20 lines on vellum, 230x240 mm, in brown ink, in a large well-written Romanesque hand, undated, c.1201. The fine green heraldic seal is attached by a striped linen cord and shows on the obverse three leopards passant and the legend "Sigill: Huberti: de: Burgo" and on the reverse a standing figure and the legend "Celo: Secretum." (Minimal wear and staining, with four tiny holes, but otherwise in excellent condition.) A very fine charter in Latin as chamberlain to King John by which Hubert de Burgh grants to the Cistercian House of Abbey Dore in Herefordshire the land at Linchoit which Henry II had given to the Abbey but which had come into Hubert's hands as governor of Herefordshire when King John gave him Grosmont and the land around it. The grant is conditional on four priests praying forever for his soul and that of the king. Witnesses include John de Kilpac, Walter de Muchegros and Henry de Grosmont.
Boyarin, Adrienne Williams, Ravana Eagleheart, James Kendrick, Lynnea Ness, and Merridy Peters. "Medieval Manuscripts and Fragments at the University of Victoria: An Early Grant of Hubert de Burgh, Constantine the African's Translation of Isaac Israeli, and a Mendicant Breviary between Italy and Croatia." Florilegium 33 (2016): 193-232. https://dspace.library.uvic.ca/handle/1828/11170.
Facsimile images available through UVic Libraries Digital Collections.
13 lines in Latin, on vellum, in an attractive large hand, ca. 5 1/2x1 ins. [140x410mm], indented at the foot. Very slightly browned and rubbed in places; a handsome document in good clear condition. Grant by Petrus Veremudi of Andradi to the Monastery of Saint John of Calvary of all his inheritance around the church of Saint Eulalia at Bureganes, and other inheritances including lands near the church of Saint Martinus at Porto and near Monte Nigro, on condition that a daily mass should be said for his soul and for the sins he had committed in the Monastery of St. John and in other places. The grant is to be placed in the hands of the Abbot Martinus, and is made for the benefit of those clerics who persevere in the holy life. The document concludes with the extraordinary admonition that "if any one of my lineage or anyone else should violate the provisions of this document may curse and excommunication and malediction befall him and may he be damned in hell like Judas and may he be accursed unto the seventh generation". The document has the names of two witnesses, Matthias and Gundisaius (i.e. Gonzales), and is confirmed at the foot in the name of the donor, and is signed by the scribe Johannes with his name and his large notarial mark of a decorated cross. Dated in the reign of King Alfonso (Alfonso IX, last king of Leon, 1188-1250), during the Archbishopric of Bernardus and in the see of Martinus, Bishop of Mondonedo.
Images
Facsimile images available through UVic Libraries Digital Collections.
Grant pertaining to rent and tenancy on parchment, 29.5mm x 13.5mm. 14 lines in Latin in one English documentary cursive hand. Dated 3 May 1356 (30 Edward III), and marked on verso as read and enrolled in the Husting Court of Common Pleas on 16 May 1356 (i.e., the Monday before the feast of St. Dunstan). Two parchment seal tags intact but lacking seals (remnants of red wax visible on each). Evidence of one horizontal fold (mid-level) and two vertical folds show that the document was once folded. Signature on verso: ‘lucas’
One leaf, 14 lines of Latin script in dark brown ink. Additional notes on verso (3.5 lines plus endorsements). Stylized capital ‘S’ at the beginning of grant (crossed with four points). Further notes on people and place names housed with document.
Donated to the University of Victoria by Bruce and Dorothy Brown in 1991. Purchased by the Browns from Maggs Bros. Ltd. (London).
Simon Bonde, Johanna Bonde, John de Wyrhale, Thomas fil Simon Dolsley, Adam of Salesbury, Roger Carter, Simon Franceys, Thomas de Brandon, Walter Forestier, John Not, John de Gone Wardeby, John Bole, Nicholas Chaucer, William de Hanamstede, Roger Rotour, Thomas de Bouwode, Lucas (common clerk named on dorse).
London, Cordewaner Street, St Mary Aldermary (parish), “Wodhull Ciergier” (?)
Transcription* and summary description (PDF) by Alanna Blackall, as part of coursework for a manuscript studies class with Dr. Adrienne Williams Boyarin (ENGL), April 2015.
* Transcription practice follows Raymond Clemens and Timothy Graham, Introduction to Manuscript Studies (Ithaca, 2007), pp. 75-77.
Facsimile images available through UVic Libraries Digital Collections.
