saints of y'= Romane
Breviary
vntil that
VI.
VI.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v1
D.
1826.
It contains the inquisitions for Lagenia or Leinster, with Indexes.
The vol.
ii.
, in folio, was published a.
d.
1829.
Henry VI. to that of William HI. The
CXXVl INTR OD UCTION.
mended in an Address of the House of Commons, respecting the Public
Records of Ireland ;" with supplements and appendices. These reports are
included in three folio volumes. '3^ The whole state of there large afifairs,
described, no longer exists ; since, in the year 1867, an Act of Parliament has authorized the erection of a new Public Record House and Treasury, adjoining the Four Courts, Dublin. '^' Thither have been transferred—from various places of deposit—the public records of Ireland f*^ and there they are now available for legal and historic searches. '*' This vast collection of documents,^-** reaching from the twelfth century to the present date, has little of a character tending directly to illustrate Irish saint histor)', although much can be gleaned therefrom, serving to elucidate the mediaeval and modem condition of the monasteries and churches of Ireland.
The various cathedral and parochial libraries, or registry offices, the re- cords of counties, cities, courts and corporate towns, with family papers, in
-^ The first volume comprises five reports, with the work of calendaring done from A. D. 1810 to A. D. 181 5. These were ordered by the House of Commons to be printed, 14th July, 1813 ; 27th July, 1814 ; and 1st June, 181 5, with admirable appendices and in- dices, alphabetically arranged. The second volume contains the sixth to the tenth re- port, with the work done from A. D. 1816 to 1820, and ordered by the House of Com- mons to be printed, 13th July, 1819, and 8th July, 1820. It contains supplements and indices to the various reports. The third volume contains from the eleventh to the fifteenth report, with the work done from A. D. 1 82 1 to 1825, and ordered to be printed by the House of Commons, 20th February, 1824, and 13th of June, 1825. It contains indices, special and general. The sixteenth and seventeenth reports, with an appendix, and work done, A. D. 1826, 1827, were ordered by the House of Com- mons to be printed, 20th February, 1828. The eighteenth and nineteenth reports, with an appendix and work done, a. d. 1826,
1827, were ordered by the House of Com- mons to be printed, 23rd March, 1830.
work of transfer and arrangement \\ ill be found fully detailed in the annual re-
ports of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records in Ireland. The first of those re-
ports appeared 12th of February, 1869 ; the succeeding reports have issued yearly to the present time. These reports are filled with much interesting historical information.
**' Among these. Sir William Petty's Maps of the Down Survey, with a copy of those maps, taken by General Valiancy from the originals, contained in the King's Library, Paris, serve greatly to enlighten us, regarding the existing nomenclature of old churches, in the middle of the seven- teenth century. Those Records have been re- moved from the Surveyor-General's Office.
'39 Here the writer has enjoyed frequent
facilities for search, owing to the courtesy
and kindness of the Deputy Keeper of the
Public Records in Ireland, Samuel Fer-
guson, Esq. , LL. D. ; of John James D. La
Touche, Esq. , Assistant Deputy Keeper ; of
John T. Gilbert, Esq. , Secretary ; and of Middle Temple, Barrister-at-Law. In two
William Maunsell Hennessy, Esq. , Chief Clerk.
•'"The admirable progress made in this
volumes. Besides a resunii of Irish his-
tory, at the commencement, these volumes are full of ecclesiastical and civil materials.
For a detailed account of them, the reader "
mayconsult ReportsoftheCommissioners, appointed by his Majesty to execute the Measures recommended in an Address of
the House of Commons, respecting the Pub-
lic Records of Ireland," vol. i. , pp. 501 to
543-
'' Among the most valuable of those
folio works, ordered to be printed in 1824, is the " Liber Munerum Publicorum Hi-
bemiae, ab An. 1152 usque ad 1827; or the Establishments of Ireland, from the Nineteenth of King Stephen to the Seventh of George IV. , during a Period of Six Hundred and Seventy-five Years. " Being the Report of Rowley Lascclles, of the
INTRODUCTION. CXXVll
other parts of Ireland, have hardly been scrutinized or described sufficiently to enable historic investigators to understand or fully to appreciate their con- tents. It must be assumed, however, that various incidental allusions to our old churches and religious houses, with the lands or appurtenances annexed —and perchance to many local patron saints—may be found in several ancient deeds and charters. The labours of the Record Commissioners served partially to reveal stores ofinformation, hitherto so little developed, in an antiquarian point of view ; but further editorial work is required, to unfold their manifold uses, in a legal and historical sense.
Section VIII. —Materials for Irish Saints' Lives in British and Foreign Libraries.
The public and private libraries,* in England," Scotland,3 and Wales^— perhaps also in the Channel Islands,5—abound in chronicles, charters, his- toric, legal and ecclesiastical records,*^ poems, acts of saints, calendars, me- nologia, missals, rolls, epistles and inquisitions, in a variety of languages
Section viii. —' See J. Hunter's " Eng- Treasury of her Majesty's Exchequer," lish Monastic Libraries, with Catalogues of vol. i. , in royal 8vo. a. d. 1837. Also,
* See "Cambrian Bibliography, containing
account of Books to Wales, from relating
1540, with Biographical Notices," by the Kev. William Rowlands, in 8vo. A. D. 1869. A long list of Welsh records will be found in Thomas' " Hand-Book to the Public Records," pp. 321 to 333.
