Register of writs, Statutes of England(vetera statuta), Legal treatises, Song with music — 13th century; English, Coventry (?)

Title

Register of writs, Statutes of England(vetera statuta), Legal treatises, Song with music — 13th century; English, Coventry (?)

Statute of Gloucester, Leges Edwardi confessoris, Statutes of England — 13th century; English, Coventry (?)

Statutes of England, Charters, Song with music — 13th century; English, Coventry (?)

Shelfmark

MS. Douce 139

Associated place

England

Place of origin

English, Coventry (?)

Date

13th century

Language

Anglo-Norman

Latin

Middle English (1100-1500)

Contents

Acquisition

Bequeathed to the Bodleian in 1834

Provenance

Coventry, Warwickshire, Benedictine cathedral priory of St Mary the Virgin: Twenty leaves containing documents relating to St Mary's, Coventry, detached from the end of Digby 139, were given by Douce to the Coventry antiquary, Thomas Sharpe: for the contents of these leaves see Monasticon (1818), 3. 185. They and the Chartulary of St Mary passed into the Staunton collection (see W. G. Fretton in Transactions of the Birmingham Arch. Soc. (1876) p. 38, and were no doubt burnt in the fire at Birmingham Reference Library in 1879. (MLGB3: inferred evidence).

Henry Ferrers. (MLGB3)

Francis Douce, 1757–1834

Title

Legal and miscellaneous pieces, some of which (especially added documents) relate to Coventry

Shelfmark

MS. Douce 139

Summary

Made up of several MSS., comprising:

(fol. 6) Forms of briefs in Latin

(fol. 58), Various English statutes and treatises including the re-issue of Magna Charta in A.D. 1253: some are in French, the rest Latin. On fol. 1v is a list of the death-days of English kings from Edward the Confessor to John, and of bps. of Coventry and Lichfield, 1057 - 1159: and on fol. 2 is a list of the bps. of Lichfield and of Coventry to 1257. On fol. 5 is a short English song (beg. 'Foweles in ϸe frith') with music, of the second half of the 13th cent.: cf. fol. 157. [On fol. 5V is a dancetune. Its latest editor, Wooldridge (O. Eng. popular music, i, p. 215), supposed ff, s and 179 to have once formed a cover to the intervening leaves--a mistake I am to blame for. I should now date them c. 1270. E.W.B.N.]

(fols. 116v - 124v, 130 - 139) The Statute of Gloucester (A.D. 1278), in French verse: beg. 'Cum nostre seynur le roye Eadward': wanting at least capp. 14 - 15

(fol. 125) The laws of Edward the Confessor in Latin, imperfect at beginning: beg. 'Deo primitus & regi postea.' A short piece 'De succession regum Anglie' from Rollo duke of Normandy to Stephen follows at fol. 128

(fol. 139v) Various English statutes, etc.

(fol. 154v) Various English statutes and charters. On fol. 179v is a French song (beg. 'Au queer ay vn maus ke my destreynt souent') with music, of the second half of the 13th cent.

An old foliation to ccxxxi shows that thirteen leaves are lost at the beginning, and eighteen elsewhere. Some leaves containing Coventry charters once at the end of the volume were removed by Douce and given to 'Mr. Sharpe of Coventry.'.

'Henry Ferrers' (16th cent., fol. 116). The arms on the binding are, quarterly first, an eagle displayed: second, a saltire and chief: third, on three piles in point an inescutcheon bearing a lion rampant within a bordure verdoy: fourth a lion rampant and chief. The tinctures being uncertain it may be doubted whether Douce is right in stating that sir Robert Cotton owned the book.

Date

written in the 13th cent. with some additions

Language

French

Latin

Physical facet

On parchment

Physical extent

203 Leaves