PREFACE.*

IN preparing the following pages for the press, seven Manuscripts have been used, two as forming the text, and five as affording various readings.

I. MS. Cosin.-A Manuscript upon paper, of the quarto size, marked B. II. 11, in the Episcopal Library of Durham founded by Bishop Cosin, and containing, I. An Exposition of the Catechism. 2. Hegg's Legend of St. Cuthbert, to which are prefixed lists of the bishops of Hexham, Candida Casa, Lindisfarne, Chester-le-Street, and Durham to 1660. 3. "This booke doth conteine a discription or briefe declaratio of all the ancient Monuments Rites and Customes, belonginge or beinge wthin the Monasticall Church of Durham before the suppression written 1593"; and, 4. “An act for â publike thanksgiuinge to allmightie God euerye yeare on the fift of nouember. Anno Jacobi Regis tertio." The book is in the same hand from beginning to end, and the period of its compilation is proved by the last article of its contents to be subsequent to the year 1606. It was probably written about the year 1620, or 1630, but certainly before the Great Rebellion. The title of the Legend of St. Cuthbert, "The History of The Church of Durham, written by Stephen Hegg," is inscribed by Bishop Cosin in the more distinct hand of his earlier life, indicating that the volume belonged to him before his elevation to the See of Durham. Moreover, in the list of the bishops of Durham, "Tho. Moorton, 1632," is in the first hand, while "John Cosin, 1660," is a later addition. In the absence of any earlier authority, this Manuscript constitutes the text of our pages to p. 23, with additions and various readings from the other sources hereafter specified.

* This preface is the former one of 1844, with some adaptations and additions.

I

II. A manuscript Roll, sixty-seven feet in length, and six inches in breadth, of which the writing occupies five inches and a quarter, and consisting of sixty-five pieces of paper stitched together with thread, belonging to Thomas Jefferson Hogg and John Hogg of Norton, in the county of Durham, Esqrs., who very obligingly permitted the Society to make use of it for the earlier edition of this publication. Their present representative has extended the same favour to us now. This Roll is written in a bold hand, at a period certainly not much later than the date which the compilation itself in the Cosin MS. purports to bear, the year 1593. The following memoranda occur at some of the joinings of the sheets in dorso, indicating probably that it was copied by more scribes than one, of whom these may be the names :—“ 2nd pt Mr. Iles, following the 2d pt"; "3rd pt of the 2nd pt, following Mr. Iles"; "John Wright," "Thomas Wright," "Brien Iles his 5te pte." Of these persons no record has been found. It is much to be regretted that this Roll does not contain the whole of the original compilation. It commences only with the battle of Neville's Cross; but, as it is manifestly of higher date and authority than the Cosin MS., the latter is after p. 23 rejected as the basis of our text, and is afterwards only used for subsidiary purposes: the Roll, from the page referred to, to the end of the book, is our chief authority. It was used by Hutchinson.-See his Durham, II, 63n.

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III. MS. Hunter, No. 45, upon paper, in quarto. This is a book of a very miscellaneous nature. It appears to have belonged originally to persons of the names of Gabriel Archer and John Archer of Malton, as a school book, and from them to have passed into the hands of Theophilus Brathwaite, who, as he himself says in a pedigree of the family of Radclyffe of Threshfield, in the

Since unstitched and pasted on linen.

county of York, which he recorded in one of its pages in the year 1655, "was borne at Nunburnholm, the tenth day of January 1595, and was baptized the 18th day following, his godfathers Mr. Mawburne of Holm in Spaldingmore, Mr. Longley near Pocklington, and Mrs. Percy of Harswell godmother"; and that on the 11th day of October, 1624, being then "of the city of Yorke, Esqr. one of the gentlemen sewers to his late Majesty of famous memory Kinge Charles," he married Annabella, eldest daughter of Charles Radclyffe of Threshfield, Esq., by whom he had three daughters. When the book came into Mr. Brathwaite's possession it contained much blank paper, which he has filled up with entries equally miscellaneouspedigrees of the Sovereigns of Europe, of the Emperors of Rome, biographical notices of Archbishops of York, and what more concerns us, a sparsim transcript of numerous portions of the Record, which is printed in its entire state in the following pages, together with many very valuable additions, bringing it down to his own time. It is to be regretted that portions of the document are here wanting. They were probably contained in "the ould booke" to which he refers (see p. 21 hereafter), and of which nothing is now known. Of this manuscript we have made much use under the reference H. 45.