"
British Historical Intelligencer," or Materials for the Formation of a Scottish
Books," published in small 4to, a. d, 1831. Turnbull's
Fragmenta Scoto-Monastica,
"
Also the
published at Westminster, in 8vo, A. D, Monasticon. " Edinburgh: 1842.
1829.
" See
Nicholson's *'
Bishop
Scotch, and Irish Historical Libraries, giv- ing a short view and character of most of our historians, either in Print or Manu- script, with an Account of our Records,
"
English,
Law-books, Coins," &c. A new edition,
corrected. In 4to. London: a. d. 1776.
This is a valuable work for consultation on inquiry, the student may consult W.
the subject of British and Irish Libraries.
Also, John Power's "Handy Book about
Books for Book Buyers, Book Lovers and
Book-sellers. " InSvo. London : a. d. 1870.
Likewise, J. Savage's "Librarian, being an
Account of Scarce, Valuable, and Useful
English Books, Manuscript Libraries," in Lowndes was frequently indebted. It was three volumes, 8vo. London, 1808.
Record Commissioners, from A. D. 1831 to 1837. " One vol. folio, a. d. 1837. See like- wise a " Handbook to the Public Records," by F. S. Thomas, Esq. , Secretary of the
3 The Advocate's
gister House, with other public libraries in
Edinburgh, also various cities and towns of
Scotland, are filled with invaluable records,
for illustrating the sacred antiquities of Ire-
land, as well as of Scotland. The reader Public Record Office. One vol. royal 8vo.
Library,
General Re-
has only to consult those admirable serials
A. D. 1853. Besides these, the student may ex-
amine the various and octavo folio, quarto
volumes of the Record Commissioners,
Sir Francis Palgrave's Documents and which began to issue early in the present
Records illustrating the History of Scotland, century, and which yet continue in course
and the Transactions between the Crowns of publication. County, city and town of Scotland and England ; preserved in the histories are worthy of investigation.
of the the " Spaulding Club,
Proceedings
of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland," "
s In reference to this interesting branch of
Clarke's
or an Account of the most celebrated British Libraries. " This fine royal 8vo volume con- tains portraits of eminent book collectors, and it is full of curious and interesting bibliographical information, to which
publishedA. D. 1819.
Repertorium Bibliographicum,
* See " of the of the Report Proceedings
cxxvm INTRODUCTION.
and forms. 7 As a matter of course, such ancient manuscript documents
chiefly serve to elucidate the civil and ecclesiastical history of those coun-
tries or districts to which they severally belong f but so closely allied are
the hagiology and church chronicles of Ireland, with many of the topics
therein treated, that several are most useful for illustration of our early na-
tionalorsocialcustomsandhabitsoflife. Besidesthesecontainingincidental
allusions, there are special manuscripts, referring exclusively to Irish hagio- graphy, or written in the Irish language, and touching on Irish ecclesiastical
subjects, preserved in that great depository of learning, the British Museum. ' The Harleian and Cottonian collections contain its chief old records. '°
Besides the general Catalogue," a special one relating to Irish manuscripts has been compiled, by Professor Eugene O'Curry, under direction of the trustees. " The British Museum collection of Irish manuscripts contains lives of various Irish saints, in the native language, historical and topo- graphical tracts of great interest, not to mention a vast number of poems and miscellaneous treatises. Many such documents are to be f—ound in the Archiepiscopal Library at Lambeth. '3 The University Libraries, especially
7 There is a printed folio of great value leianw Catalogus. " Four folio volumes.
to the inquirer after such materials, and in- Edited by the Rev. T. Hartwell Home.
**
tituled, Catalogi Librorum Manuscrip- A. D. 1812.
torum AnglijE et Hiberniae, in unum col- " At the expense of Rev. Maxwell lecti, cum Indice Aiphabetico. " It was Close, M. R. LA. , a copy of this ad- printed A. D. 1690, at the Sheldon Theatre, mirable manuscript catalogue, in two mag- Oxford ; but, it is needless to state, subse- nificently-bound manuscript folio volumes, quent enquiries have both corrected many has been procured for, and presented to,
of its descriptions, and enlarged the list of its subjects.
the Royal Irish Academy, where it is now available for the Irish scholar's consultation.
" Several noblemen and
published very interesting catalogues of
It is " intituled,
gentlemen
have
Catalogue of the Irish
Manuscripts in the British Museum," com- their respective private libraries ; and such piled by Eugene Curry, 1849. The first
aids enable the scholar to ascertain the ex-
istence of rare books and manuscripts. one side ;
9 See Richard Sims* "Hand-book to the
volume contains 330 folios, only written on the second volume, without a
with
Library of the British Museum," &c. Pub- folio 630. Then follows an alphabetically,
lished at London, A. D. 1854, in i2mo. arranged index to the whole, and consisting
'" "
See Richard Sims' JVIanual for the of 36 folios. This munificent gift of the
Genealogist, Topographer, Antiquary, and donor now enables Dublin residents to Legal Professor, consisting of Descriptions judge regarding the exact value of those of Public Records ; Parochial and other historic and literary treasures, to be found Registers ; Wills ; County and Family in the Manuscript Department of the Histories ; Heraldic Collections in Public British Museum.
Libraries," &c. , &c. Monastic Records, p. II.
'3 the Carew which Especially Papers,
relate to Ireland, are of rare importance, and their contents are now becoming known
"A "Catalogue of the Manuscripts in the British Museum," has been issued in
to the students of Irish
three fine folio volumes, from A. D. 1834 " Calendar of the Carew Papers, pre- to 1840. These contain various beauli- served in the Lambeth Librarj'. " Etlited fully-cxecuted specimens of writings, orna- by J. S. Brewer, M. A. , Professor of Eng-
ments and illuminations. See also " Li-
brorum Manuscriptorum Bibliothecae Har- and William Bullen, Esq. Vol. L—1515.
title, begins
folio 331, and it ends with
lish Literature, King's College, London;
history.
See the
Rev.
'"•See
J.
"
Catalogus Impressorum Libro-
TNTRODUCTION,
the Bodleian'* and Corpus Christi'3—at Oxford, preserve several Irish ma-
nuscripts. The Bodleian Library is especially rich in the possession of such documents. "^ AmongtheCottonianmanuscripts,'? preservedintheOxford
University Library, there is one fragment, which purports to give an account of the first founders of Christian Churches in Gaul, luigland and Ireland/^
1574. Vol. II. -1575-15SS. \'ol. HI. — lendar of the Iri. -,h Saints composed in
1589-1600. Vol. IV. —1601-1603. \'o! . verse eight hundred years agoc ; w-'' the V. —Book of Ilowth ; Mi^ccll. iiicous. \o\.
saints of y'= Romane Breviary vntil that
VI. —1603-1624. The jniblication com- tyme; aCathologueofy-' PopesofRoome; menced A. n. 1S65, and it still proceeds, in ti^-. '. v y^ Irish antl English were converted to
imperial Svo volumes. In addition, the tlie Catholique faith ; w''' many other things,
"
reader may consult Report of the Deputy . T- the reader may finde, and soe under-
stan;! ing what they containe, lett him re- member
Tri. i. Y C'oNKV.
ruilcijuA O niAoleconAipe. " We are told, that this account of the con- tends is both inadequate and erroneous. It is said to be doubtful, if this MS. contains a copy of any part of the Psalter of Cashel, although this celebrated ^LS. is sometimes referred to or quoted. There is reason to suppose, tliis Bodleian >LS. may liave lost some portion of its contents, since Tully
Conry furnished the foregoing account, un- classed and described : "MS. 1730. 263. less he fell into a mistake. In an entry, Vol. X. " It contains, " Mirabilia Cor- this MS. is designated "The Psalter of Mac nubiae, Hiberniae, Anglia", Scotia: et Va! - Richard Butler ;" and for convenience sake,
Keeper of the Public Records and of the
S. Ihewer to the Master of the Rolls, upon the Carte and Carew Papers in the Bodleian and Lambeth Libraries. " A. i). 1864.
rum Bibliotheca; Bodleian. -e in . -Ycadcmie
Oxoniensi," per Thomam Hyde, published
in a thick folio at Oxford, A. n. 1674. A later and a more carefully compiled cata- logue was again issued at Oxford, in two thick folio volumes, a. d. 1738.
lise. "
'* We obtain a
"
345. We are told, that it is a large vellum vtoraiida regarding it.
'5 Among its manuscripts, one is tlius
very interesting
tailed account of an ancient Irish manu-
and de-
the Rev. Dr. Todd, who gives a history of
this 'codex and its several so possessors,
calls it. He does not pretend, however, to script here kept, in the Proceedings of the present a complete account of its contents, Royal Irish Academy," vol. ii. , pp. 336 to although he furnishes some interesting ! ne-
'"
This most interesting collection of ma- to Archbishop Laud. On the margin of nuscripts relating to English history, anti-
4to manuscript, which formerly belonged
its first page, the autograph
logical, theological and poetical, written by various hands and at different dates. The ancient Irish called such collection a psalter. On the inside of its cover, this memoran-
may
large
Catalogus
be seen. It contains a
Librorum Bib- Manuscriptorum
"
1673- This booke is a famous coppie of a
great part of SaIcaii\ CAipiL, the booke of St. Mochuda of Rathin and Lismore, and
Smitho, a folio, with a fine portrait of Sir Robt. Cotton, ]-)ublished Oxonii, . \. D. 1696. '^ It is intituled, "De Primis Ecclesia- rum Christianarum in Gallia, Anglia at Ili-
it
bernia Fundatoribus," and seems to have
been transcribed from a manuscript, written
about the year 720. It is classed, Cleop. E. 1. f. 5. It is a paper folio, written in the seventeenth century. See Sir Thomas
"
Duffus Hardy's
Materials Relating to the History of Great Britain and Ireland," vol. i. , part i. , p. 423. Three volumes of this valuable historical guide have been published already ; and the
dum is pasted :
Oxford of
y<= 9th August,
the chronicles of Conga ;
Ireland, a Cathologue of their Kings, of the coming in of y« Romans vnto England, of )* coming of y« Saxons ; a notable ca-
tained divine many
and most
y= part
Descriptive Catalogue of
things,
of y' Antiquities of y' auncientest houses in
"
G. Carew"
quities and topography, is described in the
"
collection
of miscellaneous pieces, historical, genea- liotheca; CoUoniana;," scriptore Thoma
wherein is con-
cxxx INTRODUCTION.
