’, Collectanea, Topographica et Genealogica, iv. (1887) 61-72 Transcription, with introduction, of an 18th-century copy with painted shields of a lost roll, probably in trick, of 235 knights who took part in a tournament held, despite C. E. Long’s early misgivings, at Dunstable in 1309. Most of the names are arranged in retinues under the five earls who opposed Gaveston and the king, with some extra names at the end. An additional 14 shields, found in College of Arms MS. 2nd. G3, are given in the Appendix to A. Tomkinson, ‘Retinues at the Tournament of Dunstable, 1309.’ N Parliamentary Roll c1312 transcribed by Nicholas Harris Nicolas, A Roll of Arms of Peers and Knights in the Reign of Edward the Second, London: William Pickering, 1828 Transcription, with introduction, index and ordinary, of an original roll with 1,110 names and blazons, beginning with earls and knights banneret, then knights bachelor arranged by county, followed by a list of additional names. This is the nearest we have to an official armoury and the entries under counties can make them easier to identify. An excellent resource. O Boroughbridge Roll alais Newcastle Armorial 1319 edited by Steen Clemmensen, The Newcastle Armorial: formerly known as the Boroughbridge roll of arms, http://www.armorial.dk/english/Newcastle.pdf, 2016 An original list (which is missing the head of the membrane) of 214 names and blazons of knights, originally thought to have fought at the Battle of Boroughbridge 16 Mar 1322, but who much more probably attended an informal tournament at Newcastle during the Berwick campaign of 1319 (see B Wells-Furby, ‘The ‘Boroughbridge roll of arms’ reconsidered’). HA Harleian Roll temp. Edw II transcribed by James Greenstreet, The Genealogist, n.s., iii. (1886): pp 37-41, 118-121 An original vellum book containing various different matters and decorated along the top margin with 191 painted shields, most with names, although many shields have been cut away or damaged by fire. PV Povey’s Roll temp. Edw II transcribed by Steen Clemmensen, Ordinary of Medieval Armorials, CD-ROM, rev. edn., Copenhagen: http://www.armorial.dk/, 2013 82 painted arms apparently from an original roll on vellum cut up into pieces of 2-3 items and mounted on pages; poor execution; about half the pages have full names, the rest surnames only CK Cooke’s Book temp. Edw II edited by C R Humphery-Smith, Anglo-Norman Armory Two, Canterbury : Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies, 1984, as part of his ordinary A lost roll of 89 painted arms, beginning with kings, then lords (including some French) and finally knights and gentlemen (most with no names). CA Carlisle Roll 1334 transcribed by O. Barron and S. M. Collins per Dictionary of British Arms A lost list of earls, bannerets and knights, with names and blazons, present in the vanguard of Edward III's army at Carlisle on 12 Jul 1334, now only available in a 15th-c. copy with painted shields added by someone who had little understanding of heraldry. The last section (241-275) lists German knights in the service of William V, C of Juliers (Jülich) and E of Cambridge. SD Second Dunstable Roll 1334 transcribed by C. E. Long, ‘Roll of the Arms of the Knights at the Tournament at Dunstable, in 7 Edw. III’, Collectanea, Topographica et Genealogica, iv. (1887) 389-395 Transcription, with introduction, of a lost roll of 135 names and blazons of knights present at a tournament in Dunstable in 1334. AS Ashmolean Roll c1334 edited by Steen Clemmensen (2004), Ordinary of Medieval Armorials, CD-ROM, rev. edn., Copenhagen: http://www.armorial.dk/, 2013 Although treated as an original roll by Wagner and by Clemmensen, the earliest copy dates from the late 14th/early 15th century and has had 24 extra entries added in a 16th-century hand. The original contains 489 arms in blazon, beginning with sovereigns, then earls, and finally lords and knights. The final section is very nearly an ordinary. The roll forms a group of similar arms with Cooke’s Ordinary and Cotgrave’s Ordinary. CKO Cooke’s Ordinary c1340 edited by Steen Clemmensen (2005), Ordinary of Medieval Armorials, CD-ROM, rev. edn., Copenhagen: http://www.armorial.dk/, 2013 An original roll of 646 painted shields, possibly the first ordinary ever to be compiled, with all the crosses together first, followed by lions, then eagles, and then the other charges in turn. Content appears to be based on the Ashmolean Roll. CG Cotgrave’s Ordinary c1340 transcribed by Sir Nicholas Harris Nicolas, Rolls of Arms of the Reigns of Henry III, and Edward III, 1829; reprinted on demand Charleston: BiblioLife, [2008] Transcription, with