Add MS 38132

ff. 1r–39v: Fragments from John Leland’s Collectanea. The manuscript seems to have become separated from the rest of the Collectanea at some point before the middle of the 17th century (see his Itinerary, ed. Lucy Toulmin Smith, 1907, i, p. xxx, ii, p. 117). More than half of it was copied by Stow, who added to his transcript some pieces taken from elsewhere, and copies were subsequently made by Sir William Dugdale in 1677 and for Robert Plot, LL.D., in 1682, both of which are in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. The contents of the manuscript, with the exception of the last three articles, were published by Hearne, from Plot's copy, as an appendix to vol. iv of his edition of the Itinerary. In Toulmin Smith's edition they appear, with the same exception, in vol. ii, pp. 119–68.

The manuscript belonged to Sir Henry St George, Garter King of Arms [1703; see Edward Bernard, Catalogi Librorum Manuscriptorum Angliae et Hiberniae, cum indice (Oxford, 1697), ii, p. 112, no. 4230.] It was later owned by the Reverend Osmund Beauvoir, D.D., F.S.A. (d. 1789; see J. Nichols, Literary Anecdotes, vol. ix, 1815, pp. 351–359), whose bookplate is on f. i. He added a note on the volume (f. ii) and a list of contents (f. iii). Whilst in the possession of Sir Henry St George the volume was bound up with the collection now British Library Add MS 5937; the two were separated by Beauvoir. It then contained a loose sheet in Leland's hand, now lost, relating to Staffordshire families, which was copied by St George. The transcript is now in Add MS 5937, f. 153. The volume afterwards belonged to William Upcott, at whose sale in 1846 it was bought by Sir Thomas Phillipps.

The manuscript is autograph, with the exception of ff. 28r–38r, which was written by a clerk and annotated by Leland.

ff. 1r–2r: Notes in Latin from the life of St Winifred by Robert, Prior of Shrewsbury, and from his account of the translation of her relies to Shrewsbury (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, nos 8849–8851).

ff. 3r–4v: Notes from the life of St Guthlac by Felix (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 3723), and the passage from Ordericus Vitalis (Acta Sanctorum, Apr. ii, p. 50) which sometimes follows it, followed by ‘Versus Felicis.’ Begins, ‘Gursite multarum Cruland ambitur aquarum.’

ff. 4v–5r: Notes in Latin from an anonymous account of the translation of St Guthlac (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, nos 3731, 3732).

f. 5r: Note in Latin on the epitome of Felix's life of St Guthlac [by Ordericus Vitalis] (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 3725).

ff. 5r–6v: Notes in Latin from the ‘liber de abbatibus Croilandensis monasteriis (sic.)’ The complete work is in Cotton MS Vespasian B XI f. 80 and (copied from preceding) Lansdowne MS 429 f. 2.

ff. 7r–8r: ‘Epitaphlum Waldeui comitis [Northumbriae] . . . editum a Gulielmo monacho Croilandensi" (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 8781). Begins, ‘Illustrissimus celebrique memoria.’

ff. 8r–v: ‘Epitaphium metrice eiusdem comitis ab eodem Gulielmo editum’ (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 8781). Begins, ‘Hic Waldeue comes tumularis et incineraris.’

ff. 8v–9v: Extracts ‘ex altero libello de uita Gualdeui comitis a monacho, ut uidetur, Croilandensi scripto, sed longe ante tempora Gulielmi qui Gualdeui comitis epitaphium scripsit’ (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 8779).

ff. 10r–12r: ‘Ex libello incerti autoris de comitibus Huntendun et Northampton’: the ‘Gesta antecessorum comitis Waldevi.’ (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 8778). Begins, ‘Tradunt relationes antiquorum.’ At the end is added ‘Reliqua de Gualdeuo comite quere paulo supra in libello de eius uita.’

ff. 12r–15r: Account of Judith, Waltheof's wife, and her successors, headed ‘Quae sequuntur de Juetta siue Juditha in eodem sunt libello, quae (sic.) superiora de Siwardo comite.’ Begins, ‘Comitissa auten (sic.) Jueta.’

ff. 16r–v: Notes from Dr [John] London on ‘William Perot alias Wikam’ [William of Wykeham, 1324–1404, Bishop of Winchester]. On the back of an undated letter from Leland to ‘Master Bane studient yn Louaine’, asking the recipient to recommend him ‘a toward young man aboute the age of xx. yeres lernid in the latine tunge and uersifiyng: and that beside can yn the Greke tunge sine cortice natare.’ Preceded by a half-sheet of paper on which the earlier part of the notes has been copied in an imitative hand.

ff. 17r–v: ‘Notes concerning certen names and thinges in the history of Croy[land].’ Written on the back of a letter of recommendation (copy, by Leland) for him to see books in the library of Byri [Bury St. Edmunds], dated 9 November, Barnwell.

f. 18r: ‘Notes out of the Abbey of St Edmunds Bury.’

ff. 18v–19r: ‘Ex libello de exequijs nobilium uirorum et abbatum sepultorum in monasterio S[ancti] Edmundi.’

ff. 20r–v: ‘Ex collectionibus Joannis Rowse [alias Rous, 1411?-1491] de antiquitate Oxonij et Achademiae’, probably from his lost work ‘De Academiis Britannicis.’

ff. 21r–v: ‘Ex tabella Joanis Rowse’: list of colleges and halls at Oxford and Cambridge.

f. 22r: Miscellaneous bibliographical and topographical notes in Latin, and notes ‘Ex libro [Joannis] Rowse de episcopis Wigorniensibus’ relating to Warwick.

f. 22v: Further notes in Latin from the same source on St Chad.

ff. 23r–v: Notes in Latin (without a heading) on Oxford from various authors.

ff. 24r–v: Notes in Latin on Salisbury.

ff. 25r–v: ‘Ex libro Joannis Rowse Warwicensis de episcopis Wiccensibus (sic.)’, followed by notes on Worcester from other sources.

f. 25v: Notes in Latin on Warwick from the same.

f. 26r: ‘Ex ueteri sed fabuloso libro incerti autoris de antiquitate Cantabrigiensi.’

f. 26v: Miscellaneous historical notes in Latin, and miscellaneous notes ‘Ex libello Joannis Rowse de achademijs.’

ff. 28r–38v: List in Latin of religious houses in England, arranged by counties and giving the dedication and order of each. Written in a clerk's hand but with additions and corrections by Leland throughout; the concluding portion is entirely by Leland.

f. 39r: Similar list in Latin for Wales, in Leland's hand, arranged by dioceses. Concluding with a note on the number of vills and knights' fees in England.

f. 39v: ‘Nomina episcopatuum Angliae et quot comitatus ad quemlibet episcopatum pertinent.’