The University Library at Cambridge'' must be regarded as a valuable source forconsultation. AcollectionofMS. ,relatingtoBritishhistoryandantiquities,
as also to Irish affairs, is deposited in the library of Corpus Christi. =° The
=^' TowerofLondon"'andChapterHouseatWestminster, containsomecurious
charters and rolls, but chiefly useful for the compilation of British history. The State Paper Office,="3 and the Public Record Office, at London, con- stitute the most complete and perfect series of documents for British history,'* and these serve, likewise, to elucidate Irish matters, especially since the period of the Anglo-Norman invasion. 's Some old municipal collections
fourth, which brings the date from A. D. spectantes, ex Archivis in Domo cap.
1327, is now at press.
''See Rev. C. H. Hartshome's *'Book
Rarities in the University of Cambridge," in 8vo. , 1829.
*° To their contents, we have a guide in
Nasmith's " Catalogue of Manuscripts in "
Westmon. deprompti," vol. i. in 8vo, 1834. "3 From A. D. 1803 to 1852, eleven 4to volumes were published by the Record Commissioners of "State Papers, during thereignofHenrytheEighth: withIndices of Persons and Places. " The contents
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, 1777.
in 4to,
Vol. i.
:
" The Record Commissioners have given
a clue to the contents, by issuing the follow-
ing folio volume—s, edited by Sir Thomas
DufTus Hardy: " Rotuli Chartarum in
Turri Londinensi asservati. 1199—1216. "
Vol i. , issued in 1837. "Rotuli Littera-
rum Clausanim in Turri Londinensi asser-
vati. Vol. i. , 1204— issued A. D. " ofIreland. "
1833.
1844.
Londinensi asservati. 1 20 1
A. D. 1835. The introduction was published
8vo shape :
Rotuli Normanniae in Turri
1224,"
History
*< Under the direction of the Master of
the Rolls, and under the able editorial su-
pervision of competent ladies and gentlemen, a most voluminous series of calendars, relat- ing to the contents of public records and documents, illustrating British, Irish and Colonial history, has been already published by an order of the Lords of the Treasury. The first of these imperial 8vo volumes was printed A. D. 1856, and the course of publi- cation yet proceeds.
Vol " 1224—1227," issued a. d. ii. ,
"Rotuli Litterarum Patentium in
—
in 8vo. The following appeared in royal
"
Londinensi asservati. 1200—1205 ; also,
i4i7toi4i8. " Vol i. , A. D. 1835. "Ro- tuli de Oblatis et Finibus in 1 urri Londin-
1 2 1 6,
"
issued
ensi asservati, tempore Regis Johannis. "
Vol. i. , A. D. 1835. "Excerpta e Rotulis
Finium in Turr—i Londinensi asservatis.
Henry IH. , 1216 1272. " This was edited interest for the Irish historical student are
by Charles Roberts, Esq. , in 2 vols. , A. D. 1835, 1836.
'* The history of Scotland receives some advantage from the preservation of these
these: "Calendar of State Papers relating to Ireland, of the reigns of Henry VIII. ,
Edward IV. , Mary and Elizabeth, preserved in Her Majesty's Public Record Office. " Edited by Hans Claud—e Hamilton, Esq. , F. S. A. Vol. 1. -1509 1573. , A. D. i860. Vol. ii. —1574—1585, A. D. 1867. Ano-
documents, as described in
"
Rotuli Scotioe
in Turri Londinensi, et in Domo Capitulari
Westmonasteriensi asservati. 19 Edward I.
—Henry VIIL" Edited by David Mac- ther volume is in the press, and it be- pherson, John Caley, and W. Illingworth, gins with 1586 of Queen Elizabeth's reign. Esqrs. , and the Rev. T. Hartwell Home. Her successor's government is illustrated by In 2 volumes, folio, A. D. 1819. Again, a " Calendar of State Papers relating to Irish affairs receive illustration from "Ro- Ireland, of the Reign of James I. , presei-ved tuli Select! ad Res Anglicas et Hibernicas in Her Majesty's Public Record Office, and
were
—
Domestic Correspondence. Vols. ii. & iii. —Correspondence relating to Ireland. Vols. iv. & v. —Correspondence relatingtoScotland. Vols. vi. toxi. —Cor-
respondence between England and Foreign Courts. The first of our Irish historical writers, who made use of the State Papers, was the illustrious bard of Erin, Thomas Moore, while engaged in compiling his
"5 Among these, the volumes of special
seem adapted to the purpose, should be placed in the common library of the Guildhall for the use of students. About one hundred years afterwards, Protector Somerset carried away an immense number of the works. In 1553. the library was let as a common clothes- mart. Those manuscripts and books which remained were destroyed, in the great fire of
The History and Antiquities of Dur- ham," by William Hutchinson, F. S. A. , in three 4to volumes, printed at Newcastle, A. D. 1785, as also "The History and Anti- quities of Durham," by Robert Surtees, in four folio volumes, published in London, from A. D. 1 81 6 to 1840, will affiard the en-
INTRODUCTION. CXXXl
and documents should also reward the industry of the historical student,^^
while these might help to enlighten us regarding places and churches, asso- ciated with the memories of certain Irish Saints. The inestimably precious Stowe Manuscripts,"? collected by the Duke of Buckingham, and since trans- ferred to the custody of Lord Ashburnham, are almost inaccessible to Irish scholars. There is a fine collection of manuscripts,'^ in the Cathedral Library,*?
