Contemporary transcript of archbp. William Laud's diary, Written about A.D. 1643
Contemporary transcript of archbp. William Laud's diary, made after the original was seized from him in May, 1643 (since some pages of the diary had already been burnt before the transcript was made, and this accident is known to have occurred between May 1643 and March 1644), and while it was in the possession of William Prynne.
Prynne made use of the original, and not of this transcript, in preparing for the press his Breviate of the Life of William Laud, and the only other known cause for making an exact transcript is the archbishop's trial. It seems probable, therefore, that this is a copy made for the use of the defence in that trial. In the few passages where words in the original have become indecipherable, this MS. bears out Prynne's readings.
Dates
- Creation: Written about A.D. 1643
Extent
54 Leaves
Language of Materials
- English
Shelfmark
MS. Laud Misc. 761
Other Finding Aids
Falconer Madan, et al., A summary catalogue of western manuscripts in the Bodleian Library at Oxford which have not hitherto been catalogued in the Quarto series (7 vols. in 8 [vol. II in 2 parts], Oxford, 1895-1953; reprinted, with corrections in vols. I and VII, Munich, 1980), vol. V, no. 35597
Henry O. Coxe, Catalogi codicum manuscriptorum Bibliothecae Bodleianae pars secunda codices Latinos et Miscellaneous Laudianos complectens (Oxford, 1885, reprinted in 1973, with numerous corrections and additions, and an historical introduction by R.W. Hunt), Misc. no. 761
Custodial History
Noted by a former owner, Howel Davies (19th cent.), to have been 'found among some old papers'.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Bought at Sotheby's sale, Nov. 25, 1912 (lot 218) by The Bodleian Library.
Physical Facet
On paper
Dimensions
7 7/3 × 3 1/4 in.
Repository Details
Part of the Bodleian Libraries Repository
Weston Library
Broad Street
Oxford OX1 3BG United Kingdom
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