Charter confirming and continuing the earlier grants and donations to the Augustinian Priory of Newnham in Bedfordshire by William de Beauchamp and other benefactors. 1 large page on vellum, ca. 22x27 1/2 ins. [560x700mm], 54 lines in Latin in a good upright gothic hand, commencing with a large illuminated initial letter 'T', ca. 5 3/4x4 1/2 ins., in gold, silver, red, blue, and white, containing the Mowbray arms within blue and white tracery over a gold coronet. London, 14 November 15 Richard II (1391). Small holes and splits in folds, but in sound and satisfactory condition.
Lahey, Stephanie J. "On the Origin and Provenance of Victoria, McPherson Library, Doc.Brown.4: Sir Thomas Mowbray's Care of Newnham Priory." Florilegium 33 (2016): 63-91. https://dspace.library.uvic.ca/handle/1828/11171.
Introduction: Legal Land Legacies of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries: An Introduction to the Early Indentures Held at the University of Victoria (PDF) by Ken Streutker.
Detailed description and full transcription (PDF) by Ken Streutker in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts, University of Victoria, Department of English, August 2016.
Document signed by William Cecil, Lord Burghley ("W Burghley"), Lord Treasurer of England, and by John Fortescue, Chancellor of the Exchequer, "for and behalf of our soveraigne Lady the Queen", a counterpart indenture by which the Queen mortgages the manors of Whitwood in the West Riding of Yorkshire and Finningly Grange in Nottinghamshire to the great navigator Sir Martin Frobisher. 1 page large oblong folio on vellum, in English, c.11 1/2x22 1/2" [i.e. 23 1/4"; 295x590 mm], signed at the foot by Burgley and Fortescue. Fortescue's seal is attached by the original vellum tag; Burghley's seal is lacking although the seal tag is present.
700 x 953mm large oblong folio, 51 lines in Latin on parchment. Ruled in pencil with visible pricking on left and right edges. Elaborate first line, with high flourished ascenders and initial letter E (of “Edwardus”) decorated with strapwork and Yorkist roses. Records confirmation of a decision made by the Barons of the Exchequer against Edward IV, regarding entitlement to a tanner’s stall in the Parish of St. Mary le Bow in London, citing a series of decisions in the rolls of Henry VI. Signed at line 51 by a chancery scribe (“Fforde”). Remnants of original Exchequer seal still attached to parchment tongue. Generally in good condition, with some small holes and wear at fold lines that minimally affect text; parchment has been repaired on bottom left side (at fold), but with no apparent loss of text. Additions in Latin and English describe content: at the left margin between lines 20 and 21 (“liberum burgage”) and on the dorse side (see below), both in an early modern hand (mid-sixteenth-century?). Additional material related to content and provenance is housed with the document.
Transcription* (PDF) by Brooke Isherwood, in collaboration with Dr. Adrienne Williams Boyarin (ENGL), as part of coursework for her manuscript studies class, December 2015.
* Transcription conventions follow Raymond Clemens and Timothy Graham, Introduction to Manuscript Studies (Ithaca, 2007), pp. 75-77.
Royal Letters Patent granting to William Babington, Esquire of the Body, the Lordship and Manor of Broadway in Worcestershire. 1 page large oblong folio on vellum, ca. 19 1/2x30 ins. [495x763 mm], 54 lines in Latin in a good departmental hand. Initial letter is a double portrait of Philip and Mary enthroned as King and Queen of England and Spain, ca. 5 1/2x4 ins., in ink and wash within the initial letter "P" of interlacing strapwork. The calligraphic first line is attractively decorated with large strapwork initial letters, and the upper margin is adorned with heraldic emblems. Richmond, 27 July, 5 and 6 Philip and Mary (i.e. 1558). The unusual form of dating derives from the fact that Mary had reigned alone for a year before her marriage to Philip. One light brown stain and a small hole in the blank right margin. A good impression of the great seal of Philip and Mary, with on one side the king and queen enthroned, on the other side on horseback, is attached by the original green and white plaited laces. The seal is complete apart from minor peripheral chips, but is scored by heat from a diagonal repair.
