Collection level description created by Emily Tarrant, Department of Special Collections and Western Manuscripts.
Gerard Langbaine the elder was born in 1609 in Westmorland, and in 1625 came to the Queen's College, Oxford, where he was successively bateller, servitor, tabarder, fellow (1633), and provost (1646). In 1644 he was elected Keeper of the Archives. Although a staunch Royalist he managed to retain his provostship until his death on 10 February 1658, which was caused by 'an extreme cold taken sitting in the University Library'. He must be distinguished from his younger son of the same name, the dramatic biographer and critic who lived from 1656 to 1692.
Langbaine wrote many valuable catalogues, lists, and volumes of excerpts relating to Bodleian manuscripts, chiefly in 1654-5, and much of his work was printed in the Old Catalogue of 1697. Further details are given in the
Langbaine's manuscripts, including material relating to Greek manuscripts, the Bodleian Library and Oxford colleges.
Part of the collection was bought for 11 and arrived in 1658. Part was given to the Library by Antony Wood and part was bequeathed by Langbaine himself.
Entry to read in the Library is permitted only on presentation of a
valid reader's card (for admissions procedures see
Full descriptions, in Latin, are in Henry O. Coxe,
Brief one-line descriptions, with shelfmarks and short titles, are in Falconer Madan,
See also Wood Manuscripts (MSS. Wood donat. 1-25).