introduction and indexes, of a lost roll of 556 blazoned arms with 219 illustrative shields, largely similar in content and arrangement to Cooke’s Ordinary. Denholm-Young (Country Gentry pp 98-99) thought that this may well be the earlier of the two since it does not have so many entries. The sixteenth-century copy of the roll omits many Christian names and corrupts quite a few surnames. P Grimaldi’s Roll c1350 transcribed by Stacey Grimaldi, ‘Copy of a Roll of Arms (of the reign of Edw. III.) in the possession of Stacey Grimaldi, Esq. F.S.A.’, Collectanea Topographica et Genealogica, ii. (1835) pp 320-8 Transcription of an early 15th-c. copy of a lost original, with 167 painted shields with names and blazons. It begins with kings, princes and foreign dukes; then there are 85 arms taken for the most part from a source compiled around 1240-42, also used by Glover’s Roll B I (v. supra); at the end there are some 14th-c. English arms. PO Powell’s Roll c1350 transcribed by James Greenstreet, ‘The Powell Roll of Arms (temp Edward III)’, The Reliquary, n.s., vol. iii (1889) pp 145-152, 231-240, vol. iv (1890) pp 93-97 Transcription, with introduction, of an original roll held in the Bodleian of 45 painted banners (earls and bannerets) and 627 painted shields (knights) similar in content to the Antiquaries’ Roll. Many entries have Elizabethan and modern amendments. Greenstreet numbers the banners and shields separately; I have followed Clemmensen and the DBA in numbering them consecutively. CV Sir George Calveley's Book c1350-1450 transcribed by Rev Bernard R. K. Moillet (†1956) for Dictionary of British Arms Lost vellum book, owned in 1580 by Sir George Calveley, with 876 shields in five sections: I Becket’s Murderers’ Roll, 320 painted shields beginning with those attributed Becket’s murderers, mostly from mid 14th c., but some from 13th c. and perhaps 15th c.; II Lancashire Roll, 116 shields of Lancashire nobility and gentry apparently temp. Henry IV but many from Edward III’s reign; III Cheshire Roll, 220 shields of Cheshire nobility, gentry and religious houses, apparently from mid 15th c.; IV Kent Roll, 100 shields of Kentish arms from 13th and 14th centuries; V [Untitled] 20 miscellaneous shields mainly from 14th c. AN Antiquaries’ Roll c1360 transcribed anonymously for Dictionary of British Arms A single manuscript, Society of Antiquaries MS 136, Pt I, an original collection of 352 painted arms, beginning with dukes and earls and followed by knights. WJ William Jenyns’ Ordinary c1360-80 edited by Steen Clemmensen, William Jenyns’ Ordinary: An ordinary of arms collated during the reign of Edward III, CD-ROM, rev. edn., Copenhagen: http://www.armorial.dk/english/WJO_PreEd.pdf, 2008 An ordinary of 1611 painted banners and shields, first collated c1360 but with additions c1380, available in two later copies, one by William Jenyns, Lancaster Herald 1516-1527, and the other a Hatton-Dugdale facsimile. NAV Navarre Roll c1368-75 edited by Steen Clemmensen, based on de Boos and Popoff, Armorial du heraut Navarre in Ordinary of Medieval Armorials, CD-ROM, rev. edn., Copenhagen: http://www.armorial.dk/, 2013 lost original compiled by Martin Carbonnel, Navarre king of arms to Charles le Mauvais, C of Evreux and K of Navarre; knights banneret and bachelor, 1249 French in 8 provinces, 64 English, and a few from the Low Countries. R Styward’s Roll temp Edw III revised by Steen Clemmensen (2004), Ordinary of Medieval Armorials, CD-ROM, rev. edn., Copenhagen: http://www.armorial.dk/, 2013, from James Greenstreet, Notes & Queries, 5th series, iv. (1875) pp 324-325, 383-384 Also called Second Calais Roll or Sir Symond d’Ewes’ Roll. A lost roll of 135 painted shields. CY County Roll temp Ric II edited by Steen Clemmensen (2007), Ordinary of Medieval Armorials, CD-ROM, rev. edn., Copenhagen: http://www.armorial.dk/, 2013 A Hatton-Dugdale facsimile of a lost book of 700 shields, 504 painted, 20 in trick and 176 blank, arranged in counties, 1-184 Ches, 185-268 Lancs, 269-312 Derbys, 313-376 Salop, 377-440 Staffs, 441-504 Norfolk, 505-536 Suffolk, 537-568 Essex, 569-632 Kent, 633-696 Sussex. Ur Urfé Roll c1381 [English section only] edited by Steen Clemmensen, Armorial Urfé, http://www.armorial.dk/english/Urfe-en.pdf, 2007 A lost French roll containing in total 2855 coats of arms in blazon, of which a section of 269 items, numbered 128-396, are English and were almost certainly based on an English roll, possibly one also used as a source by William Jenyns’ Ordinary. The entries begin with royal and comital arms, some of which are retrospective, and then continue