MS. Rawl. C. 86
Summary Catalogue no.: 11951
Composite miscellany of literary, historical and devotional texts, mostly in Middle English
Physical Description
Collation
Binding
18th-century (?) red leather (probably goatskin) binding with gilt fillets around the edge of the covers; title on the spine 'Old English Poems'; fol. 1r, ‘Bind this in vellum \Turkey Leather/’.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
16th(?)-century title 'Lidgate', fol. 1r; occasional 16th/17th century annotations providing titles and authors, e.g fols. 52r, 91r; 17th- or 18th-century table of contents, front pastedown; fragment of an earlier label (?) pasted to fol. i recto, ‘90⟨.⟩(?)’
‘R⟨andal(?)⟩ D⟨rewe⟩’, late 16th or 17th century, effaced, fol. 1r; so read by Manly and Rickert.
‘W⟨illiam(?)⟩ ⟨Howarde⟩’, late 16th or early 17th century, effaced, fol. 1r, but nevertheless identifiable (for example by comparison with British Library Arundel MS. 74 fol. 1r) as the ex libris of Lord William Howard (1563-1640)
‘M.S. Knox Ward Clarencieux’ (fol. 1r): Knox Ward, Clarenceux King of Arms 1726-41; his sale, 1749.
Richard Rawlinson, 1690–1755; his bookplate, upper pastedown.
Bequeathed to the Bodleian in 1755
MS. Rawl. C. 86 - Part I (fols. 1-30)
Contents
Language(s): Middle English
Miniature: see decoration. Fol. 1r blank except for later notes and names, see Provenance (above, for the whole volume).
Ex libris of William Aylysburrey; see Provenance.
Physical Description
Collation
Layout
1 col., c. 36-38 lines; frame-ruled in crayon; ruled space c. 175-80 × 92 mm.
Hand(s)
One hand; predominantly secretary forms with occasional anglicana /a/ and /r/.
Decoration
Miniature (tinted and gilded drawing, possibly unfinished), fol. 1v: Crucifixion with Mary and John, Christ with a starburst on his chest, framed by a border with evangelist symbols at each corner.
Border of leaves and flowers in penwork with green and yellow wash (possibly unfinished), fol. 2r.
Seven-line decorated initial O, of reserved penwork on a ground of yellow wash with red highlighting, fol. 2r.
Two-line initials in red, with penwork in the ink of the text on fols. 2v-3r.
Elsewhere plain two-line initials in red.
First letter of each line touched in red; red rhyme-braces; decorative ascenders and descenders touched with red.
History
Provenance
Bermondsey, Surrey, Cluniac priory and (from 1399) abbey of St Saviour (?): 'Iste liber constat ⟨…⟩ Wyll(el)mus Aylysburrey monachus sancti Saluatoris de Bermudesay' (fol. 30v). (The original owner's name has been erased and W. A. etc. added.) (MLGB3: evidence from an inscription of ownership by an individual member of a religious house (which may not, however, be evidence for institutional ownership)). William Aylesbury likely identifiable as the monk of that name who occurs in 1519 (Griffiths, 383 n. 4).
MS. Rawl. C. 86 - Part II (fols. 31-89, 141-177)
Contents
Language(s): Middle English with a little Latin
Originally blank (?); verses added by the main scribe (all printed Early English Meals and Manners, ed. F. J. Furnivall (1868), 219-220):
Followed by a historical note ‘After þe begynnyng of the worlde in m. iiii. vi yere Brute landyd in Albian and Afore þe incarnac[i]on i m. ix. yere Gogmagog kyng of Albian gave many harde assautes to the Trogannis etc.’ (in full), then breaks off.
A Biblical genealogy (IMEP XXIII.94 gives no other texts). Breaks off imperfect due to the loss of (at least) one leaf after fol. 50.
Diagrams of hands below, one tracing the leaf's watermark; names and pen-trials on fol. 51v, see Provenance.
Fol. 52 is a supply leaf.
Fols. 75-6 apparently supply leaves.
The text extensively corrected.
Given in full IMEP XXIII.94.
First and last given in full in IMEP XXIII.94
Given in full IMEP XXIII.94-5
For fols. 90-140 see below, part III.
Lacking lines 54-117 as printed, due to the loss of a leaf after fol. 141.
