• Puzzle initial 'E'(xemplum) at the beginning of the Gesta Romanorum., Tabula super methodo fulgentii, Gesta Romanorum (index Deeds of the Romans), Liber de vitiis, various sermons

1708), Church of England clergyman and antiquary: sold to Edward Harley with the rest of his collection through his nephew John Batteley on 5 November 1723.The Harley Collection, formed by Robert Harley (b. 1661, d. 1724), 1st earl of Oxford

• Illuminated initials 'T'(he) and 'A'(prentys) with partial foliate bar borders at the opening of the Cook's Tale., The Canterbury Tales

Dorothie, née Leuenthorp: inscribed with their names (f. 286v; see Wright 1972).Other inscriptions include 'John Martant', 16th century (ff. 144, 180), and 'John Thomsyn' and 'John Thomsun Symond, late 16th-early 17th century (ff. 165v, 284v).John Somers, 1st baron Somers (b.

• Detail of a scribal (?) note reading 'Icy commencera le fable de Gamelyn' ('Here will begin Gamelyn's tale')., The Canterbury Tales

Dorothie, née Leuenthorp: inscribed with their names (f. 286v; see Wright 1972).Other inscriptions include 'John Martant', 16th century (ff. 144, 180), and 'John Thomsyn' and 'John Thomsun Symond, late 16th-early 17th century (ff. 165v, 284v).John Somers, 1st baron Somers (b.

• Illuminated initial 'O'(hateful) with a partial foliate bar border at the beginning of the prologue to the Man of Law's Tale., The Canterbury Tales

Dorothie, née Leuenthorp: inscribed with their names (f. 286v; see Wright 1972).Other inscriptions include 'John Martant', 16th century (ff. 144, 180), and 'John Thomsyn' and 'John Thomsun Symond, late 16th-early 17th century (ff. 165v, 284v).John Somers, 1st baron Somers (b.

• Illuminated initial 'T'(her) with a partial foliate bar border at the beginning of the Clerk's Tale., The Canterbury Tales

Dorothie, née Leuenthorp: inscribed with their names (f. 286v; see Wright 1972).Other inscriptions include 'John Martant', 16th century (ff. 144, 180), and 'John Thomsyn' and 'John Thomsun Symond, late 16th-early 17th century (ff. 165v, 284v).John Somers, 1st baron Somers (b.

• Illuminated initial 'A'(t) with a partial foliate bar border at the beginning of the Squire's Tale., The Canterbury Tales

Dorothie, née Leuenthorp: inscribed with their names (f. 286v; see Wright 1972).Other inscriptions include 'John Martant', 16th century (ff. 144, 180), and 'John Thomsyn' and 'John Thomsun Symond, late 16th-early 17th century (ff. 165v, 284v).John Somers, 1st baron Somers (b.

• Illuminated initial 'L'(ordyngs) with a partial foliate bar border at the beginning of the Pardoner's Tale. ., The Canterbury Tales

Dorothie, née Leuenthorp: inscribed with their names (f. 286v; see Wright 1972).Other inscriptions include 'John Martant', 16th century (ff. 144, 180), and 'John Thomsyn' and 'John Thomsun Symond, late 16th-early 17th century (ff. 165v, 284v).John Somers, 1st baron Somers (b.

• Illuminated initial 'T'(her) with a partial foliate bar border at the beginning of the Prioress's Tale., The Canterbury Tales

Dorothie, née Leuenthorp: inscribed with their names (f. 286v; see Wright 1972).Other inscriptions include 'John Martant', 16th century (ff. 144, 180), and 'John Thomsyn' and 'John Thomsun Symond, late 16th-early 17th century (ff. 165v, 284v).John Somers, 1st baron Somers (b.

• Illuminated initial 'A'(pore) with a partial foliate bar border at the beginning of the Nun's Priest's Tale., The Canterbury Tales

Dorothie, née Leuenthorp: inscribed with their names (f. 286v; see Wright 1972).Other inscriptions include 'John Martant', 16th century (ff. 144, 180), and 'John Thomsyn' and 'John Thomsun Symond, late 16th-early 17th century (ff. 165v, 284v).John Somers, 1st baron Somers (b.