with the arms of contemporary gentry, particularly from the north and north-east. S Willement’s Roll c1395 edited by Steen Clemmensen, Willement’s roll of arms: An armorial of nobles and gentry living in the reign of Richard II, Copenhagen: http://www.armorial.dk/english/WIL_PreEd.pdf, 2008 A lost roll of 601 painted shields, the first 25 being those attributed to the founder members of the Order of the Garter, followed by earls, heads of baronial families (with Christian names omitted), and then a list of other knights. BG Basynge’s Roll c1395 edited by Steen Clemmensen, Ordinary of Medieval Armorials, CD-ROM, rev. edn., Copenhagen: http://www.armorial.dk/, 2013 An original ordinary of 407 crudely painted shields, based on Willement’s Roll, but with many mistakes. Peter Howarth

Thirteenth-century rolls of arms with their sigla, dates and sources 'Aspilogia II', including MP, B, C, and Additions and Corrections to Wagner's 'Catalogue of English Medieval Armorials', available as pdf from Archive CD Books http://www.archivecdbooks.org/ MP Matthew Paris Shields, various manuscripts dated between c1244 and c1259 edited by T. D. Tremlett, ‘Matthew Paris Shields’ in Aspilogia II: Rolls of Arms Henry III, ed. Sir Anthony Wagner, London: The Harleian Society, 1967 Matthew Paris was a monk who wrote chronicles of events in the world around him and who decorated the margins of his manuscripts with shields representing those people he was writing about. He worked at St Alban’s Abbey, a popular place for the King’s court to stay whenever it travelled north from London. He was therefore able to collect information both directly and from his contacts amongst the court administrators. In general, his information was good. But there are occasions where he did not know an individual’s coat of arms and was therefore reduced to making something up in order to complete his marginal decorations. B Glover’s Roll c1253-8 edited by Hugh Stanford London, ‘Glover’s and Walford’s Rolls’ in Aspilogia II: Rolls of Arms Henry III, ed. Sir Anthony Wagner, London: The Harleian Society, 1967 A lost roll in blazon only, later copies of which now exist in four versions: B I Cooke’s version (c1253), with 214 entries, includes B I(a), a copy of the text with tricks added, and B I(b), which only has tricks; B II Harvy’s version (c1310) and B III St George’s version (c1258) provide 9 additional names (Gerard J. Brault, Eight Thirteenth-Century Rolls of Arms pp 31-37 transcribes both MSS for B III); B IV Grimaldi's version (c1350) is part of Grimaldi’s Roll (v. infra). B I and B IV include material copied from an earlier collection dated c1240-42. BA Bigot Roll 1254 transcribed by Gerard J. Brault,, University Park and London: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1973 A lost roll from France of names and blazons in the Picardy dialect of 295 knights from both sides who were involved in a campaign in Hainault by Charles, Count of Anjou, against John of Avesnes. WN Wijnbergen Roll 1265-70 and 1270-85 transcribed by Paul Adam-Even and Léon Jéquier, ‘Un armorial français du XIIIe siècle: l’armorial Wijnbergen’, Archives héraldique suisses, 65 (1951): 49-62, 101-10; 66 (1952): 28-36, 64-68, 103-11; 68 (1954): 55-80, per Brian Timms, Early Rolls of Arms. An original French roll of 1,302 painted shields, in two parts, 256 from the Île de France, and 1,056 from other regions of France, from Germany and from the Low Countries. C Walford’s Roll c1275 edited by Hugh Stanford London, ‘Glover’s and Walford’s Rolls’ in Aspilogia II: Rolls of Arms Henry III, ed. Sir Anthony Wagner, London: The Harleian Society, 1967 (all three texts transcribed by Gerard J. Brault, Eight Thirteenth-Century Rolls of Arms) A lost roll, now in three different versions, with 185 names and blazons, many of them foreign. London died eight years before Aspilogia II went to press and was therefore unable to correct the inaccuracies that appear in his transcription. Brault’s transcriptions therefore make a useful control. The original compiler was quite often careless either about the Christian name or about omitting any difference used by a younger son. Not very reliable. HE Heralds’ Roll c1279 edited by Gerard J. Brault, Aspilogia III: Rolls of Arms Edward I, 2 v., London: Society of Antiquaries, Boydell Press, 1997 A lost roll of 697 painted shields, now found in four versions from twelve manuscripts: I Heralds’ Version, a 13th-c. fragment; II FitzWilliam Version, probably the most reliable, in four later copies, one of which is illustrated in its entirety (b/w) in Humphery-Smith, Anglo-Norman Armory; III Earl of