Harley MS 940

Origin: England.

Provenance:

‘Thomas’, owned in the 15th century: his name inscribed on f. 54v: ‘Thomas [untranscribed] is my name’ (not in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972)).

Edmond Pirton, armiger, owned in the 16th century: his ownership inscription on f. 1*verso: ‘Sum liber Edmondi pirton Armigeri’ (see Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972), p. 276; where he argues that Edmond owned the manuscript after 1645); perhaps he can be identified as the Edmond Pirton, armiger, of Little Bentley in Essex, whose name features in records from the 2nd half of the 16th century; his son was a ‘William Pirton’.

William Pirton ['Pyrton'], armiger, (?) son of Edmond Pirton, owned until 1645: an inscription on f. 1*verso records his gift of the manuscript in September 1645 to Roger Warfilde: ‘Ex dono willielmi pyrto[n] Armigeri Sept[ember] 164[5] (see Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972), p. 276).

Roger Warfilde, owned from 1645: according to the inscription on f. 1*verso (see Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972), p. 348).

Edward Stillingfleet (b. 1635, d. 1699), Bishop of Worcester: his manuscripts were bought for £175 in 1707 by Robert Harley (see Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972), p. 316).

The Harley Collection, formed by Robert Harley (b. 1661, d. 1724), 1st earl of Oxford and Mortimer, politician, and Edward Harley (b. 1689, d. 1741), 2nd earl of Oxford and Mortimer, book collector and patron of the arts.

Edward Harley bequeathed the library to his widow, Henrietta Cavendish, née Holles (b. 1694, d. 1755) during her lifetime and thereafter to their daughter, Margaret Cavendish Bentinck (b. 1715, d. 1785), duchess of Portland; the manuscripts were sold by the Countess and the Duchess in 1753 to the nation for £10,000 (a fraction of their contemporary value) under the Act of Parliament that also established the British Museum; the Harley manuscripts form one of the foundation collections of the British Library.