Add MS 46353

CHARTULARY OF WEST DEREHAM

CHARTULARY OF THE PREMONSTRATENSIAN ABBEY OF WEST DEREHAM, co. Norf.; 1315 (f. 8), with a few later additions. Latin. Contains transcripts of the Abbey's royal and other charters (but not papal privileges, although these are referred to in the title, f. 8) arranged and numbered in topographical sections, and usually omitting the names of witnesses. The places concerned are in cos. Norf., Suff., Linc., and Camb. The first section, for 'Derham', is prefaced by an incomplete table of contents or inventory of the muniments, with pressmarks (ff. 5-7). At least one gathering is lacking at the end after f. 343. 'The earliest charters transcribed are the foundation charter of 1188 (printed in Monasticon Anglicanum, vi, 1830, pp. 899-890), with related deeds, ff. 8b-9; the latest (f. 74) is dated 20 Jan. 8 Edw. II (1315). Additions on fly-leaves, etc., at the beginning and end comprise:-(a) Rental of Holkham, co. Norf.; late 14th cent. ff. 2b-3;-(b) Transcripts, late 15th cent., of two documents relating to an agreement between parishioners of West Dereham and the Abbey concerning tithes; 1323, 1324. ff. 4-4b;-(c) Rentals of 'Barsale' or 'Barshale', Blackborough (in Middleton), 'Wydewere', and 'Polewere' (?in Hilgay), co. Norf.; late 14th cent. ff. 344b - 346. A transcript made from this MS. in 1622 of 277 deeds, mainly relating to Wiggenhall St. Mary, co. Norf., is Stowe MS. 929. G. R. C. Davis, Medieval Cartularies of Great Britain, 1958, no. 307. Vellum; ff. iii+346. 340 x 215 mm. A.D. 1315, with additions as above. Gatherings of 12 leaves with catchwords; lacks at least one gathering after xxix (last). Ff. 1-6, 344 - 346 are fly- or preliminary leaves. 18th-cent. ink foliation 1-337. Written in bookhand, with the titles of the charters and (down to f. 172) the page-heads and numbering of the entries in red, and with spaces left blank for initials. From f. 172b, the numbering of the entries is continued in an 18thcent. hand, also in red. Belonged, 18th cent., to the Stuart family, Barts., of Hartley Mauditt, co. Southt., presumably by descent from Elizabeth, wife of Sir Simeon Stuart, 2nd Bart., daughter and heiress of Sir Richard Dereham, 3rd Bart., d. 1739, of West Dereham (see Tanner, Notitia Monastica, 1744, p. 357, and the name, written as owner, 'Sir Simeon Stuart Bart', f. 8). Subsequently belonged to John Towneley (armorial bookplate, f. i; pressmark 'T.2' in pencil, f. iii; nos. 243 - 244 in the MS. catalogue of his library, where the pressmark is given as T. 4 (Add. MS. 18064, f. 59); R. H. Evans's sale-cat. 22 May 1817, lot 1163); to Richard Heber (R. H. Evans's sale-cat. 10 Feb. 1836, lot 493); and to Sir Thomas Phillipps, Bart. (MS. 8134; Sotheby's sale-cat. 11 Nov. 1946, lot 131). Presented by the Trustees of the Gilson Fund.