Merton College MS. 194
Former shelfmark: C. 2. 3
RICARDUS DE POFIS; S. XIII med.
Contents
Language(s): Latin
On fol. 1 are scattered notes, upside down, in an anglicana hand of s. xiv; the verso blank. The leaf was clearly originally in the reverse position.
Unpr.; E. Batzer, Zur Kenntnis der Formularsammlung des Richard von Pofi (Heidelberg, 1920); English copies listed in N. Denholm-Young, Collected Papers (Cardiff, 1969), p. 69.
The capitula are annotated in one or more anglicana hands of s. xiii, e.g. fol. 4 ‘Bona ad abbatem de …’, fol. 4v ‘Bona ad priorem de Bridelintone’, ‘Bona pro Magistro Simone de Euesham’. Simon of Evesham (BRUO 657) is known to have been in Oxford c. 1225, canon of York from 1227 until his death between 1269 and 1272.
Extra documents, in an anglicana hand of s. xiii ex., are in the lower margins of fols. 45v-6 (soon after 1280), 57v-8, 88v-9 (naming a ‘Magister Walterus’), 140v, 141v (mentioning ‘pie recordationis magistri S. de Euesham nuper archidiaconi Richemund’’), 144v. The documents appear to be real, although most names are suppressed; they relate to the concerns of a secular cathedral with an archbishop, so presumably York. On fol. 65v is a maniculus with ‘lok bissop’.
Physical Description
Collation
Layout
Ruled with crayon in 32 long lines.
Hand(s)
A single hand, writing Italian littera cancellaresca.
Decoration
Red and blue initials; red or blue initials; red or blue paraphs in the capitula.
Binding
Standard Merton s. xvii, repaired, rebacked and resewn on four bands (Maltby 1953); formerly chained from the usual position. Rust-marks on fols. 1 and 2 suggest a chain-staple on an earlier front board, near the foot of the foredge. The first and last leaves are stained and dirty, suggesting that the book was without covers for some time.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
Made in Italy, early on in England, presumably in the north and in the hands of someone connected with York Minster.
On fol. 1, upside down, is an early cautio, cropped and thoroughly erased, naming ‘[?]lynche’, ‘Iohannes [?]ldontone’, ‘Thomas W[?]’, clerks, and as a supplement John Chrysostom.
Given to the College by William Reed in 1374: UO49. 52. For Reed, fellow from 1344 until at least 1357, d. 1385, see MS 8.
Inside the front board is a sheet of paper with a title of s. xvii and ‘O. 8. 9. Art:’, canc. and replaced with ‘C. 2. 3 (CXCIV)’ in red.
Record Sources
Availability
For enquiries relating to this manuscript please contact Merton College Library.
Bibliography

Funding of Cataloguing
Conversion of the printed catalogue to TEI funded by the Warden and Fellows of Merton College .
Abbreviations
View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.
Last Substantive Revision
2019-07-25: First online publication