Merton College MS. 323
Former shelfmark: K. 1. 9
WELSH LAWS; S. XVI
Contents
Language(s): Latin
f. iii is headed ‘Leges Hueli dha Regis totius [mutil.]’, and includes a note by ?Thomas Allen on Howel, above whose name is drawn a crown. Otherwise pen-trials, s. xvi, and short notes and chronological calculations. Fols. iiiv-ivv blank.
Ed. H. D. Emanuel, The Latin Texts of the Welsh Laws (Cardiff, 1967), pp. 73–82, 408–517, text at 434–509. In the margin of f. 6 is a piece of text derived from the copy of the Laws in Welsh in BL, Cotton Titus D. IX (s. xiv), which was annotated by John Dee.
In the outer margin of f. 1 is a genealogical table of Dee’s family, in red, beg. ‘Rodericus Magnus Rex totius Cambriae. Regnare coepit anno 843’ and ending with ‘Ioannes Dee natus anno 1527’, continued in later hands first in red, then in ink of text, down to ‘Margareta nata Mortlaci A. 1595’.
Physical Description
Collation
Layout
Frame-ruled with pencil; written in c. 29 long lines.
Hand(s)
In the neat and legible secretary hand of John Dee, who annotates extensively.
Decoration
None.
Binding
s. xvii, sprinkled, blind-tooled calf, sewn on five bands. Fols. i-ii, 58–9 are blank paper binding leaves.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
On f. iii is ‘Tho: Allen:’, s. xvi, but the book is not found in the catalogue of his library: A. G. Watson, ‘Thomas Allen of Oxford and his Manuscripts’, in Medieval Scribes, Manuscripts & Libraries; Essays presented to N. R. Ker, ed. M. B. Parkes and A. G. Watson (London, 1978), pp. 279–313, at 284 n. 23, 290 n. 54, 312.
Also ‘Bibliothecae Mert: donavit Dus Thomas Clayton eques auratus et Coll: hujus Custos. Mar. 2 1680.’ Presumably acquired by Allen when John Dee’s library came on the market c. 1625–6. Excerpts by Richard James in Bodl. Libr., MS James 6, pp. 84–6, describe it as ‘MS Th. Alleni olim qui fuerat Ioh. Dee.’ ‘F. 2. 4.’ and ‘F. 2. 4. Arch.’, s. xvii-xviii.
Inside the front board is ‘Q. iv. 23.’, canc. and replaced with ‘K. 1. 9 (CCCXXIII)’ 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
2019-11-13: First online publication