Harley MS 1337

Origin:

England.

Written by a London scribe (‘Beryn scribe’), according to Mooney and Matheson (2003).

Provenance:

Richard Browne ('R. Br.'), owned in the 16th century: an inscription recording his gift of the manuscript to John Maylard on f. 1*verso: 'John Maylard ex don. R: Br: Ricc. Browne' (see Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972), p. 80).

John Maylard, owned in the 16th century: according to an inscription on f. 1*verse [see above] (see Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972), p. 236).

? Rychart Vaughan, owned in the 16th century: his inscribed on f. 106r (see Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972), p. 337); perhaps the Richard Vaughan who was bishop of Bangor (1596), Chester (1597), and London (1604-07) [see Mooney and Matheson, 'Beryn Scribe' (2003), p. 360 fn. 38]; perhaps also copied an order by the King [? Henry VIII] summoning the recipient to appear before the Council of Wales and the Marches on f. 48v: ‘Trusty and welbelovyd we grete you / ande woll / and commaunde you upon payne of xl li sterling to the kynges highnes use to be for fetyde that ye be ande ande [sic] personally appere before our Commyssyoners in our marches of wales on the xvth daye of marche next’; the name ‘Vaughan’ is inscribed below a draft of a letter in which he subscribes to the order on f. 49r, now erased: ‘I Commaunde me unto you [...] upon payne of xl li sterling to the Kinges highnes use [...]’.

? Morgan [ap] Jenkyn Vych[u]n, 16th century: his name (‘margan Jenykyn vych[u]n’) inscribed on f. 106r [not in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972)].

? James Vaughan, 16th century: inscribed his full name (‘James Vaȝhan’) on f. 106v’; and his first name (‘James’) twice on f. 1v, and once on f. 106r and (in capitals) on f. 106v [not in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972)].

? John Vaughan, 16th century: his draft of an indenture for an obligation for Roger Vaughan inscribed on f. 106v: ‘Noverint universi per presentes me Joh[annes] Veȝchaun teneri et firmiter obligari Rogerum Veȝchaun [...]’; perhaps also inscribed his first name (‘John’) on ff. 1*verso [not in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972)].

? ‘David Joh[an]nys’, 16th century: his name inscribed on f. 106v [not in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972)].

? ‘Margaret’, 16th century: her name (‘Margret’) twice inscribed on f. 106v [not in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972)].

? 'Thomas Parry', 16th century: his name inscribed below an English verse on f. 106v; and his first name (‘Thomas’) inscribed twice on f. 106r [not in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972)]; perhaps the Thomas Parry (1560), controller of the King's Household, son of Henry Vaughan of Tretower, Cwmdu, Brecknockshire, and who changed his name from 'ap Harry' to 'Parry', probably related to 'Richard Vaughan and Morgan Jenkyn Vychun, father of Thomas Parry (d. 1616), ambassador to France, whose name may be indicated as well (see Mooney and Matheson, 'Beryn Scribe' (2003), p. 360 fn. 38).

? ‘George Parry esquier’: inscribed his name on f. 106r [not in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972)].

Brampton Bryan: The armorial bookplate of Robert Harley bearing the inscription ‘Robert Harley of Bramton Castle in the County of Hereford, Esq.’ is pasted onto f. 1*v. Bramton refers to the Harley family seat Brampton Bryan where which this manuscript may have been kept (see Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972), p. 81).

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.