File 55. - Pedigree-chronicle,

The pedigree of Henry VI, King of England (1421-1471), from Seth, son of Noah. Described in the NLW Annual Report for 1909-1910 (1911), pp. 41-42, as follows: 'A parchment roll 13½ ins wide by 19 feet long, with fragment attached, of old leather cover, fastened with green silken thread, now preserved in a tin case; a beautiful work of art, exquisitely written in tabular plan in a very neat hand of the latter half of the fifteenth century, and skillfully executed with elaborate illuminated miniatures, rich capitals, and red ornamental lines involving very delicate pen-work; traces the pedigree of Henry VI from Adam, the descent being distinctly shewn by a thick red line, more than six yards long, which joins a handsome miniature of Adam, with spade in hand, with which the tree opens, to a very gorgeous representation, inlaid in a gilt-crowned H, of Henry VI on the throne, with the scepter in his right hand, with which the
tree ends. On the left side of the above pedigree appear the names of the Archbishops of Canterbury from St Augustine (represented by a miniature) to John Stafford, and similarly on the right side, is given the descent of the chief Welsh princes to the time of Edward I; intervening these lines, in monastic Latin, are inscribed biblical and historical annotations, some of considerable length and interest, dealing with the chief personages; each annotation opens with an illuminated capital, the C opening the first annotation, a skillful inter-mixture of blue, green and gold, being exceedingly fine: the rest (with one exception) begin with a dark blue letter, inset in red ornamental lines of very delicate execution; the colours of the several branches of the tree, - brown, green and red - are studiously varied with a view to producing artistic effect; altogether five miniatures are included, the three already mentioned above, together with one of the Nativity, and another representing King Lucius, the mythical Christian King of Britain.