Heraldic Manuscripts, c.1300-c.1800,
at the Society of Antiquaries of London

From the Library of the Society of Antiquaries of London, England

13 reels 35mm microfilm (8 B&W, 5 in colour), ISBN 1 897955 64 2

List price: POA

A special selection of volumes and rolls totaling 36 items containing many thousands of Coats of Arms covering a period of 500 years.

There are Arms of Austrian, Bosnian, Croatian, Dalmatian, English, German, Serbian and Spanish families, including arms attributed to classical heroes and saints. Included are selected examples of Dictionaries of Arms and family genealogies; the Hatton-Dugdale facsimiles and a rare volume of South Slav heraldry.

"The present selection has been made to present the more important heraldic works in the Society of Antiquaries Collection thus making them more readily available to historians and students of heraldry. Rolls of Arms, both English and Continental, grants of Arms, Liber Amicorum, and books compiled by heralds and antiquaries in the course of their studies are all to be found." John A. Goodall, FSA, FRNS.

By 1816 the Society of Antiquaries of London already owned several important heraldic books and rolls including the fifteenth century copy of Charles' Roll (now MS.517), the miscellany MS.136, and several others including the Illyrian Armorial, c.1600, a finely painted and major source for early Balkan heraldry.
The holdings of continental heraldry were greatly increased when Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks bequeathed his library to the Society at the end of the last century. Further important acquisitions mainly of English rolls and books have been made this century. The most important of the latter being the greater part of the collection of heraldic material made by Dugdale and others in 1641.

Contents of Reels:

This is actually 15 reels (9 B&W, 6 in Colour).

List of MSS in this collection:

• MS.54 Stanislas Rubchich, King of Arms to Tsar Stephen Nemanja:bRodoslovie navischenikh I svetikh otatsa I vlashtikikh … [aka “The Illyrian Armorial”] before 1595.
• MS.136/1 The Antiquaries Roll c.1352-1360
• MS.136/2 Jousting Cheque, relating to one contest at the Field of the Cloth of Gold, 1520.
• MS.373 Wappen-buch. German Arms, Early 16th Century.
• MS.374 Wappenbeuch. Hierinen Roe. Kay Maj …, Augsburg, 1582 Diet. 1584.
• MS.376 Geschlecht Buch Stat Nurnberg, 1610.
• MS.377 German Arms, etc. Late 16th Century.
• MS.379 [John de Bado Aureo/Nicholas Upton?] Treatise on Heraldry, 15th Century.
• MS.388 Scheurl Family. Scheurl Buch, or history of the Scheurl family of Bavaria, 1591.
• MS.404 Differences of Arms, 1828.
• MS.405 Grandison Family, 1621-1626.
• MS.413 Grant: Philip IV of Spain to Mansilla Family, 1639.
• MS.415 Grant; Philip II Carta executoria de hidalgina, or attestation of nobility to Diego de Villena del Oyo of Cuellar, 1589.
• MS.417 Grant: Emperor Charles VI to Herman Langscheit, 17112.
• MS.418. Grant: Charles V Grant of Arms to Caspar Sengel, 1545.
• MS.419 Grant: Charles, Archduke of Austria, grant of Arms to Hans Droffner, Goldsmith, 1621.
• MS.429 William Smith, Rouge Dragon 1597-1618: Smith Family, Early 17th Century.
• MS.435 Liber Amicorum, 1606.
• MS.437 Liber Amicorum, 1605-1620.
• MS.442 Garter Roll, 1524.
• MS.443 Roll of Arms: English Gentry, 1529/1530.
• MS.517 Charles' Roll, Early 15th Century.
• MS.664 Vols.1 – 9 Hatton-Dugdale Facsimiles and Index. Facsimiles of 26 medieval and 16th century rolls of Arms made for Sir Christopher Hatton under the direction of Sir William Dugdale probably by the arms painter William Sedgwick, c.1638-40.
• MS.679 Wall's Book of Arms, Vols. 1 and 2, and Transcript. Alphabet of Arms compiled by Thomas Wall, Windsor Herald (Garter 1534-6), with additions by Wall (d.1536) and others to c.1538 and later annotations.

Contents of Reels

B&W Reels

• Reel 1 MSS.54, 435, 437.
• Reel 2 MSS.136/1, 136/2, 517, 442, 443, 379, 404, 405, 429.
• Reel 3 MS.373
• Reel 4 MSS.374, 376.
• Reel 5 MSS.377, 388, 413, 415, 417, 418, 419.
• Reel 6 MS.664 Vols. 1 – 5.
• Reel 7 MS.664 Vols. 6 – 9.
• Reel 8 MS.664 Index Vols. 1 –4.
• Reel 9 MS.679 Vols. 1 – 2 and Transcript.

Colour Reels

• Reel 1C MSS.54, 435, 437.
• Reel 2C MSS.136/1, 136/2, 377, 379, 388, 404, 405, 413, 415, 417, 418, 419, 429, 442, 443, 679.
• Reel 3C MS.373.
• Reel 4C MSS.374, 376.
• Reel 5C MS.664, Vols. 1 – 5.
• Reel 6C MS.664, Vols. 6 – 9.