A project to produce a critical edition of Oxford Brasenose College MS 91 has been awarded a major grant by the Richard III Society-American Branch.

Brasenose MS 91 is a long vellum scroll which sets out the line of English kings from Adam & Eve to Henry VI, using a unique color-coded system and explanatory text in the margins. Written by 15th century scribes in Medieval Latin, it seeks to convince readers that the Lancastrian kings were the legitimate heirs to the English crown after the deposition of Richard II. It has never been fully transcribed or translated.

The American Branch is pleased to collaborate with the Yorkist History Trust in producing a new edition of this genealogical roll, and the publication of a book providing full color images of the manuscript along with transcriptions, translations, and contextual historical information. Shaun Tyas/Paul Watkins Publishing has agreed to produce the book.

The Wars of the Roses was a period when genealogical rolls like Brasenose MS 91 were produced in abundance, and they are a fertile source for research and scholarship. The American Branch has proudly supported the digitization and translation of other genealogical rolls from this fascinating era of history. Learn more here.

The Yorkist History Trust is a registered charity in the UK which aims to further education, learning, and research related to the history of late medieval England (and in particular the reign of King Richard III) and to disseminate the results of such education, learning, and research. They offer grants to scholars researching and publishing on the fifteenth century (including funding research, providing grants for imaging and permissions, and contributing to publication costs) as well as publishing their own series of monographs and critical source editions.

The edition is expected to be available in 2028.

Insignia of The Yorkist History Trust