London, British Library Harley 3271 Educational Miscellany, including Ælfric's "Grammar" [Ker 239, Gneuss 435]

Abstract

273. London, British Library Harley 3271

Educational Miscellany, including Ælfric's "Grammar"

[Ker 239, Gneuss 435]

HISTORY: A three-part compendium of the first half of the l11c. Bayless describes it as "an educational miscellany ... a compendium of elementary reference-texts" (Bayless 1993: 68). The texts are written by a series of scribes; one of the hands wrote on f. 129r an item that may be dated to 1032 (Ker, Cat.). On the basis of some glossary items, Porter (2002: 38) associates this manuscript with Canterbury/ Abington. Owned by William Fleetwood (c. 1525-1594), antiquary and friend of Archbishop Parker and William Lambard (DNB [2004] 20.28), whose name is erased on 3*v and f.129v; this item is listed in Bodleian MS Tanner 268, f. l 78r as no. 1 of the twenty-three manuscripts at Missenden Abbey, home of the Fleetwood family. Items 3, 4, 6, 7 were copied by William Lambarde (1536-1601) into Canterbury Cathedral MS. E. 1, ff. 17-19.