Privy Council Letter of her reign, addressed to the High Sheriff and Commissioners for the Musters of the County of Norfolk, ordering them to levy a force of 100 men to serve in Ireland because of "the contynuance of the troubles there." 2 pages folio with integral address leaf [336x463 mm, folded once, letter on the two sides of one of the resulting leaves, the address on one side of the other leaf] (seal tear professionally repaired), Richmond, 15 Jan. 1599. Signed by Sir Thomas Egerton, later Lord Ellesmere, Master of the Rolls; Thomas Sackville, Lord Buckhurst, the poet, Lord Treasurer; Charles Howard, Earl of Nottingham, who had held chief command against the Armada, Lord High Admiral; George Carey, Lord Hunsdon, Elizabeth's cousin, Lord Chamberlain; Roger North, Treasurer of the Queen's Household; William Knollys, Comptroller of the Queen's Household; Robert Cecil, later Earl of Salisbury, Secretary of State; Sir John Fortescue, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Sir John Popham, Lord Chief Justice.
Facsimile images available through UVic Libraries Digital Collections.
Letter (in Spanish) signed "Yo El Rey", to the Marques de Ayamonte, Governor of Milan. 1 page folio [283x207 mm] countersigned by Philip's Secretary of State Antonio Perez, and with address, contemporary endorsements and paper seal on the verso [as well as two modern ink stamps by an Italian dealer]. San Lorenco el Real, xxij de Septiembre MDLXXVij. A few small holes caused by ink corrosion, in clear and legible condition with good signatures. Antonio Perez was for many years Philip's closest counsellor and chief minister. He fell from favour and incurred the king's deadly enmity when he fell in love with Philip's mistress the Princess of Eboli, and was forced to flee abroad. He was given asylum in England, where as 'Don Antonio' he became a well-known figure at court and a close friend of Francis Bacon and the Earl of Essex. His relationship with Queen Elizabeth's Jewish physician Roderigo Lopez is believed to have suggested to Shakespeare the character of Shylock's enemy Antonio in 'The Merchant of Venice'.
Transcription* (PDF) by Emma Fanning, as part of coursework for a manuscript studies class with Dr. Adrienne Williams Boyarin (ENGL), April 2015.
* Transcription practice follows Raymond Clemens and Timothy Graham, Introduction to Manuscript Studies (Ithaca, 2007), pp. 75-77.
Facsimile images available through UVic Libraries Digital Collections.
Builder of the Sistine Chapel, which was named after him. Papal bull in his name, confirming Galeatio Marscotti in his position as Officiali Officialatus of the church of Saint Petronius in Bologna. 1 page oblong folio on vellum (285x525mm) in Latin in a good italic hand, with an attractive calligraphic first line. Dated Rome, 18 Oct. 1471. The lead bulla of Sixtus IV in fine condition is attached by the original pink and yellow plaited cords. A few small holes not affecting the sense of the text; the document is in generally excellent condition.
Transcription* (PDF) completed by Seth Johnson, with corrections and amendments by Kenna Bathea, as part of coursework for a manuscripts studies class with Dr. Adrienne Williams Boyarin (ENGL), December 2016.
* Conventions follow Raymond Clemens and Timothy Graham, Introduction to Manuscript Studies (Ithaca, 2007), pp. 75-77.
Facsimile images available through UVic Libraries Digital Collections.
Alexander VI, born Rodrigo Borgia (1431-1503) Pope 1492-1503; father of Cesare and Lucrezia. Papal Bull In The Name Of Alexander VI, addressed to three clerics in Dalmatia; the Archbishop of Ragusa, the Bishop of Sigenik, and the Vicar of Veglia; concerning the acquisition of the revenues of the Church of St. Lorenz in Veglia by Zacharias de Garzoni, knight of the Order of St. John St. Peter's, Rome, 8 October 1494. 1 page large oblong folio on vellum, ca. 380x635 mm 35 lines in Latin with large initial letter 'A' (of Alexander), calligraphic firstline, and signatures of various officials at the foot.
Norfolk, Charter. Description and transcription* (PDF) completed by Scott Matthews (with assistance from Dr. Adrienne Williams Boyarin), as part of work for a manuscript studies course with Dr. Williams Boyarin (ENGL), June 2022.
* Transcription conventions follow Raymond Clemens and Timothy Graham, Introduction to Manuscript Studies (Cornell UP, 2007), pp. 75-77.
Facsimile images available through UVic Libraries Digital Collections.
Court record from the beginning of the reign of James I. The document is in Latin court hand and notes the transfer of land from Thomas and Robert Whitney to a knight.
Facsimile images available through UVic Libraries Digital Collections.
Manuscript on parchment, roughly 530mm x 330mm, with 37 lines of Latin written in a cursive documentary hand of the first quarter of the fifteenth century. Unevenly trimmed and badly damaged. Torn around edges, especially at top and right, with two parchment patches over holes, the smaller of which extends from the top edge into the fourth line of text; the larger (90mm in height) disrupts lines 3-11. Some text and part of notarial countersignature at bottom edge lost due to trimming; general staining and discoloration throughout due to water and mold, some wormholes. The document was acquired rolled but is now housed flat; patterns of wear and creasing suggest that it was once folded quite small. A later cursive hand on the verso identifies the text as a notarial procurement: “Procura” and “Procura not(ari)al res.”
