Add MS 45131-45133

WRIOTHESLEY HERALDIC COLLECTIONS

45131-45133. WRIOTHESLEY HERALDIC COLLECTIONS, comprising heraldic, historical and genealogical material from the collections of Sir Thomas Wriothesley, Garter King of Arms 1505-1534. Some sections of the manuscripts are in his own hand, as noted below. A further volume from his collections is Add. MS. 46354. It seems likely that the present manuscripts passed after Wriothesley's death to his successors as Garter, but it is doubtful if 45131 may be identified with the volume referred to (Add. MS. 35213, f. 33) as 'An other old Book on paper hauing som Forms of Burialls gathed by som on for his own pleasur' in the list of certain manuscripts which had formerly belonged to Sir William Dethick, Garter King of Arms 1586-1604, and which Sir Robert Cotton had acquired from their subsequent owner, Jacob Chaloner (1566-1631), arms painter and genealogist. It is possible that the MSS. belonged subsequently to Francis Layton, Yeoman of the Jewel House (circ. 1577-1661), and that they passed through his sons Henry (circ. 1622-1705) and Thomas (d. 1716) to his grandson William Smith (circ. 1652-1735), Rector of Melsonby, N.R., co. York (see letter from Ralph Thoresby to John Anstis, 5 Dec. 1720, in Stowe MS. 749, f. 133). Smith paginated all three volumes, and added indices, lists of contents, etc. (45131, ff. vi, viib, x; 45132, ff. iv, 158-163b; 45133, ff. v-ix); dated notes by him occur in 45131, ff. vi, viib (1718; Jan. 1719) and, with his signature, in 45132, ff. 129b, 158 (18 and 24 Feb. 1719). They belonged subsequently to Sir George Nayler (circ. 1764- 1831), Garter King of Arms (his gothic armorial bookplate forms f. ii in each MS.) and on his death were sold (Sotheby's sale-cat., 25-26 July 1832) to Thomas Thorpe, bookseller; see below for the catalogue numbers and prices. According to Sir Frederic Madden's notes in the Department of MSS. copy of the Sotheby sale-cat. and on a fly-leaf of Harley MS. 4205, the three MSS. were acquired by Sir Thomas Phillipps, Bart., but, if so, he does not seem to have numbered them and there is no other evidence that they were in his possession. Subsequently they passed into the Clumber Library of the Dukes of Newcastle, and the note signed 'E.P.C.' on 45133, f. i, is probably by a member of their family, Pelham-Clinton. The MSS. were sold on the death of the 7th Duke (Sotheby's sale-cat., 14 Feb. 1938): see below for catalogue numbers. Bound uniformly in half-vellum, early 19th cent. (flyleaves of 45131 watermarked 1822), and titled 'Funerals' (45131), 'Funeral Banners' (45132) and 'Wriothesly M. S. S.' (45133) on the spines; these covers are now preserved separately. 45131, f. vii, and 45132, f. iv, are attached to strips of earlier covers (18th cent.?) of marbled paper. Cf. also Brit. Mus. Quart., xii, 1937-1938, pp. 82-85, and pl. xxxii. Presented by Viscount Wakefield of Hythe, G. C. V. O.