• Detail of a bas-de-page scene of a woman setting a windmill on fire; the miller peeps out from his doorway., Decretals of Gregory IX with glossa ordinaria (the 'Smithfield Decretals')

priory of St Bartholomew's at Smithfield: inscribed, 'Liber domus sancti barthomomei in smyth fylde', 15th century (f. 1v).The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Henrician title 'Decretales' and Westminster inventory number 'no. 1059' (f. 1), acquired by the Upper

• Historiated initial 'E'(t) of two men with a book, at the beginning of the Book of Joshua., Bible (Joshua, Judges, Ruth, and I-IV Kings) (The 'Rochester Bible')

p[er]missio[n]e divina Bangorens[is] eps et Milladensis' (f. 184v).Thomas a Woode: inscribed with his name, 16th century (f. 186v).The Old Royal Library (English Royal Library): Westminster inventory number 'no. 507' (f. 1): included in the Inventory of the Upper Library at

• Detail of an historiated initial 'E'(t factum est) of two men with a book, perhaps Moses giving the book of the law to Joshua, at the beginning of Joshua., Bible (Joshua, Judges, Ruth, and I-IV Kings) (The 'Rochester Bible')

p[er]missio[n]e divina Bangorens[is] eps et Milladensis' (f. 184v).Thomas a Woode: inscribed with his name, 16th century (f. 186v).The Old Royal Library (English Royal Library): Westminster inventory number 'no. 507' (f. 1): included in the Inventory of the Upper Library at

• Inhabited initial 'T'(andem), at the beginning of the prologue to Joshua., Bible (Joshua, Judges, Ruth, and I-IV Kings) (The 'Rochester Bible')

p[er]missio[n]e divina Bangorens[is] eps et Milladensis' (f. 184v).Thomas a Woode: inscribed with his name, 16th century (f. 186v).The Old Royal Library (English Royal Library): Westminster inventory number 'no. 507' (f. 1): included in the Inventory of the Upper Library at

• Historiated initial 'P'(aulus) of Paul holding a scroll with the inscription 'Ad Timotheu[m]', at the beginning of 1Timothy, and an illuminated initial 'P'(aulus) at the beginning of the gloss., Gloss on the Pauline Epistles

pen-flourishing in blue. Gloss on the Pauline Epistles Added chapter numbers, 14th-century English hand.Presented to the British Museum by George II in 1757 as part of the Old Royal Library. Paul Peter Lombard France, N. France, Central or N. (Paris?)

• Text page with recipes in English compiled by Ricardus, prior of Coventry., Compendium seu Lilium medicinae (ff. 5-127) with a composite miscellany of scientific tracts, medical recipes and charms

with recipes in English compiled by Ricardus, prior of Coventry. The front flyleaves (ff. 1-4) contain recipes and the back flyleaves (ff. 223-226) a civil law text in an earlier hand.ff. 5-133 were copied at the beginning of the 14th

• Chronological tables., Chronica

hospital of St Thomas of Acon, Cheapside, London (see inscription above).Added list of contents, 16th century (f. 2v).The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Henrician title 'Cronica ab Abraham usque ad annum domini 1168 Eusebii, Hieronimi, Prosperi, Sigisberti', and

• Decorated initials 'A'(b) and 'I'(gitur)., Chronica

hospital of St Thomas of Acon, Cheapside, London (see inscription above).Added list of contents, 16th century (f. 2v).The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Henrician title 'Cronica ab Abraham usque ad annum domini 1168 Eusebii, Hieronimi, Prosperi, Sigisberti', and

• Decorated initial 'T'(heodosius)., Chronica

hospital of St Thomas of Acon, Cheapside, London (see inscription above).Added list of contents, 16th century (f. 2v).The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Henrician title 'Cronica ab Abraham usque ad annum domini 1168 Eusebii, Hieronimi, Prosperi, Sigisberti', and

• Ownership inscription of John Pyk, schoolmaster of St Martin le Grand, London, reading 'Iste liber constat Iohanni Pyke magistro scolarum sancti Martini magni Londoniarum', with extracts of notabilia from Robert Torigni's chronicle., Chronica

hospital of St Thomas of Acon, Cheapside, London (see inscription above).Added list of contents, 16th century (f. 2v).The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Henrician title 'Cronica ab Abraham usque ad annum domini 1168 Eusebii, Hieronimi, Prosperi, Sigisberti', and

• Decorated initial 'I'(eronimus) at the beginning of the prologue, with the Henrician title 'Cronica ab Abraham usque ad annum domini 1168 Eusebii, Hieronimi, Prosperi, Sigisberti', and the Westminster inventory number 'no. 1033' added in the upper margin., Chronica

hospital of St Thomas of Acon, Cheapside, London (see inscription above).Added list of contents, 16th century (f. 2v).The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Henrician title 'Cronica ab Abraham usque ad annum domini 1168 Eusebii, Hieronimi, Prosperi, Sigisberti', and

