L'Armorial Wijnbergen

Introduction

Links to the Marches are at the foot of this page

The Armorial Wijnbergen is so called from the name of one of its owners, and now belongs to the Royal Dutch Association for Genealogy and Heraldry, in The Hague.

The first research into this manuscript began in 1951, when Paul Adam-Even & Léon Jéquier published "Un armorial français du XIIIe siècle" in Archives Héraldiques Suisses. The work was published in French and was not finished until 1954.

Wijnbergen is the earliest French original roll extant, and dates from 1265 - 1270.

It is composed of two parts, the first containing the arms of vassals of the Ile de France, and the second divided into further Marches of arms. These are listed below.

The roll comprises painted shields, 256 in Part 1, and 1056 in Part 2, shields, 1312 in total.

My intention is the same as for Vermandois, that is to publish the armorial in its entirety, with translations and illustrations of the original blazon. There will be notes on those arms which appear in other rolls, and on those which are similar enough to assume a relationship between them. The manuscript is divided into marches of arms, and it will be convenient to break down the presentation into these marches.

The aim to is to allow an opportunity for the armorial to be seen by those who would not otherwise have the opportunity. However, my expertise is not in the history and genealogy of the period, and I would be grateful for comments and corrections.

The work will be published as it is completed, and what has gone before will necessarily have to be amended in the light of later research. I will endeavour to indicate when changes have made. It follows that, as the basic information grows, it may be necessary to alter statements and comments which seemed correct at the time they were made.

The Marches as presented in the Armorial Wijnbergen