Sir Thomas Bodley's letters to Dr. Thomas James
Digital surrogate of Sir Thomas Bodley's letters to Dr. Thomas James
Link to digital surrogate
Sir Thomas Bodley's letters to dr. Thomas James, the first librarian of the Bodleian, 1599-1612, with a few others from the same. The whole volume was printed by Thomas Hearne, and published in London in 1703 under the title Reliquiæ Bodleianæ, but unfortunately the editor did not unravel the chronological sequence (Bodley very seldom gives the year in his dating), and printed the letters in the haphazard order in which they were at that time bound. They were re-bound in 1898 in chronological order, as determined by the rev. W. D. Macray: and form the chief material for the early history of the Library.
There are three numberings:
- An old one (about 1655 ?) 1-237, of which no. 9 is lost, and 45, 143, 171 are mere errors, or have been long lost: while 84 (from Laurence Bodley) is now at fol. 114 in MS. Bodl. 699*
- Hearne's, 1-231 of which 152 and 179 are non-existent, and 106, 165 are doubled
- The new numbering 1-230; 24, 41, 104, 117 being doubled, so that there are 234 letters now in the volume, of which two, nos. 117b, 221 (foll. 187, 324), were not printed by Hearne, and no. 24a (fol. 46) is from Bodley to dr. George Rives, the Vice-Chancellor, March 27, 1602.
Dates
- Creation: Written A.D. 1599-1612 by Sir Thomas Bodley
Extent
338 Leaves
Language of Materials
- English
Conditions Governing Access
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Preferred Citation
Oxford, Bodleian Libraries [followed by shelfmark and folio or page reference, e.g. MS. Bodl. 699, fols. 1-2]
Shelfmark:
MS. Bodl. 699
Collection ID (for staff)
CMD ID 18115
Abstract
Sir Thomas Bodley's letters to Dr. Thomas James
Biographical / Historical
Sir Thomas Bodley (1545-1613) was a diplomat and scholar. He founded the Bodleian Library, Oxford.
Dr. Thomas James (c. 1573-1629) was Sub Dean of Wells and the Bodleian's first librarian, 1599-1612.
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. II, no. 2541
Custodial History
Manuscript 3025 acquired by the Bodleian Library
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Presumably these letters came to the Library at dr. James's death in 1629; if not in 1620, when he resigned his Librarianship.
Physical Facet
On paper
Dimensions
13 3/8 × 9 1/2 in.
Creator
- Bodley | Sir | Thomas | 1545-1613 | Knight | diplomat, scholar, and founder of the Bodleian Library (Person)
Subject
- James | Thomas | ? 1573-1629 | Bodley's Librarian and Sub Dean of Wells (Person)
- Bodleian Library (Organisation)
- Title
- Sir Thomas Bodley's letters to Dr. Thomas James
- Status
- Published
- Date
- EAD version 2020 by Alice Whichelow
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Bodleian Libraries Repository
Weston Library
Broad Street
Oxford OX1 3BG United Kingdom
specialcollections.enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk