Manuscripts collected by William Laud, consisting of Greek, Latin and miscellaneous manuscripts. The collection includes sermons; manuscripts relating to the Bible, theology, Saint Anselm, and Saint Augustine; and four volumes relating to Ireland and Irish affairs collected out of Sir Robert Cotton's library and elsewhere, by Sir George Carew, afterwards Earl of Totnes, and President of the Province of Munster, 17th century.
Dates
- Creation: 7th-17th century
Extent
106.92 Linear metres (972 boxes)
Language of Materials
- Latin
- Greek, Ancient (to 1453)
- Greek, Modern (1453-)
- English
Preferred Citation
Oxford, Bodleian Libraries [followed by shelfmark and folio or page reference, e.g. MSS. Laud Gr. 1].
Full range of shelfmarks:
JL 841: MSS. Bodl. Or. 161, 800, 575,798; MS. Digby Or. 3-36; MS. Elliot 403; MS. Hunt 294; MS. Huntingdon 596; MS. Laud Gr. 1-93; MS. Laud Lat. 1-118; MS. Lat. Liturg. e. 12; MS. Laud Or. 1-3, 5, 9, 15-30, 32-38, 40-56, 58-67, 69-93, 96-99, 101-115, 117-129, 131-138, 141-149, 151-152, 156, 158-167, 169-182, 184-185, 188-199, 201-219, 221-225, 228-229, 231-235, 238-241, 243-246, 248-249, 251-253, 255, 258-260-261, 263, 265, 269, 271-273, 276-288, 290-301, 303-311, 313, 315-317, 319-322, 324-326, 680, 799; MS. Laud Misc. 1-137, 139-555, 557-690, 693-704, 706-759, 761; MS. Michael 113; OR. long B. 159-160, D. 59, 77, 121
Printed Books: Auct. 1 Q 1.7, Auct. M. 3. 15, Auct. Q 1. 1.10; Laud Or. d. 1, 4-7; Laud Or. f. 1-2; Laud Or. e. 1-2; Laud Or. d. 8 (R); Laud Or. d. 2 (R)
Collection ID (for staff)
CMD ID 13066, 13067, 13068, 13069, 13070
Abstract
Laudian Collection
Biographical / Historical
Archbishop William Laud was born on 7 October 1573, the son of a clothier at Reading. He matriculated at St. John's college, Oxford, in 1589, four years after became Fellow, and was President from 1611 to 1621, when he became bishop of St. Davids. His greater promotions came from Charles I, the bishopric of London in 1628, the archbishopric of Canterbury in 1633. As Chancellor of the University from 12 April 1629 to 28 June 1641, he took an active part in its reform and regulation, especially in the preparation of the Laudian Code of Statutes (1636), under which the University lived until 1854. In December 1640 the House of Commons impeached him for treason, but his actual trial did not begin till 12 March 1644, and on 10 January 1645 he was beheaded on Tower Hill in London. Further details are given in the Dictionary of National Biography.
Arrangement
In 1641 the Laudian MSS. were arranged in eleven compartments, lettered A-L, occupying the whole of the S.W. gallery at the Selden End. The arrangement was almost haphazard, except that A-B chiefly contained Oriental MSS. About 1790, when the Auctarium became available, a great upheaval of the collection took place. The Greek MSS. and the Latin Biblical and Classical MSS. were taken out, placed in the new room (in 'Auct. C') and called 'Laud Greek' and 'Laud Latin'respectively. The gaps left in A-I were filled up by volumes taken from the ends of A-L, but all K and L disappeared in the process. Soon after this, probably about 1810-12, the Oriental MSS. were picked out and sent to the Oriental Room, while the entire residue were massed in one clumsy series called' Laud Misc.', in a new haphazard order, and were about the same time removed in turn to the Auctarium.
Other Finding Aids
Full descriptions, in Latin, are in Henry O. Coxe, Catalogi codicum manuscriptorum Bibliothecae Bodleianae pars prima recensionem codicum Graecorum continens (Oxford, 1853; reprinted with corrections, 1969) and 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).
