Description

The Roll of Battle Abbey is a cornerstone in feudal English genealogy as well as an extremely interesting and controversial record. It contains the names of several hundred of the noble companions of William the Conqueror. It is thus the very first document in Norman-English genealogy and the foundation of both spurious and authentic claims of Norman ancestry. The work in hand, a compilation by John Bernard Burke, which includes transcriptions of the various copies of the Roll, is a heavily annotated list of the companions of the Conqueror, the annotations providing an account of the origins of each companion and his relationship to William, a description of his baronies and estates, an assessment of his position in the feudal hierarchy, and a concise history of his life and times, with special attention given to successive generations of his lineal descendants. Wherever possible, descents are traced down to modern times.