Henry VI. to that of William HI. The
CXXVl INTR OD UCTION.
mended in an Address of the House of Commons, respecting the Public
Records of Ireland ;" with supplements and appendices. These reports are
included in three folio volumes. '3^ The whole state of there large afifairs,
described, no longer exists ; since, in the year 1867, an Act of Parliament has authorized the erection of a new Public Record House and Treasury, adjoining the Four Courts, Dublin. '^' Thither have been transferred—from various places of deposit—the public records of Ireland f*^ and there they are now available for legal and historic searches. '*' This vast collection of documents,^-** reaching from the twelfth century to the present date, has little of a character tending directly to illustrate Irish saint histor)', although much can be gleaned therefrom, serving to elucidate the mediaeval and modem condition of the monasteries and churches of Ireland.
The various cathedral and parochial libraries, or registry offices, the re- cords of counties, cities, courts and corporate towns, with family papers, in
-^ The first volume comprises five reports, with the work of calendaring done from A. D. 1810 to A. D. 181 5. These were ordered by the House of Commons to be printed, 14th July, 1813 ; 27th July, 1814 ; and 1st June, 181 5, with admirable appendices and in- dices, alphabetically arranged. The second volume contains the sixth to the tenth re- port, with the work done from A. D. 1816 to 1820, and ordered by the House of Com- mons to be printed, 13th July, 1819, and 8th July, 1820. It contains supplements and indices to the various reports. The third volume contains from the eleventh to the fifteenth report, with the work done from A. D. 1 82 1 to 1825, and ordered to be printed by the House of Commons, 20th February, 1824, and 13th of June, 1825. It contains indices, special and general. The sixteenth and seventeenth reports, with an appendix, and work done, A. D. 1826, 1827, were ordered by the House of Com- mons to be printed, 20th February, 1828. The eighteenth and nineteenth reports, with an appendix and work done, a. d. 1826,
1827, were ordered by the House of Com- mons to be printed, 23rd March, 1830.
work of transfer and arrangement \\ ill be found fully detailed in the annual re-
ports of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records in Ireland. The first of those re-
ports appeared 12th of February, 1869 ; the succeeding reports have issued yearly to the present time. These reports are filled with much interesting historical information.
**' Among these. Sir William Petty's Maps of the Down Survey, with a copy of those maps, taken by General Valiancy from the originals, contained in the King's Library, Paris, serve greatly to enlighten us, regarding the existing nomenclature of old churches, in the middle of the seven- teenth century. Those Records have been re- moved from the Surveyor-General's Office.
'39 Here the writer has enjoyed frequent
facilities for search, owing to the courtesy
and kindness of the Deputy Keeper of the
Public Records in Ireland, Samuel Fer-
guson, Esq. , LL. D. ; of John James D. La
Touche, Esq. , Assistant Deputy Keeper ; of
John T. Gilbert, Esq. , Secretary ; and of Middle Temple, Barrister-at-Law. In two
William Maunsell Hennessy, Esq. , Chief Clerk.
•'"The admirable progress made in this
volumes. Besides a resunii of Irish his-
tory, at the commencement, these volumes are full of ecclesiastical and civil materials.
For a detailed account of them, the reader "
mayconsult ReportsoftheCommissioners, appointed by his Majesty to execute the Measures recommended in an Address of
the House of Commons, respecting the Pub-
lic Records of Ireland," vol. i. , pp. 501 to
543-
'' Among the most valuable of those
folio works, ordered to be printed in 1824, is the " Liber Munerum Publicorum Hi-
bemiae, ab An. 1152 usque ad 1827; or the Establishments of Ireland, from the Nineteenth of King Stephen to the Seventh of George IV. , during a Period of Six Hundred and Seventy-five Years. " Being the Report of Rowley Lascclles, of the
INTRODUCTION. CXXVll
other parts of Ireland, have hardly been scrutinized or described sufficiently to enable historic investigators to understand or fully to appreciate their con- tents. It must be assumed, however, that various incidental allusions to our old churches and religious houses, with the lands or appurtenances annexed —and perchance to many local patron saints—may be found in several ancient deeds and charters. The labours of the Record Commissioners served partially to reveal stores ofinformation, hitherto so little developed, in an antiquarian point of view ; but further editorial work is required, to unfold their manifold uses, in a legal and historical sense.
Section VIII. —Materials for Irish Saints' Lives in British and Foreign Libraries.
The public and private libraries,* in England," Scotland,3 and Wales^— perhaps also in the Channel Islands,5—abound in chronicles, charters, his- toric, legal and ecclesiastical records,*^ poems, acts of saints, calendars, me- nologia, missals, rolls, epistles and inquisitions, in a variety of languages
Section viii. —' See J. Hunter's " Eng- Treasury of her Majesty's Exchequer," lish Monastic Libraries, with Catalogues of vol. i. , in royal 8vo. a. d. 1837. Also,
* See "Cambrian Bibliography, containing
account of Books to Wales, from relating
1540, with Biographical Notices," by the Kev. William Rowlands, in 8vo. A. D. 1869. A long list of Welsh records will be found in Thomas' " Hand-Book to the Public Records," pp. 321 to 333.
