1511 Westminster Tournament Roll facts for kids

The 1511 Westminster Tournament Roll is a very long, painted scroll. It's made from 36 pieces of vellum (a type of animal skin used for writing) sewn together. This amazing scroll is almost 60 feet long and about 14 and a half inches wide!

The Roll shows a special event called a joust (a knightly combat on horseback). King Henry VIII held this joust in February 1511. He wanted to celebrate the birth of his son, Henry, Duke of Cornwall. His son was born to Catherine of Aragon on New Year's Day that year.

This Roll is one of the oldest and most valuable items owned by the College of Arms in London. Experts believe it was made by the workshop of Thomas Wriothesley. He also created The Westminster Tournament Challenge, which was the invitation to the tournament. That invitation is now kept at the British Library.

The Roll is also famous for showing the earliest known portrait of a named Black person in Britain. His name was John Blanke. He appears twice on the Roll, playing the trumpet in both the opening and closing parts of the tournament.

What's on the Roll?

The Westminster Tournament Roll tells a story from beginning to end. It's divided into different sections, called "membranes," that show the events of the day.

Membrane 1: The Start

This first part shows a special symbol. It's an heraldic badge that represents the strong connection between King Henry VIII and Queen Katherine of Aragon.

Membranes 2 to 23: The Grand Parade

This long section shows a huge parade that started the day. It was led by the King's Armourer and his helper. Then came six trumpeters, including John Blanke, the Black trumpeter. After them, sixteen gentlemen led a colorful parade of four challengers. These challengers were:

• Sir Edward Neville, known as Joyeulx Penser (Joyful Thought)
• Sir William Courtenay, known as Bon Vouloir (Good Will)
• Sir Thomas Knyvet, known as Vaillant desyr (Valiant Desire)
• And finally, Henry VIII himself, known as Cueur Loyal (Loyal Heart)

Each challenger had many footmen walking with them, and the King had the most.

Membranes 24 to 27: The Jousting Match

This part shows the exciting jousting competition. You can see the challengers at one end and their opponents (called "Answerers") at the other. The Roll captures the moment when King Henry breaks his lance on his opponent's helmet. This meant he scored the most points! Queen Katherine, along with other ladies and gentlemen of the court, watched the King's joust from a fancy tent.

Membranes 27 to 35: The End of the Day

This section shows the procession returning after the joust. It ends with the King, dressed in his finest clothes, passing by the Queen in her pavilion. He is surrounded by many footmen.

Membrane 36: The Grand Finale

The very last part of the Roll has another special symbol. It also includes a poem with five verses praising King Henry VIII. Some lines from the poem say:

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

This means Henry is their hope and safe place, guiding them through troubles.

To give you an idea of how grand this event was, imagine if the Olympic Games had a week of opening ceremonies, then two days of sports, and then another week of closing ceremonies! That's how much pageantry was involved.

Copies of the Roll

There are some copies of this amazing Roll. A detailed reproduction was made in 1968 by Sydney Anglo. It's called The Great Tournament Roll of Westminster. Also, some engravings (pictures made from carved plates) of the Roll were created in 1747 for a book called Vetusta Monumenta. These are kept by the Society of Antiquaries in London. The College of Arms also has digital photos of the Roll.

On TV and Radio

The Westminster Tournament Roll has been shown in several TV shows and radio programs:

• It appeared in David Olusoga's TV series for BBC Two, Black and British: A Forgotten History. This was first shown on November 9, 2016.
• It was also in the first episode of Six Wives with Lucy Worsley, which aired on BBC One on December 7, 2016.
• The Roll is described in Julian Joseph's BBC Radio 4 program, The Trumpet Shall Sound.

Where to See It

In May 2022, the Westminster Tournament Roll was shown to the public for the first time in 20 years. It was part of an exhibition called The Tudors: Passion, Power and Politics at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. This was also the first time the document had ever been shown outside of London!