The rolls of parliament were the official records of the meetings of the English parliament from the reign of Edward I (1272-1307) until the reign of Henry VII (1485-1509), after which they were superseded by the journals of thelords, and, somewhat later, the commons.
This volume contains the only parliament of Richard III - an essential source for his accession in 1483 and for his response to the subsequent rebellion. Henry VII’s assertion of his title in 1485 is strikingly different, as is his long act of resumption (a roll in itself) that reveals not only which Yorkist grants he was prepared to continue but also which early grants of his own he was willing to abandon. The1487 parliament shows the new regime continuing to try and establish itself in the face of continuing opposition.
The rolls from the period are reproduced in their entirely, complemented by a full translation of all the texts from the three languages used by the medieval clerks (Latin, Anglo-Norman and Middle English).

Dr Rosemary Horrox is Fellow and Director of Studies in History, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.