"
British Historical Intelligencer," or Materials for the Formation of a Scottish
Books," published in small 4to, a. d, 1831. Turnbull's
Fragmenta Scoto-Monastica,
"
Also the
published at Westminster, in 8vo, A. D, Monasticon. " Edinburgh: 1842.
1829.
" See
Nicholson's *'
Bishop
Scotch, and Irish Historical Libraries, giv- ing a short view and character of most of our historians, either in Print or Manu- script, with an Account of our Records,
"
English,
Law-books, Coins," &c. A new edition,
corrected. In 4to. London: a. d. 1776.
This is a valuable work for consultation on inquiry, the student may consult W.
the subject of British and Irish Libraries.
Also, John Power's "Handy Book about
Books for Book Buyers, Book Lovers and
Book-sellers. " InSvo. London : a. d. 1870.
Likewise, J. Savage's "Librarian, being an
Account of Scarce, Valuable, and Useful
English Books, Manuscript Libraries," in Lowndes was frequently indebted. It was three volumes, 8vo. London, 1808.
Record Commissioners, from A. D. 1831 to 1837. " One vol. folio, a. d. 1837. See like- wise a " Handbook to the Public Records," by F. S. Thomas, Esq. , Secretary of the
3 The Advocate's
gister House, with other public libraries in
Edinburgh, also various cities and towns of
Scotland, are filled with invaluable records,
for illustrating the sacred antiquities of Ire-
land, as well as of Scotland. The reader Public Record Office. One vol. royal 8vo.
Library,
General Re-
has only to consult those admirable serials
A. D. 1853. Besides these, the student may ex-
amine the various and octavo folio, quarto
volumes of the Record Commissioners,
Sir Francis Palgrave's Documents and which began to issue early in the present
Records illustrating the History of Scotland, century, and which yet continue in course
and the Transactions between the Crowns of publication. County, city and town of Scotland and England ; preserved in the histories are worthy of investigation.
of the the " Spaulding Club,
Proceedings
of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland," "
s In reference to this interesting branch of
Clarke's
or an Account of the most celebrated British Libraries. " This fine royal 8vo volume con- tains portraits of eminent book collectors, and it is full of curious and interesting bibliographical information, to which
publishedA. D. 1819.
Repertorium Bibliographicum,
* See " of the of the Report Proceedings
cxxvm INTRODUCTION.
and forms. 7 As a matter of course, such ancient manuscript documents
chiefly serve to elucidate the civil and ecclesiastical history of those coun-
tries or districts to which they severally belong f but so closely allied are
the hagiology and church chronicles of Ireland, with many of the topics
therein treated, that several are most useful for illustration of our early na-
tionalorsocialcustomsandhabitsoflife. Besidesthesecontainingincidental
allusions, there are special manuscripts, referring exclusively to Irish hagio- graphy, or written in the Irish language, and touching on Irish ecclesiastical
subjects, preserved in that great depository of learning, the British Museum. ' The Harleian and Cottonian collections contain its chief old records. '°
Besides the general Catalogue," a special one relating to Irish manuscripts has been compiled, by Professor Eugene O'Curry, under direction of the trustees. " The British Museum collection of Irish manuscripts contains lives of various Irish saints, in the native language, historical and topo- graphical tracts of great interest, not to mention a vast number of poems and miscellaneous treatises. Many such documents are to be f—ound in the Archiepiscopal Library at Lambeth. '3 The University Libraries, especially
7 There is a printed folio of great value leianw Catalogus. " Four folio volumes.
to the inquirer after such materials, and in- Edited by the Rev. T. Hartwell Home.
**
tituled, Catalogi Librorum Manuscrip- A. D. 1812.
torum AnglijE et Hiberniae, in unum col- " At the expense of Rev. Maxwell lecti, cum Indice Aiphabetico. " It was Close, M. R. LA. , a copy of this ad- printed A. D. 1690, at the Sheldon Theatre, mirable manuscript catalogue, in two mag- Oxford ; but, it is needless to state, subse- nificently-bound manuscript folio volumes, quent enquiries have both corrected many has been procured for, and presented to,
of its descriptions, and enlarged the list of its subjects.
the Royal Irish Academy, where it is now available for the Irish scholar's consultation.
" Several noblemen and
published very interesting catalogues of
It is " intituled,
gentlemen
have
Catalogue of the Irish
Manuscripts in the British Museum," com- their respective private libraries ; and such piled by Eugene Curry, 1849. The first
aids enable the scholar to ascertain the ex-
istence of rare books and manuscripts. one side ;
9 See Richard Sims* "Hand-book to the
volume contains 330 folios, only written on the second volume, without a
with
Library of the British Museum," &c. Pub- folio 630. Then follows an alphabetically,
lished at London, A. D. 1854, in i2mo. arranged index to the whole, and consisting
'" "
See Richard Sims' JVIanual for the of 36 folios. This munificent gift of the
Genealogist, Topographer, Antiquary, and donor now enables Dublin residents to Legal Professor, consisting of Descriptions judge regarding the exact value of those of Public Records ; Parochial and other historic and literary treasures, to be found Registers ; Wills ; County and Family in the Manuscript Department of the Histories ; Heraldic Collections in Public British Museum.
Libraries," &c. , &c. Monastic Records, p. II.
