Add MS 7096

BURY ST EDMUNDS REGISTER: volume ii of the register book of William Curteys, Abbot of Bury 1429-1446; circa 1445-1446. Latin. Origin: England. Fair copy, made from an original draft. Index to ff. 71-217 made in the time of Abbot John Bohun (1453-1469), ff. 217-221. For the first volume of Curteys's register, still in its original binding, see Add. 14848. The contents of the present MS. are listed in Monasticon, iii, pp. 129-130. For a modern description see R. M. Thomson, The Archives of the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk Record Soc., xxi (1980),

pp. 138-139. See also: Davis, Cartularies, no. 130; A. J. Collins, 'The Black-borough Chartulary and the Library of Sir Henry Spelman', BMQ, xi (1936-1937), p. 64, n.3; R. H. Rouse, 'Bostonus Buriensis', Speculum, xli (1966), no. 3, p. 481; T. A. Sandquist, 'The Holy Oil of St Thomas of Canterbury', Essays in Medieval History presented to Bertie Wilkinson, ed. T. A. Sandquist and M. R. Powicke (1969), pp. 330-344; J. W. Elston, 'William Curteys, Abbot of Bury St Edmunds 1429-1446', University of California, Berkeley, Ph.D. thesis 1979. 'S. Edmundi Liber. F or of St Edmunds burrough', in a 16th cent. hand, f. 4v. 'No 22', in pencil, f. 4v. Owned: possibly by Ambrose Jermyn; early 16th cent. f. 5;- Thomas Gooch; 16th cent. f. 4v;- Henry Spelman (d. 1641). Signature, f. 5 and memoranda (eg. f. 223);- John Novell al. Nowell, rector of Hillington, co. Norf., 1709. See Monasticon, iii, p. 129;- Dr Cox Macro (d. 1767). Signature, f. 4v;- Craven Ord (d. 1832). Deposited at the British Museum for the use or Henry Ellis in 1819, see ff. 1-3v. Purchased at the sale of Craven Ord's manuscripts, Evans, 25 June 1829, lot 561.

Vellum; ff. 223. Old foliation, two series: 1-66, 16th cent. through ff. 5-70; 1-197 medieval foliation through ff. 71-221 (lacks old folios 24, 45-72, 77, 145-149, 153-159, 166-169). The following missing old folios are mentioned in the index, suggesting loss of text: old folios 49 (3 times, f. 217v, lines 20-23), 57

(f. 218, line 14), 153 (f. 222 bottom line). The register falls into two sections with different sets of old foliation as follows: ff. 5-70 and ff. 71-221. Gatherings: f. 4 end-paper, ff. 5-7 irregular, i-ix12 (iii lacks 8-12, viii lacks 12), x8, xi10, xii12, xiii10, xiv-xvii8, xviii12 (lacks 8-12), ff. 185-187 irregular, xix10 (lacks 6-9), xx12, xxi10?, xxii6?, ff. 222-223 irregular. Catchwords generally regular from f. 19v. Signatures: generally 1-6 arabic numerals, bottom right-hand corner recto, some cropped; roman numerals, ff. 39-50, 51, 178-184, 188-193. Single columns. Several hybrid hands of medium quality, ff. 217-221 in a secretary hand. Penwork initials, some with red and yellow colour-wash, and grotesques. The following folios are mutilated: ff. 7, 8, 211.

Contents:

1. ff. 1-3v. Letters from Henry Ellis to Craven Ord; 20, 28 Oct., 1819.

2. f. 4. End-paper, with provenance memoranda, etc.

3. ff. 5-38v. Register of rents in kind, chiefly fodder, owed by abbey tenants to the Cellarer, made from abbey records and inquisitions taken 46 and 49 Edward III [1372-1373, 1375-1376], together with a similar record made under Abbot Curteys, 8 Henry VI [1429-1430].

4. ff. 39-70v. Survey, with some rents, of Stanton, co. Suff.

5. ff. 71-217. General register, charters, letters, etc. The Constitutions of Abbot Curteys are at ff. 202-211.

6. ff. 217-221. Index to art. 5 above; 1456-1469.

7. f. 222. Rents due to Bury from Thetford Priory; late 15th cent.