Sulpicius Severus, Gregory of Tours, Ailred of Rievaulx, Osbern of Canterbury, Goscelin of Canterbury, Eadmer, Ricemarcus, Probus (?), Letaldus, Goscelin — 13th century, first quarter; fols. 1–3, 14th century; English, Ramsey(?)

Title

Sulpicius Severus, Gregory of Tours, Ailred of Rievaulx, Osbern of Canterbury, Goscelin of Canterbury, Eadmer, Ricemarcus, Probus (?), Letaldus, Goscelin — 13th century, first quarter; fols. 1–3, 14th century; English, Ramsey(?)

Shelfmark

MS. Bodl. 285

Place of origin

English, Ramsey(?)

Date

13th century, first quarter; fols. 1–3, 14th century

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment

Physical extent

vii + 186leaves

Decoration

One fine historiated initial.

Other good initials.

Acquisition

Presented by dr. Thomas James, first Bodley's Librarian, in 1601.

Provenance

Ramsey, Benedictine Abbey : the presence of lives of Ivo and of Ethelred and Ethelbricht suggest Ramsey, as does the note on fol. 108: 'Hec qui descripsit devotus quisque rescripsit Yvo sacer de te placeat dominoque tibique'. Gerard Langbaine called it 'a good old book which was sometime the passional of the monastery of Ramsey' (letter to Archbishop Ussher ed. Parr, Life of Ussher (1686), p. 552). ( MLGB3: evidence from locally specific contents, including obits, scribbles, etc.)

At fol. 165v is added in a late 13th cent. hand 'Perlectis itaque Passionalibus, legatur Vita sancti Martialis episcopi. Queratur in armario, in ueteri libro spisso, & paruo [then a 14th cent. hand has added:] qui intitulatur Diadema Monachorum', a work by Smaragdus.