• Decorated initial 'P'(rimus) with the chronological tables of the life of Abraham., Chronica

hospital of St Thomas of Acon, Cheapside, London (see inscription above).Added list of contents, 16th century (f. 2v).The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Henrician title 'Cronica ab Abraham usque ad annum domini 1168 Eusebii, Hieronimi, Prosperi, Sigisberti', and

• Decorated initial 'M'(oysen) at the beginning of Eusebius's preface to his Chronici canones., Chronica

hospital of St Thomas of Acon, Cheapside, London (see inscription above).Added list of contents, 16th century (f. 2v).The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Henrician title 'Cronica ab Abraham usque ad annum domini 1168 Eusebii, Hieronimi, Prosperi, Sigisberti', and

• Text page with note on Johannes de Grenborough, purchaser and compiler of this manuscript., Compendium seu Lilium medicinae (ff. 5-127) with a composite miscellany of scientific tracts, medical recipes and charms

(f. 133).Richard Crosby, prior of the Benedictine cathedral priory of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Coventry (1398-1437) compiled the recipes in English on ff. 219-222: the rubric states 'Ricardo [Crosby] priori Cou[entrie] anno regni regis Henrici viti octauo' [1429-1430]. Henry Fowler,

• Puzzle initial 'A' at the beginning of the Compendium, initials and inscriptions., Compendium seu Lilium medicinae (ff. 5-127) with a composite miscellany of scientific tracts, medical recipes and charms

(f. 133).Richard Crosby, prior of the Benedictine cathedral priory of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Coventry (1398-1437) compiled the recipes in English on ff. 219-222: the rubric states 'Ricardo [Crosby] priori Cou[entrie] anno regni regis Henrici viti octauo' [1429-1430]. Henry Fowler,

• Astrological tables concerning the moon and a diagram of four wheels, Compendium seu Lilium medicinae (ff. 5-127) with a composite miscellany of scientific tracts, medical recipes and charms

(f. 133).Richard Crosby, prior of the Benedictine cathedral priory of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Coventry (1398-1437) compiled the recipes in English on ff. 219-222: the rubric states 'Ricardo [Crosby] priori Cou[entrie] anno regni regis Henrici viti octauo' [1429-1430]. Henry Fowler,

• Diagram illustratng a treatise on free will, showing connections between various sorts of sin. In the lower portion of the diagram is a small rectangle with the word 'vicium' (meaning fault/blemish/flaw/vice) linked to four more similar rectangles, marked 'furtum', 'fraus', 'fallacia', and 'mendacium', words with similar meanings, all connected with fraud, trickery, deceit, treachery, etc., Leviticus, glossed (ff. 7-58), and John, glossed, imperfect, with short thelogical treatises (ff. 3-7v)

text in English.f. 2 is a parchment flyleaf with text in Latin in a 12th-century hand.This is the earliest dated English Cistercian manuscript. Large initials in red, yellow, blue, brown or green, some with penwork decoration in the same or

• Between the end of some prefatory treatises and the prologue to Leviticus is a rubric stating that this is 'The book of [the Cistercian abbey of] St. Mary, Buildwas, written in the year AD 1176' ('Liber Sancte Marie de Bildewas. Scriptus anno ab incarnatione domini Millesimo centesimo septuagesimo sexto') followed by a decorated initial 'E'., Leviticus, glossed (ff. 7-58), and John, glossed, imperfect, with short thelogical treatises (ff. 3-7v)

text in English.f. 2 is a parchment flyleaf with text in Latin in a 12th-century hand.This is the earliest dated English Cistercian manuscript. Large initials in red, yellow, blue, brown or green, some with penwork decoration in the same or

• Decorated initial 'V'(ocavit) at the beginning of Leviticus., Leviticus, glossed (ff. 7-58), and John, glossed, imperfect, with short thelogical treatises (ff. 3-7v)

English.f. 2 is a parchment flyleaf with text in Latin in a 12th-century hand.This is the earliest dated English Cistercian manuscript. Large initials in red, yellow, blue, brown or green, some with penwork decoration in the same or another colour

• Decorated initial 'I' at the beginning of John; visible through the parchment from the other side of the leaf is a green initial marking the start of the prologue to the Gospel. The first six lines of the main text is in a wider column than the rest, and has no interlinear gloss., Leviticus, glossed (ff. 7-58), and John, glossed, imperfect, with short thelogical treatises (ff. 3-7v)

text in English.f. 2 is a parchment flyleaf with text in Latin in a 12th-century hand.This is the earliest dated English Cistercian manuscript. Large initials in red, yellow, blue, brown or green, some with penwork decoration in the same or