Bedford’s Version, the least reliable version, in four late copies; IV Everard Green’s Version, a single 16th-c. copy. The roll contains many errors, especially amongst the foreign coats at the end, but it was of sufficient value to be used as a source by both Dering and Camden Rolls. A Dering Roll c1280 edited by Gerard J. Brault, Aspilogia III: Rolls of Arms Edward I, 2 v., London: Society of Antiquaries, Boydell Press, 1997 The earliest English roll where the original is still extant, containing 324 painted shields, many of them from Kent and Sussex. Much of it was copied from the Heralds’ Roll, including its mistakes. Denholm-Young, History and Heraldry ch. IV, has suggested that this roll was produced as a castle-guard roll for Stephen of Penchester, constable of Dover 1268-99. D Camden Roll c1280 edited by Gerard J. Brault, Aspilogia III: Rolls of Arms Edward I, 2 v., London: Society of Antiquaries, Boydell Press, 1997 Contemporary roll with 270 painted shields on the front and blazons on the back, both probably done at around the same time. This compiler also copied from the Heralds’ Roll, but appears to have been more knowledgeable than the painter of the Dering Roll. E St George’s Roll c1285 edited by Gerard J. Brault, Aspilogia III: Rolls of Arms Edward I, 2 v., London: Society of Antiquaries, Boydell Press, 1997 A lost roll of 677 painted shields, with a good number from the Welsh Marches, which suggests that it may have been compiled in that area. It has many arms (350) in common with Charles’ Roll. F Charles’ Roll c1285 edited by Gerard J. Brault, Aspilogia III: Rolls of Arms Edward I, 2 v., London: Society of Antiquaries, Boydell Press, 1997 A lost roll of 486 painted shields, many of them the same as St George’s Roll. There are also copies of a second version (FII) which omits many items in the first roll but includes 97 additional coats. G Segar’s Roll c1285 edited by Gerard J. Brault, Aspilogia III: Rolls of Arms Edward I, 2 v., London: Society of Antiquaries, Boydell Press, 1997 A lost roll of 212 painted shields, beginning with kings, many of them mythical, then earls, including some arms no longer in use, then knights. LM Lord Marshal’s Roll c1295 edited by Gerard J. Brault, Aspilogia III: Rolls of Arms Edward I, 2 v., London: Society of Antiquaries, Boydell Press, 1997 The only copy of this lost roll of 588 painted shields is unfortunately defective, with blank shields, wrong colours (argent is very often used instead of or, azure and vair), and omitted charges. The paintings in the copy are therefore very unreliable. But the list of names has proved useful in researching knights involved in Edward I’s army (see D Simpkin, The English Aristocracy at War (2008) pp 21-28). Q Collins’ Roll c1296 edited by Gerard J. Brault, Aspilogia III: Rolls of Arms Edward I, 2 v., London: Society of Antiquaries, Boydell Press, 1997 A lost roll of 598 painted shields quite possibly compiled at the ‘Parliament’ of Berwick, Aug-Sep 1296. Several of the entries differ from those in other rolls. Some of the copies include names and shields which appear to have been inserted later, probably around 1440. These additions (QII) are not included in Brault’s edition, but can be found in C Humphery-Smith, Anglo-Norman Armory Two. ChP Chifflet-Prinet Roll 1297 transcribed by Gerard J. Brault, Eight Thirteenth-Century Rolls of Arms in French and Anglo-Norman Blazon, University Park and London: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1973 A 17th-c. copy with 147 painted shields, forming a substantial part of the larger Rôle d'armes de l'ost de Flandre, a lost roll of those who took part in Charles de Valois’s campaign in 1297 against the count of Flanders. H Falkirk Roll 1298 edited by Gerard J. Brault, Aspilogia III: Rolls of Arms Edward I, 2 v., London: Society of Antiquaries, Boydell Press, 1997 A lost list of 115 names and blazons of the earls and knights banneret acting at the Battle of Falkirk, 22 July 1298, set out under the four divisions used by Edward I at the battle. J Guillim’s Roll 1295-1305 edited by Gerard J. Brault, Aspilogia III: Rolls of Arms Edward I, 2 v., London: Society of Antiquaries, Boydell Press, 1997 A lost roll of 148 painted shields now in six copies (all in trick except for Jc, a Hatton Dugdale facsimile) in four versions, I. Guillim’s Version (Ja, Jb); II. Le Neve’s Version (Jc); III. Bodleian Version (Jd, Je); and IV. Holland’s Version (Jf). The roll starts with the king and his son, then earls, and then knights. Peter Howarth