'3 the Carew which Especially Papers,
relate to Ireland, are of rare importance, and their contents are now becoming known
"A "Catalogue of the Manuscripts in the British Museum," has been issued in
to the students of Irish
three fine folio volumes, from A. D. 1834 " Calendar of the Carew Papers, pre- to 1840. These contain various beauli- served in the Lambeth Librarj'. " Etlited fully-cxecuted specimens of writings, orna- by J. S. Brewer, M. A. , Professor of Eng-
ments and illuminations. See also " Li-
brorum Manuscriptorum Bibliothecae Har- and William Bullen, Esq. Vol. L—1515.
title, begins
folio 331, and it ends with
lish Literature, King's College, London;
history.
See the
Rev.
'"•See
J.
"
Catalogus Impressorum Libro-
TNTRODUCTION,
the Bodleian'* and Corpus Christi'3—at Oxford, preserve several Irish ma-
nuscripts. The Bodleian Library is especially rich in the possession of such documents. "^ AmongtheCottonianmanuscripts,'? preservedintheOxford
University Library, there is one fragment, which purports to give an account of the first founders of Christian Churches in Gaul, luigland and Ireland/^
1574. Vol. II. -1575-15SS. \'ol. HI. — lendar of the Iri. -,h Saints composed in
1589-1600. Vol. IV. —1601-1603. \'o! . verse eight hundred years agoc ; w-'' the V. —Book of Ilowth ; Mi^ccll. iiicous. \o\.
saints of y'= Romane Breviary vntil that
VI. —1603-1624. The jniblication com- tyme; aCathologueofy-' PopesofRoome; menced A. n. 1S65, and it still proceeds, in ti^-. '. v y^ Irish antl English were converted to
imperial Svo volumes. In addition, the tlie Catholique faith ; w''' many other things,
"
reader may consult Report of the Deputy . T- the reader may finde, and soe under-
stan;! ing what they containe, lett him re- member
Tri. i. Y C'oNKV.
ruilcijuA O niAoleconAipe. " We are told, that this account of the con- tends is both inadequate and erroneous. It is said to be doubtful, if this MS. contains a copy of any part of the Psalter of Cashel, although this celebrated ^LS. is sometimes referred to or quoted. There is reason to suppose, tliis Bodleian >LS. may liave lost some portion of its contents, since Tully
Conry furnished the foregoing account, un- classed and described : "MS. 1730. 263. less he fell into a mistake. In an entry, Vol. X. " It contains, " Mirabilia Cor- this MS. is designated "The Psalter of Mac nubiae, Hiberniae, Anglia", Scotia: et Va! - Richard Butler ;" and for convenience sake,
Keeper of the Public Records and of the
S. Ihewer to the Master of the Rolls, upon the Carte and Carew Papers in the Bodleian and Lambeth Libraries. " A. i). 1864.
rum Bibliotheca; Bodleian. -e in . -Ycadcmie
Oxoniensi," per Thomam Hyde, published
in a thick folio at Oxford, A. n. 1674. A later and a more carefully compiled cata- logue was again issued at Oxford, in two thick folio volumes, a. d. 1738.
lise. "
'* We obtain a
"
345. We are told, that it is a large vellum vtoraiida regarding it.
'5 Among its manuscripts, one is tlius
very interesting
tailed account of an ancient Irish manu-
and de-
the Rev. Dr. Todd, who gives a history of
this 'codex and its several so possessors,
calls it. He does not pretend, however, to script here kept, in the Proceedings of the present a complete account of its contents, Royal Irish Academy," vol. ii. , pp. 336 to although he furnishes some interesting ! ne-
'"
This most interesting collection of ma- to Archbishop Laud. On the margin of nuscripts relating to English history, anti-
4to manuscript, which formerly belonged
its first page, the autograph
logical, theological and poetical, written by various hands and at different dates. The ancient Irish called such collection a psalter. On the inside of its cover, this memoran-
may
large
Catalogus
be seen. It contains a
Librorum Bib- Manuscriptorum
"
1673- This booke is a famous coppie of a
great part of SaIcaii\ CAipiL, the booke of St. Mochuda of Rathin and Lismore, and
Smitho, a folio, with a fine portrait of Sir Robt. Cotton, ]-)ublished Oxonii, . \. D. 1696. '^ It is intituled, "De Primis Ecclesia- rum Christianarum in Gallia, Anglia at Ili-
it
bernia Fundatoribus," and seems to have
been transcribed from a manuscript, written
about the year 720. It is classed, Cleop. E. 1. f. 5. It is a paper folio, written in the seventeenth century. See Sir Thomas
"
Duffus Hardy's
Materials Relating to the History of Great Britain and Ireland," vol. i. , part i. , p. 423. Three volumes of this valuable historical guide have been published already ; and the
dum is pasted :
Oxford of
y<= 9th August,
the chronicles of Conga ;
Ireland, a Cathologue of their Kings, of the coming in of y« Romans vnto England, of )* coming of y« Saxons ; a notable ca-
tained divine many
and most
y= part
Descriptive Catalogue of
things,
of y' Antiquities of y' auncientest houses in
"
G. Carew"
quities and topography, is described in the
"
collection
of miscellaneous pieces, historical, genea- liotheca; CoUoniana;," scriptore Thoma
wherein is con-
cxxx INTRODUCTION.
