Harley MS 2182

Origin:

England or Wales.

Provenance:

William Jones, 16th century: his ownership inscription on f. 1*verso: 'hic liber pertinet ad me Wil[he]lmo Jones'; and his signature inscribed on f. 2*verso: 'William Jones' (not in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972)).

John Bolin, 16th or 17th century: his name inscribed on f. 1*verso ‘per me Johen Bolin’ (not in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972)).

'Stephen Parmeneus', 17th century: his name inscribed on f. 1*verso: 'Stephanus dei gra[tia]'; and f. 185v: 'Stephen Parmeneus' and 'Stephanus' (not in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972)).

George Ellis, 17th-century owner: his ownership inscription on f. 2*recto: 'George Ellis oweth this book' (f. 2*); and his name inscribed on f. 185v: 'Welsh George Ellis' (not in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972)).

'Robyn Rostatrone', 16th-century: his name inscribed on f. 2*recto: 'Robine Rostari[...] is Robert wane name' and 'Robyn Rostatror' (not in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972)).

'John Thomas', 17th century: inscribed with his name on f. 1*recto 'John Thomas' and f. 2*recto: 'John Thomas' [3x] (not in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972)).

'John Twiffe [or Twisse]', 17th-century: his name inscribed on ff. 2*recto, 104r, 106r, 154v, 156r, 166r, 186v, 124v [with the date of 1648], 186v [6x] (not in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972)).

'L. Garffinus', 17th century: his ownership inscription on f. 1r: 'L. Garffinus [?Garstinus] est possessor eius liber' (not in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972)).

Edward Pritchard,17th-century: inscribed with his name on f. 136v: 'Edward Pritchard 1648' (not in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972)).

Walter Havard, 16th century: his signature on f. 150r: 'Walter Havard' (not in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972)).

Ralph Daniell, 17th century: his name inscribed with that of George Ellis on f. 185v: 'Ralph Daniell Welsh' (not in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972)).

Thomas or John Richard, 17th century: his name inscribed on f. 185v: 'Tho: [or Jho:] Richard' (not in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972)).

Roger Edwards, 16th or 17th century: his name inscribed on f. 186v: 'Roger Edwarde' (not in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972)).

Holme family, Chester, arms painters and antiquaries: their pressmark 'A.0.8.i' on f. 1*verso; acquired with other Holmes manuscripts by Robert Harley in 1710 through the mediation of Francis Gastrell, Bishop of Chester (see Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972), p. 194).

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.