Catalogue of English Legal Manuscripts in Cambridge University Library: With Codicological Descriptions of the Early MSS

The English legal manuscripts in Cambridge University Library form one of the most important collections in the world. The principal treasures derive from the renowned library, containing over 230 volumes, collected by John Moore (d.1714), Bishop of Ely, presented to the University by King George I in 1715. It includes some of the old manuscripts collected by Francis Tate (d.1616), and the working manuscript library of Mr Justice Nicholas (d.1667). The collection also contains medieval statute-books, year-books, medieval and early modern readings and moots in the inns of court, and law reports from the Tudor period down to the reign of Charles II, together with examples of every other major type of manuscript law book in use in England prior to the eighteenth century. As well as being an essential finding-aid, this new catalogue includes a description of the contents of each manuscript, bibliographical notes on the text (listing hundreds of related manuscripts in other libraries), and full codicological descriptions of the medieval manuscripts by Dr Jayne Ringrose. No similar catalogue of English legal manuscripts has ever been published before. Professor J.H. BAKER is Professor of English Legal History at Cambridge University.

Part 1 The university library and the common-law tradition - some principal categories of legal manuscript 1250-1700: medieval statute-books and their contents; instructional material in the medieval books; mnemonic notes; later developments in law teaching; language; formularies; reports of cases. Part 2 Some notes on provenance: the old library; the Royal library - John Moore's collection; William Fletewoode (d.1594); Francis Tate (1560-1616); Geoffrey Palmer (1598-1670); Robert Nicholas (1595-1667); Bulstrode Whitelocke (1605-75); early ownership inscriptions. Appendices: Some constituent legal collections in the Royal library; the English legal manuscripts collected by John Moore; manuscripts in other collections held by the university library. Note on editorial method; the catalogue; table of statutes; tables of law reports - chronological table of reports, index of names of reporters, table of cases mentioned; table of incipits and titles; index of previous owners; index of names; index of subjects.