Layamon's Brut is a romantic chronicle of the history of Great Britain and its people. Layamon starts his chronicle with the fall of Troy and lists all the kings, queens, and momentous events from then until his time. While some of the people and events described can be corroborated by other historical texts, many others seem to be myths and legends. The most famous of these is, of course, King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.

According to Layamon, the British people are descendants of the survivors of Troy, who were led by Brutus, a great-grandson of Aeneas, to the British Isles where they fought the giants who inhabited it and made a life for themselves. The title, Brut, comes from this Brutus, who is said to have named the people after himself.