Background to rolls of arms We are fortunate that in England we still have well over a hundred different mediaeval rolls of arms, more than in any other country, and their value has been greatly increased by the work of Sir Anthony Wagner, firstly in his catalogue of all the different versions still extant of each roll, and secondly in his encouragement of modern critical editions of the rolls. These have so far covered the rolls from the reigns of Henry III and Edward I, i.e. much of the golden age of English heraldry. However, since Sir Anthony’s death, the study of mediaeval heraldry seems to have lost all momentum in England, although at long last the Dictionary of British Arms is now complete. Fortunately, Steen Clemmensen of Copenhagen has been carrying out an enormous amount of very valuable work on a wide range of rolls, both English and Continental. As a result, we now have access to the rolls of Edward II, Edward III, Richard II and even beyond. It should be remembered that the rolls were privately owned, and they never constituted official records. We must therefore be prepared for errors. We know very little about those who compiled them, although we can see that they often copied information from each other. Brault (Early Blazon p 5) points out that many of the charges, and the terms used for them, are derived from ‘the clichés of earlier artists and craftsmen’. By using these terms the compilers soon had a sophisticated system of blazon, used on both sides of the Channel, even by the time of the earliest rolls. However, these early rolls were only intended for the simple identification of knights actually seen at tournaments or on campaign. An approximation was often sufficient for this, and the information in the rolls is therefore not always as detailed as we might wish it to be. And whilst the compilers, with their background knowledge, may have found the names easy to recognise, we cannot always be certain which individuals are meant. Some rolls are of those who were present on a single occasion, at a particular muster or tournament, and some rolls are more general collections made over a period of time. Some consist of rows of coloured shields with captions, and some are just names with written blazons. A few rolls have survived in their original version, or at least a contemporary copy, but most exist only as copies made centuries later. Rolls of arms changed character over time. In the thirteenth century, they referred to specific individuals, suggesting that the rolls acted as aides memoires for recognising knights at tournaments, or on campaign (when quite often tournaments provided practice and entertainment between the comparatively rare pitched battles). During the fourteenth century it became more common for rolls to refer to 'le Sr de Berkeley' with perhaps an additional entry, differenced, for 'Monsr James Berkeley'. By this time, arms had become associated with land, so that when in 1337 Hugh de Audley was awarded the Clare earldom of Gloucester together with Clare lands he changed his fretty arms to the Clare chevrons. During the fifteenth century, the fashion for quartering grew, as a symbol of additional lands inherited. By 1450 Warwick the Kingmaker had quarters representing the lands he had inherited from the Beauchamp, Clare, Montagu, Monthermer, Neville of Salisbury, Warwick and Despenser families. Others found excuses for adding more quarters to their arms, whether or not they involved land, and rolls of arms often copied much of their content from the earlier rolls and merely gave family names for coats of arms as if to assist in identifying the multitude of quarterings being used by all and sundry. Peter Howarth

In an attempt to be more positive on how to research English mediaeval heraldry, I suggest that the best starting points are two works, the 'Dictionary of British Arms' and Steen Clemmensen's 'Ordinary of Medieval Armorials'. The problem with general works is that they concentrate on heraldry in the 19th and 20th century, which bears little resemblance to what actually happened in mediaeval times. It is most unfortunate that Brian Timms's website, with its descriptions of many mediaeval rolls of arms, including some French ones, is no longer on line. 