Add MS 43703

From the catalogue of Additional Manuscripts:

‘NOWELL TRANSCRIPTS. Vol.I (ff. iii + 268). Transcripts of Old English texts made by Nowell in 1562 at the house of Sir William Cecil, afterwards ist Baron Burghley; see the inscription at f. 264b (cf. that at f. 2). As follows:-(1) The Genealogical Preface to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle made from Cotton MS. Tiberius A. iii, ff. 178-178b (printed by B. Dickins, The Genealogical Preface to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, 1952, pp. 3, 5), a leaf which had been removed (by Cotton?) from Cotton MS. Tiberius A. vi (see Dickins, op. cit., p. 6, and K. Sisam, 'Anglo-Saxon Royal Genealogies', Proceedings of the British Academy, xxxix, 1954, p. 334,

n. 1): for a facsimile of f. 178 for comparison with Nowell's transcript see B. Thorpe, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, i, 1861, plate VII. Nowell fails to incorporate the Cuðred entry added interlinearly by Joscelyn, a fact which suggests that it was not in the MS. when he used it. ff. 5-6b;-(2) Old English version of Bede's Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum from Cotton MS. Otho B. xi, including the detached portions now in Cotton MS. Otho B. x, ff. 55, 58, 62, but not that now in Additional MS. 34652, f. 2, which had been detached before Nowell's time. On additions made by Nowell see Flower, op. cit, pp. 28-29. Readings from Nowell's transcript of Caedmon's Hymn (ff. 146-146b) are printed by E. V. K. Dobbie in his textual notes to that text in The Anglo-Saxon Minor Poems, 1942, pp. 106- 107, under the reference C. ff. 7-198;-(3) Preliminary matter (description of Britain, etc.) copied from Bodleian MS. Laud Mise. 636. ff. 199-199b;-

(4) A version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle presumably also from Cotton MS. Otho B. xi (referred to by Plummer as A, since it is closely related to the Parker Chronicle), and including the poem on the Battle of Brunanburgh. On Nowell's transcript of the latter see A. Campbell, The Battle of Brunanburh, 1938, Appendix I. At the top Of f. 200 Nowell has written 'Chronica conseruata in monasterio S. Martini', presumably because such an inscription appeared in Cotton MS. Otho B. xi. ff. 200-232;-(5) Laws of Athelstan, viz.:-(a) ff. 233-236, 265 = F. Liebermann, Die Gesetze der Angelsachsen, 1903, i, pp. 150-164 (II As); (b) ff. 265-266 = Liebermann, op. cit., pp. 166-168 (VAs); (c) ff. 266-267b = Liebermann, op. cit., PP. 474-476 (Judex);-(6) Laws of Alfred and Ine, Liebermann, op. cit., pp. 16-123 passim (Af-Ine). ff. 236b-255;-(7) A legal tract which apparently followed the Laws of Alfred and Ine in Cotton Otho B. xi. Printed by R. Flower, London Medieval Studies, i, 1937, p. 62. f. 255, ll. 12-19;-

(8) The Burghal Hidage, printed by R. Flower, ibid., p. 60 and J. Robertson, Anglo-Saxon Charters, 1939, Appendix II, no. I. ff. 25Sa-255b;-

(9) A note of the number of hides required to maintain the defence of certain lengths of wall. Printed by Robertson, op. cit., Appendix II, no. I. ff. 255b-256;-(10) Poem on the Seasons of Fasting, beg. 'Wæs on ealddagum israheala folc', ends 'fisc on flode'. Printed by E. V. K. Dobbie, op. cit., pp. 98-104. ff. 257-260b;-(1) Leechdoms. Most of these occur also in Royal 12 D. xvii, 'Bald's Leech-book'; for a list and references to Cockayne's edition of them see N. R. Ker, Catalogue of Manuscripts containing Anglo-Saxon, 1957, p. 233. ff. 261-264b. Owing to damage sustained by Cotton MS. Otho B. xi in the fire at Ashbumham House in 1 73 1, artt. 7-11 are now wanting in that MS. and for them Nowell's transcript remains as the unique authority. On ff. 1b, 3 b-4, 268 are several miscellaneous notes also in Nowell's hand.’