The University Library at Cambridge'' must be regarded as a valuable source forconsultation. AcollectionofMS. ,relatingtoBritishhistoryandantiquities,
as also to Irish affairs, is deposited in the library of Corpus Christi. =° The
=^' TowerofLondon"'andChapterHouseatWestminster, containsomecurious
charters and rolls, but chiefly useful for the compilation of British history. The State Paper Office,="3 and the Public Record Office, at London, con- stitute the most complete and perfect series of documents for British history,'* and these serve, likewise, to elucidate Irish matters, especially since the period of the Anglo-Norman invasion. 's Some old municipal collections
fourth, which brings the date from A. D. spectantes, ex Archivis in Domo cap.
1327, is now at press.
''See Rev. C. H. Hartshome's *'Book
Rarities in the University of Cambridge," in 8vo. , 1829.
*° To their contents, we have a guide in
Nasmith's " Catalogue of Manuscripts in "
Westmon. deprompti," vol. i. in 8vo, 1834. "3 From A. D. 1803 to 1852, eleven 4to volumes were published by the Record Commissioners of "State Papers, during thereignofHenrytheEighth: withIndices of Persons and Places. " The contents
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, 1777.
in 4to,
Vol. i.
:
" The Record Commissioners have given
a clue to the contents, by issuing the follow-
ing folio volume—s, edited by Sir Thomas
DufTus Hardy: " Rotuli Chartarum in
Turri Londinensi asservati. 1199—1216. "
Vol i. , issued in 1837. "Rotuli Littera-
rum Clausanim in Turri Londinensi asser-
vati. Vol. i. , 1204— issued A. D. " ofIreland. "
1833.
1844.
Londinensi asservati. 1 20 1
A. D. 1835. The introduction was published
8vo shape :
Rotuli Normanniae in Turri
1224,"
History
*< Under the direction of the Master of
the Rolls, and under the able editorial su-
pervision of competent ladies and gentlemen, a most voluminous series of calendars, relat- ing to the contents of public records and documents, illustrating British, Irish and Colonial history, has been already published by an order of the Lords of the Treasury. The first of these imperial 8vo volumes was printed A. D. 1856, and the course of publi- cation yet proceeds.
Vol " 1224—1227," issued a. d. ii. ,
"Rotuli Litterarum Patentium in
—
in 8vo. The following appeared in royal
"
Londinensi asservati. 1200—1205 ; also,
i4i7toi4i8. " Vol i. , A. D. 1835. "Ro- tuli de Oblatis et Finibus in 1 urri Londin-
1 2 1 6,
"
issued
ensi asservati, tempore Regis Johannis. "
Vol. i. , A. D. 1835. "Excerpta e Rotulis
Finium in Turr—i Londinensi asservatis.
Henry IH. , 1216 1272. " This was edited interest for the Irish historical student are
by Charles Roberts, Esq. , in 2 vols. , A. D. 1835, 1836.
'* The history of Scotland receives some advantage from the preservation of these
these: "Calendar of State Papers relating to Ireland, of the reigns of Henry VIII. ,
Edward IV. , Mary and Elizabeth, preserved in Her Majesty's Public Record Office. " Edited by Hans Claud—e Hamilton, Esq. , F. S. A. Vol. 1. -1509 1573. , A. D. i860. Vol. ii. —1574—1585, A. D. 1867. Ano-
documents, as described in
"
Rotuli Scotioe
in Turri Londinensi, et in Domo Capitulari
Westmonasteriensi asservati. 19 Edward I.
—Henry VIIL" Edited by David Mac- ther volume is in the press, and it be- pherson, John Caley, and W. Illingworth, gins with 1586 of Queen Elizabeth's reign. Esqrs. , and the Rev. T. Hartwell Home. Her successor's government is illustrated by In 2 volumes, folio, A. D. 1819. Again, a " Calendar of State Papers relating to Irish affairs receive illustration from "Ro- Ireland, of the Reign of James I. , presei-ved tuli Select! ad Res Anglicas et Hibernicas in Her Majesty's Public Record Office, and
were
—
Domestic Correspondence. Vols. ii. & iii. —Correspondence relating to Ireland. Vols. iv. & v. —Correspondence relatingtoScotland. Vols. vi. toxi. —Cor-
respondence between England and Foreign Courts. The first of our Irish historical writers, who made use of the State Papers, was the illustrious bard of Erin, Thomas Moore, while engaged in compiling his
"5 Among these, the volumes of special
seem adapted to the purpose, should be placed in the common library of the Guildhall for the use of students. About one hundred years afterwards, Protector Somerset carried away an immense number of the works. In 1553. the library was let as a common clothes- mart. Those manuscripts and books which remained were destroyed, in the great fire of
The History and Antiquities of Dur- ham," by William Hutchinson, F. S. A. , in three 4to volumes, printed at Newcastle, A. D. 1785, as also "The History and Anti- quities of Durham," by Robert Surtees, in four folio volumes, published in London, from A. D. 1 81 6 to 1840, will affiard the en-
INTRODUCTION. CXXXl
and documents should also reward the industry of the historical student,^^
while these might help to enlighten us regarding places and churches, asso- ciated with the memories of certain Irish Saints. The inestimably precious Stowe Manuscripts,"? collected by the Duke of Buckingham, and since trans- ferred to the custody of Lord Ashburnham, are almost inaccessible to Irish scholars. There is a fine collection of manuscripts,'^ in the Cathedral Library,*?
