William Langland — 15th century, first half; English

Title

William Langland — 15th century, first half; English

Shelfmark

MS. Rawl. poet. 137

Place of origin

English

Date

15th century, first half

Language

Middle English (1100-1500)

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment (FHHF)

Physical extent

vi (paper) + 41 + v (paper) leaves Several leaves with irregular edges, some only c. 220 mm. high.

Hands

Anglicana varying considerably in formality by one scribe, signing 'Tilot'; Simon Horobin (op. cit.) found the same hand in Oxford, University College MS. 142 (Prick of Conscience), signed 'Thomas', and identified the scribe as Thomas Tilot, vicar at Chichester Cathedral in 1415 and rector of West Thorney in 1430.

Decoration

2-line red initials at the beginning of each passus.

Typically the beginning of each fourth line stroked in red.

Rubrics, Latin text in red.

Binding

Leather over boards with a double gilt line around the border of each cover; rebacked.

Acquisition

Bequeathed to the Bodleian in 1755

Provenance

Canterbury, Kent, Franciscan convent (?). In the early nineteenth century fols. 42-45 of the present manuscript comprised four leaves now bound as MS. Rawl. D. 913 fols. 86-89 (Guy of Warwick, in French, s. xiv in.; foliation 42-5 probably by Philip Bliss). These leaves have on MS. Rawl. D. 913 fol. 87v (formerly 42v in Rawl. poet. 137), the ex libris Hoc volumen conceditur ad usum fratrum minorum de observantia Cantuarie (s. xv/xvi); the inscription being in the same form in Lambeth 1483.5 (printed book), as noted MLGB3. (MLGB3: evidence from an ex-libris inscription or note of gift to an institution). MLGB additionally argued that these leaves (which were evidently formerly used as pastedowns) had been used in the binding of MS. Rawl. poet. 137 itself, but it is not clear on what grounds that assertion was made. It is not obvious that the either the dimensions of the leaves, or their marks of wear and damage, are compatible with former use in MS. Rawl. poet. 137; the Franciscan Canterbury provenance of MS. Rawl. poet. 137 should be treated with caution pending further research.

'Jhon Symson' fol. 22r, 15th century, in leadpoint, according to the Summary Catalogue (annotated copy of Richard Hunt); not verified by the present cataloguer.

'Rychard Barnard', late 15th or 16th century, fol. 24r

Thomas Rawlinson (according to B. Enright, 'Richard Rawlinson : collector, antiquary, and topographer' (D.Phil, Oxford, 1957), appendix at "Rawl. F. 137")

Richard Rawlinson, 1690–1755