The 1511 Westminster Tournament Roll is a painted roll of 36

vellum Vellum is prepared animal skin or membrane, typically used as writing material. Parchment is another term for this material, from which vellum is sometimes distinguished, when it is made from calfskin, as opposed to that made from other anim ...

membranes sewn together. It is almost 60 feet long and 14 inches wide. The Roll depicts the

joust Jousting is a martial game or hastilude between two horse riders wielding lances with blunted tips, often as part of a tournament. The primary aim was to replicate a clash of heavy cavalry, with each participant trying to strike the opponen ...

called by

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

in February 1511 to celebrate the birth of his son, Henry, Duke of Cornwall, to

Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously ...

, on New Year's Day of that year. Dale Hoak, in his book ''Tudor Political Culture'', describes the Roll as follows: The Roll is one of the most ancient and most prized possessions of the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the British Sover ...

in London. It is believed to be the work of

Thomas Wriothesley Sir Thomas Wriothesley ( ; died 24 November 1534) was a long serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He was the son of Garter King of Arms, John Writhe, and he succeeded his father in this office. Personal life Wriothesley was ...

's workshop, as is The Westminster Tournament Challenge, which was the invitation to the Tournament. That document is in the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the Briti ...

's collections. The Roll features the earliest known portrait of a named Black person in Britain,

John Blanke John Blanke (also rendered Blancke or Blak) (fl. 1501–1511) was a musician of African descent in London in the early 16th century, who probably came to England as one of the African attendants of Catherine of Aragon in 1501. He is one of the e ...

. He is pictured twice on the roll, playing the trumpet in both the opening and closing ceremonies of the tournament.

Membrane 1 The Introduction

heraldic badge A heraldic badge, emblem, impresa, device, or personal device worn as a badge indicates allegiance to, or the property of, an individual, family or corporate body. Medieval forms are usually called a livery badge, and also a cognizance. They are ...

signifying the unity of

and

Katherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously P ...

Membrane 2 to 23 The Beginning of the Day

A procession led by the master of the King's Armourer and his Mace-bearer followed by six trumpeters, including the black trumpeter

, mentioned in John Heron's accounts. There follow sixteen gentleman leading the allegorical pageant of the four challengers:

Sir Edward Neville Sir Edward Neville (died 8 December 1538) was an English courtier. He was born at Abergavenny, Monmouthshire. He was the son of George Neville, 4th Baron Bergavenny and his wife Margaret, daughter of Hugh Fenn. He married Eleanor Windsor, daugh ...

as ''Joyeulx Penser'', Sir William Courtenay as ''Bon Vouloir'', Sir Thomas Knyvet as ''Vaillant desyr'' and ending with

as ''Cueur Loyal''. Each challenger is shepherded by a number of footman with the king having the most.

Membrane 24 to 27 The Joust

The

jousting Jousting is a martial game or hastilude between two horse riders wielding lances with blunted tips, often as part of a tournament. The primary aim was to replicate a clash of heavy cavalry, with each participant trying to strike the opponen ...

scene, with the Challengers at one end and the Answerers at the other, depicts Henry's joust, just as he shatters his lance on his opponent's helmet, in doing so scoring the highest points. The King's joust is shown as watched over by Queen Katherine along with ladies and gentlemen of the court seated in an ornate pavilion.

Membrane 27 to 35 The End of the Day

The procession is depicted returning from The Joust, closing with the King in all his finery, surrounded by several footmen, as he is shown passing the Queen in the pavilion.

Membrane 36 The Conclusion

A closing heraldic device and a poem of five verses in praise of Henry VIII, including the lines:

This art owr hope our ankyr haven and port In which we sayle now sure from sorows darke By harry our kyng the flowr of natewrs werk

Some idea of the scale of the pageantry depicted in the Roll can be seen from Allen Guttman's statement:

Reproductions

There is a collotype reproduction by Sydney Anglo: ''The Great Tournament Roll of Westminster'' published in 1968, which was made possible by support of the

Marc Fitch Marcus Felix Brudenell Fitch , (5 January 1908 – 2 April 1994) was an English historian and philanthropist. Fitch was born in Kensington, London in 1908, the only child of provision merchant Hugh Bernard Fitch (1873–1962) and his wife Bert ...

Fund. There is also a series of engravings of the Roll made in 1747 for the '' Vetusta Monumenta'': this is held by the Society of Antiquaries in London. Digital photographs are held at the College of Arms.

Television appearances and radio broadcasts

The Roll appeared in David Olusoga's series for

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...

, '' Black and British: A Forgotten History'', first broadcast 9 November 2016. It also appeared in the first episode of ''Six Wives with Lucy Worsley'', broadcast on BBC One on 7 December 2016. It is described in

Julian Joseph Julian Raphael Nathaniel Joseph (born 11 May 1966) is a British jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger, and broadcaster. Biography Joseph was born in London and attended Allfarthing Primary School and Spencer Park Secondary School in Wan ...

's BBC Radio 4 programme, ''The Trumpet Shall Sound''.

Public display

In May 2022 an exhibition ''The Tudors: Passion, Power and Politics'' at the

Walker Art Gallery The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England outside London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group. History of the Gallery The Walker Art Gallery's collection ...

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

displayed the Westminster Tournament Roll in public for the first time in 20 years. It was first time the document was shown outside London.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1511 Westminster Tournament Roll Jousting English trumpeters 16th-century English musicians 1511 in England 1511 in art

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