IV.

MS. Hunter, No. 44, Tract 10, upon paper, in quarto. This is the latest of our MS. authorities, and appears to have been written subsequently to the Restoration. It has furnished a few various readings referred to under H. 44; but it alone, says Raine's Surtees edition of 1844, contains an account of the painted windows which decorated the church of Durham at the time of its compilation. Appendix I, pp. 109–122. In the present edition this description is printed from a much earlier copy in the Bodleian Library, MS. Rawlinson B. 300, c. 1603. The MS. is a folio entitled "A booke of the

recordes of Duresme. A little treatise . . . for the most part translated forth of Latine into English the first day of August Anno d'ni 1603. Anno regni regis Jacobi etc. primo." On fo. 14v. begins :-"A discription of the histories," etc. The writing appears to be of about the

above date.

MSS. C., H. 44, and Gough Durham 15 contain the same description as the Rawlinson MS. ; the differences among the MSS. are not of much importance.

V. MS. Lawson, referred to as L. This MS. belongs to Sir John Lawson, Bart., of Brough Hall, Catterick, and is a folio (121⁄2 in. by 734), very clearly written in a book well bound in old calf, with book-plate of the arms of "Sr Henry Lawson, BART." The first 93 pages contain the whole of "Rites" not including the "Histories in the Glass Windows." Then follows, on pp. 93 to 122, the tract on the Bishops of Durham, in English, printed by Allan in 1779; the remaining portion of the book, about two-thirds, is blank. A marginal note at the end of the written portion says that the translation of the tract on the Bishops was made in 1603, “And this Copy taken 1656." As all the writing seems to be of the same date, we may assign 1656 as the date of the portion on "Rites." This MS. supplies us with all the passages that Dr. Raine took from Davies, not knowing of any MS. that contained them. These are now for the first time printed exactly as they stand in the Lawson MS. This MS. was used by Hutchinson.-See his Durham, II, 63n.

VI. MS. Cambridge, referred to as C., belongs to the Cambridge University Library, and is marked GG 2 15. It is neatly written in a quarto volume containing 140 leaves of size 9 x 67% inches, on leaves 1-80, preceded by title, dedication, and table of contents. At the end, "Transcribed Jan: 31th 1660. p J: B." The text is that of the Lawson MS., with slight verbal

differences. Leaves 81 to 83 are blank, then comes, on leaves 84-92, "The History of some particuler windowes in the Cathedrall Church of Durham," much as in our Appendix and in MS. Hunter 44, but in a slightly abridged form. Leaves 93 to 121 contain, in English, under the heading Origo Episcopatus Dunelmensis Anno Domini 1603," the tract printed by Allan in 1779. Leaves 129 to 130 are blank. The collation is, "ix + 130 (+ f. 23*) 140 leaves." It contains a fine book-plate commemorating the present of books made to the University by George I in 1715, on which present see Studies in Oxford History, O.H.S., 156. Both covers bear impressions in gold from a very fine stamp of the arms of Durham Cathedral, surrounded by a wreath of palm branches.

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The dedication is as follows:

Right Wor'ppfull

The Coppies of these two Treatises lighting into my hands accidentally, I counted it in pte, a Sinne of Omission, & negligence, to let them returne unsaluted, in the Coppying of wch, knowing yor worshipps delight, in Church order and Ornamts, did beleeue, yow would take much satisfacc'on, in ye reading of them: Upon wch Consideration, I resolued to bestowe some houres, in ye transcribeing of ym, and so much ye more willingly, by how much the more I ẞsumed, yt through yor goodnes, yow would be so farre from denying the acceptance of it, that yow would rather cherish, ye weake endeauours of yor Wor'pps most humble Servant

Sir Gilbert Gerard was a son-in-law of Bishop Cosin.