Spain (Catalonia, Girona and Barcelona)
Purchased by Jonathan Bengtson from Monte Cristo Rare Books, 2014.
Arnaldus Barnesii and Petrus de Mathamala
Arnaldus de Mathamala, Johannes Puyol, Johannes ça Roupa, Martinus Thomas, Petrus de Montecatheno, Jacobus Vitalis
Petrus de Podio, Johannes Serra
21 March 1416 (notarization) and 19 January 1424 (document)
Barcelona, Girona, Cassà de la Selva (Caciano de Silva), Matamala, Montcada (Montecatheno), Llagostera (Locustaria)
Large initial “N” decorated with small face
Partial transcription* and description (PDF) by Owen Hann and Shawna Laursen, as part of coursework for a manuscript studies class with Dr. Adrienne Williams Boyarin (ENGL) April 2015.
* Transcription practice follows Raymond Clemens and Timothy Graham, Introduction to Manuscript Studies (Ithaca, 2007), pp. 75-77.
Receipt by Peter de Marthelay received from John de Hawkesworth, rector of the church of Gyselay [Guisley] fifty shillings for rent of Lofthouse in Sualeyngmore, in London, manuscript on vellum, 7 lines, one red wax seal of a lion rampant with good impression, with tie, folds, slightly creased, small stain on lower edge, 64 x 203mm., Feast of St Martin [11th November], 1361. Lofthouse, 3 miles north of Wakefield.
Purchased from Monte Cristo Rare Books
Facsimile images available through UVic Libraries Digital Collections.
Doctoral diplomas such as this were proud symbols of the new graduate's place in society. The history of the Roman universities has been a subject of much recent scholarship, making this diploma in civil and canon law from the University of Rome (Studium Urbis) of particular interest to scholars studying the history of education, the city of Rome, and the papal curia. It is a very attractive object (perfect for exhibitions celebrating graduations or the history of script), and is equally of interest to modern calligraphers.
One sheet, written in an elegant italic script in thirty long lines, framed on three sides with a gold rule, headings and names in gold capitals, one six-line gold initial, stamp in the lower margin with the initials “S. B.” and motto “Elevat Et Illustrat,” folded, part of reverse darkened and soiled (equivalent to one folded square), upper margins slightly soiled, seal lacking, otherwise well preserved.
Full dealer description (PDF).
Provenance: Purchased from Les Enluminures, Ltd. on the MSSF Fund, 2018.
Facsimile images available through UVic Libraries Digital Collections.
Physical Features: one large piece of parchment, with writing in black ink on one side. Large, red wax seal is intact and hangs from the document. A large, initial /E/ for “Elizabeth” was planned but never added in, resulting in a significant empty block in the top left corner of the text; a small guide-letter is visible. Written in a court hand.
Mentions Elizabeth I and James VI/I.
38.5mm x 50mm (parchment); 9mm x 9mm (seal)
Facsimile images available through UVic Libraries Digital Collections.
Letter written in pen and brown (possibly iron gall) ink on linen chain-and-laid, medium weight, cream-coloured paper with watermark. Letter is dated 1402 and was sent from the city of Venice to Damascus, Syria. A translation of the letter lists the author as Giovanni Contarini (son of Nicolo) and the recipient as his cousin Donato Soranzo.
22 x 29.5 cm
No description available.
No facsimile images available at this time.
Physical Features: a single sheet of parchment folded into eighths, with writing in black ink all on one side with details written on the verso of one fold (intended as a label when the sheet is folded up). Writing is in a late secretary hand.
Content: document makes an inventory of the Sandon estate, situates it within the locale in regards to landmarks &c. and details who will inherit the property from the current owner (hereditary). The beginning of the text is in Latin, switching into English for the majority of the page before switching back to Latin for the ending.
Measurements: 34mm x 30mm
Facsimile images available through UVic Libraries Digital Collections.
Physical Features: a single sheet of paper, folded into eighths. Main text in black ink on one side with various notes written on verso. Writing is in a late Elizabethan secretary hand with a distinctly flowing, messy quality, likely the result of an overloaded pen. Lower right corner of the paper is cut and folded in, with a small, red wax seal pressed between this fold and the main sheet. Possibly the personal seal
of William Hanum, as his signature appears partially over top of this feature (suggesting a sort of authentication procedure).
