Magna Carta and other Statutes of the Realm, in Latin and Law French [England, early 14th century; after 1305 and probably before 1327]

c.90x60mm, vellum, iv(paper)+ii+204+iv+iv(paper) leaves, collation: i6, ii–xxv8, xxvi8-2 (last two missing, else complete), catchwords and quire signatures, 17 lines (c.57x35mm), one red penwork initial, spaces left for others, running headings somewhat cropped, worn and dirty, f.86 torn, the outer margin of f.174 excised, with 18th(?)-century endpapers, disbound but with vestiges of sewing

Provenance

(1) Doubtless made for the personal use of a lawyer; there seem to be no statutes securely datable to later than 1306, and the absence of any from the reign of Edward III strongly suggests that the manuscript was written before his reign. (2) With the loosely inserted carte de visite of ‘Mr. Heywood Eliot’ (late 19th century?). (3) The Estate of Corlies Maynard.

Text

Chapter-list of the first six items in the volume (f.1r), followed by a list of the contents (f.6r) as follows: Magna carta (f.7r, with the inspeximus of 28 March 1300), Provisiones de Merton (f.20r), De Marleberge (f.26v), Westmonasterii primi (f.41v, in French), De Gloucestre (f.75v, followed by the Explanationes, f.85r), Westmonasterii secundi (f.87r), De mercatoribus (f.168r, in French), De emptoribus terrarum (f.172v), De religiosis (f.174v), De Wintone (f.176v, in French), Circumspecte agatis (apparently omitted from the main text), De regia prohibitione (f.183r), De finibus (f.185r), De coniunctim feoffatis [1306] (f.190v), De bigamis (f.194v), De wardis et releviis (f.197v, in French), De quo warranto (f.199r), De conspiratoribus [1305] (f.202r), Compositio mensurarum (f.203r), De visu franciplegii (f.203v, in French), ending imperfect just a few lines from the end. The rear flyleaves contain added notes, beginning imperfect, on the reigns of kings of England until the death of Edward III.