• Illuminated initials and border with foliate decoration., Book of Hours, Use of Sarum, with a calendar (ff. 1-6v), imperfect

clergyman and antiquary: his name (f. 1); sold to Edward Harley with the rest of his collection through his nephew John Batteley on 5 November 1723.The Harley Collection, formed by Robert Harley (b. 1661, d. 1724), 1st earl of Oxford

• Coloured initials, 'A', 'P', and 'F', with guide letters for the decorator visible in the left margin., Religious miscellany with treatises, sermons, the Speculum peccatorum (ff. 1-8), the legend of Pachomius (ff. 93v-96v), a description of a miraculous vision of A.D. 1287 (ff. 98v-99), and verses in English (f. 99v)

the British Library. Coloured initials Written by more than one scribe Various authors including Pseudo-Augustine, Anselm of Canterbury, Bernard of Clairvaux, Hugh of Saint-Victor, John Chrysostom, Peter of Blois, John Cassian (index Hugh of St Victor, Hugo de Saint-Victor) England

• Arms of Robert Steward (d. 1557), prior and dean of the Benedictine cathedral priory of Ely; inscribed, 'Arma d[omi]ni Roberti Steward prioris Elien[sis]'., Philomela

d[omi]ni Roberti Steward prioris Elien[sis]'. ff. 1*-2*, 78-79 are parchment leaves from another manuscript.For the text, see Clemens Blume, 'John Hovedens Nachtigallenleid über die Liebe unseres Erlösers und Königs Christus' in ~Hymnologische Beiträge~, 4 vols, ed. by Clemens Blume and

• Decorated initial 'V'(erbum) with pen-flourishing at the beginning of the text., Verbum abbreviatum

1708), Church of England clergyman and antiquary: sold to Edward Harley with the rest of his collection through his nephew John Batteley on 5 November 1723.The Harley Collection, formed by Robert Harley (b. 1661, d. 1724), 1st earl of Oxford

• Partial bar border with puzzle initial 'Q'(uod vides, scribe)., Commentary on Revelation, imperfect at the end

Commentary on Revelation, imperfect at the end John Batteley (b. 1647, d. 1708), Church of England clergyman and antiquary: sold to Edward Harley with the rest of his collection through his nephew John Batteley on 5 November 1723.The Harley Collection,

• Decorated line and initials., Letters, including a Commentary on Hosea (ff. 147-154)

initials. The manuscript includes:St John Chrysostom, 216 letters (ff. 1-102v);Gregorios Mammas, Patriarch of Constantinople, 'Responsio ad epistulam Marci Ephesii' (ff. 104-146v);Commentary on Hosea, including extracts from the Acts of the Third Council (ff. 147-154).Watermark of a cross-bow in circle with

• Headpiece with interlace decoration., Theological works

see Gamillscheg and Harlfinger 1981).Dionysios Spanos (index Dionysius), ex-Patriarch of Constantinople: owned before April 1677 and presented by him to John Covel while in retreat at the Great Lavra, Mount Athos, in April 1677, his inscriptions (ff. 1v, 380; see

• Decorative headpiece and intials at the beginning of the first Ode., Psalter with odes, prayers, service of holy communion, and a short excerpt from Daniel (ff. 213v-214)

Act of Parliament that also established the British Museum; the Harley manuscripts form one of the foundation collections of the British Library. Ode Symeon Metaphrastes, St Basil, St John Chrysostom, St John of Damascus and others Italy or Eastern Mediterranean

• Illuminated initial 'W'(han) and foliate bar border at the beginning of the text., The Canterbury Tales

Dorothie, née Leuenthorp: inscribed with their names (f. 286v; see Wright 1972).Other inscriptions include 'John Martant', 16th century (ff. 144, 180), and 'John Thomsyn' and 'John Thomsun Symond, late 16th-early 17th century (ff. 165v, 284v).John Somers, 1st baron Somers (b.

• 'Champ' initial 'S'(ir) with ivy tendril decoration at the opening of the prologue to the Clerk's Tale., The Canterbury Tales

Dorothie, née Leuenthorp: inscribed with their names (f. 286v; see Wright 1972).Other inscriptions include 'John Martant', 16th century (ff. 144, 180), and 'John Thomsyn' and 'John Thomsun Symond, late 16th-early 17th century (ff. 165v, 284v).John Somers, 1st baron Somers (b.

• Binding with tracery decoration., Psalms in English verse (girdle book)

earl of Ashburnham, of Ashburnham Place, Sussex.Bertram Ashburnham (b. 1840, d. 1913), 5th earl of Ashburnham: purchased by the British Museum from him together with 1084 other Stowe manuscripts in 1883. Binding John Croke (translator) London England, S. E. (London)