Content: an indenture between Lady Elizabeth Griffin of Yardley and tenant William Hanum, which “endes at Mich(aelmas) 1630” as indicated by a note on the verso of the document. Likely the Lady's copy, as the outside indicates this document to be the “counterparte” of Hanum's. Attested by George Symons.
Measurements: 35mm x 45mm
Facsimile images available through UVic Libraries Digital Collections.
Physical Features: four large sheets of parchment, main text on one side of each sheet in black ink, written in an Elizabethan secretary hand. A red wax seal is intact, hanging from the document on a strip. There is evidence of a spot where a second seal would have hung, but nothing survives.
Content: an indenture between George Symons and George Corkoram, both of Colompton, Devon, drafted at the Inner Temple of London. Marginalia present and many signatures.
Measurements: 55mm x 67mm
Facsimile images available through UVic Libraries Digital Collections.
Physical Features: four large sheets of parchment, main text on one side of each sheet in black ink, written in an Elizabethan secretary hand. Little remains of a red wax seal which once hung from the document, likely of a similar nature to the original. Document features extensive damage especially when compared to original copy, with many areas of text on some pages rendered illegible.
Content: copy of an indenture between George Symons and George Corkoram, both of Colompton, Devon, drafted at the Inner Temple of London. No evidence of the witness signatures which were present on the other copy, further identifying this document as the copy.
Measurements: 55mm x 67mm
Facsimile images available through UVic Libraries Digital Collections.
Introduction: Legal Land Legacies of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries: An Introduction to the Early Indentures Held at the University of Victoria (PDF) by Ken Streutker.
Description and transcription (PDF) by Ken Streutker in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts, University of Victoria, Department of English, August 2016.
Introduction: Legal Land Legacies of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries: An Introduction to the Early Indentures Held at the University of Victoria (PDF) by Ken Streutker.
Description and transcription (PDF) by Ken Streutker in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts, University of Victoria, Department of English, August 2016.
Facsimile images available through UVic Libraries Digital Collections.
Introduction: Legal Land Legacies of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries: An Introduction to the Early Indentures Held at the University of Victoria (PDF) by Ken Streutker.
Description and transcription (PDF) by Ken Streutker in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts, University of Victoria, Department of English, August 2016.
Introduction: Legal Land Legacies of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries: An Introduction to the Early Indentures Held at the University of Victoria (PDF) by Ken Streutker.
Description and transcription (PDF) by Ken Streutker in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts, University of Victoria, Department of English, August 2016.
Introduction: Legal Land Legacies of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries: An Introduction to the Early Indentures Held at the University of Victoria (PDF) by Ken Streutker.
Description and transcription (PDF) by Ken Streutker in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts, University of Victoria, Department of English, August 2016.
Single sheet of paper 300 x 420 mm, folded to make bifolium, writing on one side only. Letter of Thomas Jermy to William Paston (d. 1610), 37 lines in English plus signature, with address and note of sender. Creasing and wear patterns suggest entire sheet was previously folded quite small with address on the outside. Letter and address are in one hand (Thomas Jermy’s); note on sender ("Jarmes laste lettre") is possibly in William Paston’s hand; initials and date notation of eighteenth-century Norfolk antiquarian Francis Blomefield are at foot of letter. Paper is somewhat stained and damaged, especially along fold lines, but damage has been stabilized by repairs, including grafted modern paper, notwithstanding minor text loss at lower right corner. The letter was donated to University of Victoria in 1985 by Dorothy Sweet. She found it among the belongings of her parents, who had unknowingly inherited it (in chests of drawers with other abandoned papers) when they purchased their Cornwall home in 1953. Ownership before 1953 is unknown, though the letter clearly came into the hands of Francis Blomefield sometime before his death in 1752. Documents related to ownership history are housed with the letter.
A large part of the wider archive of Paston Family Letters (mostly fifteenth-century, but some sixteenth-century) was digitized for open access by the British Library in April 2015. See: http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2015/04/the-paston-letters-go-live.html
Transcriptions* and description (PDF) by Brenna Hussey, as part of coursework for a manuscript studies class with Dr. Adrienne Williams Boyarin (ENGL), April 2015.
* Transcription practice follows Raymond Clemens and Timothy Graham, Introduction to Manuscript Studies (Ithaca, 2007), pp. 75-77.
Facsimile images available through UVic Libraries Digital Collections.
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