'Dictionary of British Arms: Medieval Ordinary', edd. Hubert Chesshyre, Thomas Woodcock et al., 4 vols., London: Society of Antiquaries, 1992-2014 This is arranged as an ordinary, that is by the arms themselves and not by the names of the owners. There is an index of names at the end of each volume, but it is cumbersome to use because you must search each volume separately for all the different spellings and variations on a surname. The research into the different sources (mainly British, before 1530) was carried out from 1940 to 1980 and the results were put onto hand-written index cards by over 70 volunteers before being collated, eventually onto computer, by staff at the College of Heralds. It is not surprising that in the process some errors have crept in. Nonetheless, this is a most valuable work. It is not limited to the different rolls of arms, of which England still has many more than any other country, but also includes the major collections of seals and many other sources including architecture, church windows and carvings, and manuscripts. But its greatest value lies in the sources that are given for each entry, so that it is possible to check on each one and to give it at least an approximate date. This is where I start looking for arms I haven't already researched. Unfortunately, at £95.00 a volume it's not cheap and there are not many second-hand copies around yet. It should be available in larger libraries. Clemmensen, Steen, 'Ordinary of Medieval Armorials', a Microsoft Access database on CD-ROM, rev. edn., Copenhagen: http://www.armorial.dk/, 2013 The whole of Steen Clemmensen's website is worth investigating because he has carried out a quite prodigious amount of work on rolls of arms, both English and continental, which is not just limited to listing the contents of the different rolls but which also analyses how they were written and the connections between them. He has also produced critical editions in pdf format of several fourteenth-century rolls. It therefore seems a little churlish to point out that his database 'Ordinary of Medieval Armorials' is limited to the various rolls and does not include any seals or other types of sources. He uses a special kind of blazon where the tinctures are listed separately from the charges and he often invents different sigla for the rolls. It also requires the purchase of Microsoft Access. And as might be expected in such an enormous work, there are some typos here and there. But the great advantage is that Clemmensen standardises the surnames so that it is possible to look up all the different versions of a coat of arms used within a family, together with their sources, including continental rolls as well as English ones. I use it almost as often as the DBA. Amongst cheaper alternatives, the best is Joseph Foster's 'Feudal Coats of Arms' (1902), available in modern reprints. He was constrained by the more limited knowledge of his day, but he was the first to go back to mediaeval rolls of arms for his information, and to give his sources, instead of just copying freely from earlier writers. C R Humphery-Smith, 'Anglo-Norman Armoury' (1973) and 'Anglo-Norman Armoury Two' (1984) are also useful but not so easily found. Ideally, all of these compilations, including the two big ones, should be checked against editions of the original rolls: Tremlett and London in 'Rolls of Arms Henry III' (1967), Brault, 'Rolls of Arms Edward I', 2 vols (1997) and 'Eight Thirteenth-Century Rolls of Arms in French and Anglo-Norman Blazon' (1971). Transcriptions of later rolls have been made by Clemmensen or are listed in Wagner, 'A Catalogue of English Mediaeval Rolls of Arms' (1950) available from Archive CD Books http://www.archivecdbooks.org/ Unfortunately, many of the transcriptions are not easily accessible. For seals, the Internet Archive has Walter de Gray Birch, 'Catalogue of Seals in the Department of Manuscripts in the British Museum', 6 vols., London: British Museum, 1887-1900, and Louis-Claude Douët d’Arcq, 'Collection de sceaux', 3 vols., Paris, 1863-68, which has many English seals. The Durham Cathedral collection of seals is available at http://reed.dur.ac.uk/xtf/view?docId=ead/dcd/dcdmseal.xml and the card-index of seals at the Public Record Office has now been made available on the National Archives website. These are the major collections but there are plenty of other, smaller ones scattered over the country and, sometimes, the internet. Genealogists now research amongst mediaeval documents themselves and no longer consider secondary sources unless they cite contemporary evidence. I am looking forward to the time when mediaeval heraldry is treated in the same way. It could therefore be helpful to include references to other sources of mediaeval heraldry. Peter Howarth

And the two that are more similar, would have him getting married, and being granted property, at 14 or 15, with no sign of a guardian or king's approval.

Every single one says "and more". I'm considering that to be the only accurate part. The numbers can't all be right, as they're all different.