Four lines; not in Walther.
Rubric in the original hand, but apparently a later addition.
Begins imperfect owing to the loss of two leaves before fol. 143.
Given in full IMEP XXIII.95
Given in full IMEP XXIII.95
Added (by the original scribe); on the number of counties, towns, parishes, knights' fees in England.
Lacking lines 83-211, 265-316, 367-417 due to the loss of two leaves after fol. 156, one leaf after fol. 157, and one leaf after fol. 158. Fol. 159 (lines 418-481) are a later (16th century) supply leaf; fol. 160r picks up at l. 485, so lines 482-4 are missing.
The quire is filled out by a number of shorter texts all in the original hand:
Verses on prognostication of the weather; four lines (Walter 2825).
The only copy; not in Walther; pr. Anne F. Sutton and Livia Visser-Fuchs, 'Laments for the death of Edward IV: "It was a world to see him ride about"', The Ricardian 11, 145 (1999), 506-524 at 519-20.
Ends imperfect at line 632 due to the loss of a leaf after fol. 177.
Physical Description
Collation
Layout
One column of usually 26-27 lines. No ruling; the paper has been folded to provide vertical guide-lines. Written space approximately 205-225 × 110 mm.
Hand(s)
Mostly one secretary hand; the supply leaves (fols. 52, 75, 76) in another later hand; supply leaf fol. 159 in another hand; both latter hands probably also found in part III.
Decoration
Occasional rubrics in red (e.g. fol. 77r)
Added drawings of hands/gloves, fol. 51r-v (based on the watermark).
Otherwise no decoration.
History
Provenance
Fol. 51v, 'Hamond Span(?)', 'John Samson', possibly John Sampson (d. 1555) of London (Griffiths, 385).
Fol. 80r, 'Thomas Roff(?)', unidentified
Fol. 87v, 'Wylliam Warner the son of Thomas Warner', possibly William Warner (d. 1521) of London (Griffiths, 385).
MS. Rawl. C. 86 - Part III (fols. 90-140)
Contents
Language(s): Middle English
Fol. 90r originally blank, for later pen-trials and additions see Provenance; fol. 90v blank.
Lacking about 70 lines (after l. 628 in Sir Gawain: Eleven Romances and Tales, ed. Thomas Hahn (1995)) due to the loss of a leaf before fol. 137.
A largely illegible note at the bottom of fol. 140r: see Griffiths 386 and Manly-Rickert I.474.
See Provenance.
Physical Description
Collation
Layout
1 col., c. 28-34 lines; no ruling, paper folded to provide vertical guidelines; written space 220-35 × 135 mm.
Hand(s)
Apparently two scribes (A, fols. 90r-124v, 126r-128r6; B, fol. 125r-v, 128r7-140r); predominantly secretary forms.
Decoration
Occasional coloured red initials.
Some rubrics in red.
Plain initials with modest cadels, fol. 128v.
History
Provenance
fol. 90r, various scribbles and pen-trials, and part of a release from 'John Hew' to 'Thomas John' of a property in Sussex; fol. 140v, note of items (including mazers, spoons) delivered 'to the ⟨good wiff⟩ Callwarly'; possibly (Griffiths, p. 386) the London goldsmith William Callawey and his wife Alice.
MS. Rawl. C. 86 - Part IV (fols. 178-189)
Contents
Language(s): Middle English
Rhyme-brackets to fol. 182v.
Fol. 186v blank except for pen-trials.
With genealogical roundels in the margins, outlined in red.
Fol. 189v blank except for pen-trials.
Physical Description
Collation
Layout
1 col., c. 36 lines; no ruling (paper folded for a vertical guide); written space c. 240 × 135 mm.
Hand(s)
Two hands:
Fols. 178r-184r: mostly anglicana, some secretary forms.
Fols. 184v-186r (?John Reve), secretary.
Decoration
2-line plain red initial, fol. 178r; otherwise none.
History
Additional Information
Record Sources
Digital Images
Digital Bodleian (full digital facsimile)
Digital Bodleian (3 images from 35mm slides)
Bibliography
Online resources:
Select printed descriptions:
Abbreviations
View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.
Last Substantive Revision
2022-05: Description fully revised for publication on Digital Bodleian.