Brief one-line descriptions, with shelfmarks and short titles, are in 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, nos. 300-1601, vol. V, nos. 30592-3, vol. VI, nos. 35185 and 35597.
The illuminated Greek manuscripts in this collection are described in detail in I. Hutter, Corpus der Byzantinischen Miniaturenhandschriften. Oxford Bodleian Library, 4 vols. (Stuttgart, 1977-1982), and the illuminated Latin and vernacular manuscripts are briefly described in O. Pächt and J.J.G. Alexander, Illuminated Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, 3 vols. (Oxford, 1966-1973); with an unpublished supplement containing a concordance of shelfmarks and addenda (1974).
Also see:Uri, J., Bibliothecæ Bodleianæ Codicum Manuscriptorum Orientalium, Videlicet Hebraicorum, Chaldaicorum, Syriacorum, Æthiopicorum, Arabicorum, Persicorum, Turcicorum, Copticorumque Catalogus, Jussu Curatorum Preli Academici a Joanne Uri Confectus. Pars Prima (1 vol., Oxford, 1787), Arab. Moham.
Nicholl, A., and E. B. Pusey, Catalogi Codicum Manuscriptorum Orientalium Bibliothecae Bodleianae Pars Secunda Arabicos Complectens...: Editionem Absolvit Et Catalogum Urianum (1 vol., Oxford, 1821), Arab. Moham.
Beeston, A. F. L, H. Ethé and E. Sachau, Catalogue of the Persian, Turkish, Hindûstânî, and Pushtû manuscripts in the Bodleian Library (3 vols., Oxford, 1889-1953).
Greentree, R., and E. W. B. Nicholson, Catalogue of Malay Manuscripts and Manuscripts Relating to the Malay Language in the Bodleian Library (1 vol., Oxford, 1910).
Neubauer, A., and A. E. Cowley, Catalogue of the Hebrew Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library and in the College Libraries of Oxford : Including Mss. in Other Languages ... Written with Hebrew Characters, or Relating to the Hebrew Language or Literature, and a Few Samaritan Mss (Oxford, 1886).
Also see the Bodleian Medieval catalogue: A catalogue of Western manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries and selected Oxford colleges
Custodial History
For an extensive overview of the collection, see 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, pp. 13-19, Henry O. Coxe, Catalogi codicum manuscriptorum Bibliothecae Bodleianae pars prima recensionem codicum Graecorum continens (Oxford, 1853; reprinted with corrections, 1969) and 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).
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The bulk of the manuscripts was given to the Library by Laud, 1635-41. MSS. Laud misc. 587 and 729 were given to the Library in the 18th century. MS. Laud misc. 760 was bought in 1910 and MS. Laud misc. 761 was bought in 1912.
These items were recorded in the Summary Catalogue as "lost" or "unidentified" at the time of cataloguing:
- 909: Printed book: occurs in 1738 catalogue, but since lost, ‘D 142’.
- 911: Wooden tablets with pictorial almanac for 1636. Manuscript 1750 acquired by the Bodleian Library, ‘D 144’.
- 921: Baculus magicus, see Macray, Annals, p. 84, ‘D 154’.
- 1601: Turkish printed sheet, non-Laudian, ‘L 75’.
664: MS. Laud Lat. 85, Psalter with Calendar (points to Bruges), 13th century, end and 14th century, 280 leaves, blind stamped vellum binding. MS. Frere 141. Manuscript 1817 acquired by the Bodleian Library. Missing since the 1990's.
Separated Materials
915: An image, kept in the Ashmolean coin-room (D 148).
915*: An image, kept in Ashmolean coin-room (D 148*).
- Title
- Laudian Collection
- Status
- Published
- Author
- Collection Level Description by Emily Tarrant; EAD version 2020 by Alice Whichelow
- Date
- EAD version 2020
- 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