Durham University Library Archives & Special Collections Catalogue
Manuscript codex containing 3 short tracts on Franciscan poverty, probably written shortly after Pope John XXII's bull Ad conditorem, issued 8 December 1322. The manuscript was owned by George Davenport and presented by him to Bishop Cosin's Library around 1670.
Parchment, quires with flesh-side outermost, some natural flaws (repair stitching gone, f.14) and edges, top edge cropped.
foliated i-vi, 1-28 (18-22 changed after rebinding)
All folds now lined with linen. 112, 212 wants 11-12 (blank ?) with 6-7 (f.18-19) apparently two singletons. Writing before the manuscript was rebound Douie reported (p.343) the loss of folio 19, i.e. a leaf after the end of item (2) (26) on f.18v, but there is now no obvious evidence to confirm this.
No pricking visible; line-ruling on some pages. Written space 171-176 x 100-106 mm; ruled in brown. 37-42 long lines.
Written in smallanglicana of documentary type, by one hand, perhaps identifiable.
Not executed: unfilled 2-line space for initial to item (1).
Rebound after 1930 by Bramhall & Menzies of Manchester with slightly bevelled boards covered in plain brown morocco, spine lettered TRACTATUS III. BREVES. The previous cover with Dutch marbled overlay and 17th century endpapers are preserved as the inner 4 front and back endpapers.
Written in England, not before 1323.
Written by an English hand, perhaps that of the author of item (1), or one of his brethren, see the invocation f.1r top. Note on date of death of Chatton from Bale at top of f.5r (16th century?) “Geo. Davenport. 1670.” f.iiiv; his note of contents, f.viv. Ex-libris and shelf-numbers by Thomas Rud f.1r, with error corrected by him, beginning as for Cathedral Library.
“Iesus Maria Iohannes Conyngton” written across top. Original side-notes include several references to “Triuet” (Nicholas Trivet).
16 lines of text cancelled , “vacat”, by the main scribe, f.13r. Further references to “Triuet” in the original side-notes.
Douie (p.43) describes as an “anonymous treatise presumably of Franciscan origin ... much mutilated and lacks both a beginning and an end”; although without formal opening and ending, there is no obvious physical loss of text since the invocation at the head of f.19r suggests that this was regarded as the beginning, while the writing finishes at least a line and a half short of the end of f.22v. The background appears to be English, see the reference “Heresis ... hanc diffinicionem tradidit dominus episcopus Linc. grossetes ceteris episcopis in quadam congregatione facta London”, f.20v. A faint note at the foot of f.22v appears to refer to Augustine and possibly Gregory.
Catalogi veteres librorum Ecclesiae cathedralis
dunelm. Catalogues of the library of Durham cathedral, at
various periods, from the conquest to the dissolution, including
catalogues of the library of the abbey of Hulne, and of the mss.
,
Surtees Society 7, (London: J.B. Nichols and Son, [1838]).
Douie, D. L., "Three treatises on evangelical poverty by Fr. Richard Conyngton, Fr. Walter Chatton and an anonymous from MS V III 18 in Bishop Cosin's library, Durham", Archivum Franciscanum Historicum 24-25 (1931-2), 341-369, 36-58, 210-240