John Rous

Who was John Rous?

John Rous was a medieval English historian and antiquary, most notable for his book Historia Regum Angliae, which describes British and English rulers from Brutus of Britain to Henry VII of England.

Rous was born at Warwick, probably in 1420, though this is uncertain. He was the son of Geoffrey and Margaret Rous, and was educated at Oxford University. He entered holy orders, remaining in the vicinity of Warwick for most of his clerical career, but making some travels to study archives for his historical research.

Rous spent most of his career in the service of the Yorkist dynasty. He was chaplain of the chapel of Guy's Cliffe in the reign of Richard III and canon of the collegiate church at Warwick. He was responsible for creating the "Rous Roll", which presents a pro-Yorkist version of recent English history. The "Warwick Roll" is an early family chronicle of the Beauchamp family, centring on the life of Richard Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick. These works are also noted for their historically important illustrations, which are often credited to Rous, but it is not known whether he was personally responsible for drawing them.