The Importance of the Ashmolean Roll of Arms for the Study of Medieval Blazon

E-ISSN： 1758-5309|54|1|75-84

ISSN： 0003-5815

Source： Antiquaries Journal, Vol.54, Iss.1, 1974-03, pp. : 75-84

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Abstract

In the fourteenth century coats of arms become increasingly complex, thus rendering more difficult the task of expressing concisely and clearly the relationships between the elements in a blazon. The author of the Ashmolean Roll (compiled c. 1334) is a professional herald. Faithful to traditional conventions, he is nevertheless innovative in his effort to respond to the need for greater clarity by expansion and adaptation of the linguistic structures of his trade. The well-known Parliamentary Roll is shown to be less reliable than the unpublished Ashmolean Roll as an indicator of trends in early fourteenth-century blazon.