MS 272: Richard Rawlinson, Collections on the History of St John's College

A collection of documents produced during the 17th and 18th centuries, and relating to the history of St John's College, Oxford, compiled by Dr Richard Rawlinson, topographer and bishop to non-jurors (1690-1755).

• 1. Fol. [1]r: Table of contents. [fol. [1]v blank.].
• 2. Fols[2]r-[4]v: Item 1. "Acct. of St Bernard's Coll. in Oxford" (from table of contents). English. Transcription in 17th/18th c. hand (same hand as index, which is identified on [2]r as "President Delaune's hand" in a pencil note [i.e. William Delaune, 1659-1728]) of the account written by Anthony Wood ca. 1661-1666, and later published by A. Clark in 1889-1899 (vol. 2, pp. 305-10). 242 x 183 mm. Text Area: 186 x 140 mm. Catchwords bottom right of each page. References in margins. Frame-ruled in red ink. [Fol. 5r blank except for ruling].
• 3. Fol. [5]v: Item 2. "Inscript: on ABp Laud's Coffin" (from table of contents). Transcription of Latin verse. Same hand, dimensions and ruling as item 1.
• 4. Fols [6]r-[14]v: Item 3. "Historia Collegii Divi Johannis Baptistæ composita a Josepho Taylor LLD. 1666. Aug." (from caption). Latin. Transcription in 17th/18th c. hand (different from that used in the index, and identified by a later pencil note as "Rawlinson's hand?") of Bodleian MS Wood F.28, folios 257-263 (another pencil note). Dimensions, catchwords and ruling as previous items.
• 5. Fol. [15]: Item 4. "The Lands of St John Baptist Colledge lying in the County of Oxford." (from caption). Transcription from Bodleian MS Wood F.28, folio 256. English. Same hand as item 3. Dimensions and ruling as previous items. [Fol. [16] blank except for ruling].
• 6. Fols [17]-[34]: Items 5 & 6. "De electione presidentis" & "De juramento præsidentis" (from caption & divisional header). Latin. Transcription of passages from the College statutes in a 17th c. hand. 197 x 158 mm. Text area: 183 x 145 mm. Text on rectos only. Key terms engrossed in a calligraphic script of a gothic type. Catchwords at the bottom right hand corner of each leaf. [Fols [17] & [33-34] blank].
• 7. Fols [35]-[42]: Item 7. "The Case of Gloucestr Hall in Oxon. Betwene the nowe Bishopp of Oxford & St John's Colledg." (from caption). Latin. 17th/18th c. hand. 191 x 157 mm. Text area: varies, typically 180 x 140 mm. [fol. [42]v blank].
• 8. Fols [43-54]: Items 8-12. A transcription of a series of documents relating to the benefaction in 1665 made by Tobias Rustat (1608-1694, courtier and benefactor). These include (from captions): 1. "A Copy of a deed of acknowledgment from the President, Fellows and Scholars if St John Baptists College in Oxford to Tobias Rustat Esqr"; 2. "An account of the benefaction of Tobias Rustat Esqr. Yeoman of the Robes to King Charles II &c."; 3. "A Copy of the deed from the University of Cambridge, as an acknowledgment of a benefaction from Tobias Rustat Esqr"; 4. "The directions of Tobias Rustatt Esqr shewing the method of the disposal of his Benefaction to the University of Cambridge."; 5. "The Copies of two letters sent to Tobias Rustat Esqr from the famous University of Cambridge." English. Same hand as item 3 (i.e. Rawlinson's?). 192 x 122 mm. Text area: 188 x 115 mm. Catchwords at bottom right of each page, and linking the various segments of the transcription.
• 9. Fols [55-56]: Item 13. "Part of the last will of Mr Jonas Gwyn of Woodton in the County of Kent Clerke dated Aug. 20. 1678. Car. II. 30." (from caption). Transcription of the section detailing the bequeathing of the advowson of Barfreston in Kent to St John's College. English. Same hand as previous item. 203 x 132 mm. Text area: 199 x 128 mm. Catchword. [fol. 56 blank].
• 10. Fol. [57]: Item 14. "Letter concerning Mr Parker's will." (from contents). English. 243 x 175 mm. Text area: 218 x 161 mm. Transcription in same hand as items immediately previous of a letter concerning the will of William Parker (d. 18th c.), who left an endowment of £20 for a minister to serve Bloxhill Chapel, Staffs., giving the nomination of St John's College. Later printed in W.H. Hutton's S. John Baptist College (1898), p. 147. Frame-ruled in red ink. [fol. 57v blank except for ruling].
• 11. Fols [58-70]: Items 15-16. Various extracts from the archives of St John's College, transcribed in 1674 from Anthony Wood's notes in the Bodleian Library (MS Wood D.2). Latin & English. 209 x 165 mm. Text area: 192 x 145 mm. 17th c. hand. Frame-ruled in red crayon?
• 12. Fol. [71]: Item 17. "Mr Griffith Higgs's Benefactn to Merton Coll." (from contents). English. 195 x 147 mm. Text area: 186 x 135 mm. Autograph? statement of a benefaction signed by Griffith Higgs (1589-1659, dean of Lichfield and Book collector).
• 13. Fols [72-77]: Item 18. "His [Griffith Higgs'] benefaction to St John's Coll." (from contents). English. 189 x 146 mm. Text area: 170 x 140 mm. Autograph? statement of a benefaction to St John's College signed by Griffith Higgs, and dated July 14th 1651. [fols 74v, 75 & 77 v blank].
• 14. Fols [78-81]: Item 19. "Funebris oratio in obitum Tho. White per Edmundum Campianum." (from caption). Latin. 211 x 165 mm. Text area: 187 x 120 mm. 17th/18th c. hand, the same as items 7, 15 & 16. Frame-ruled in red crayon? Catchwords in bottom right hand corner of some pages.
• 15. Fols [82-83]: Item 20. "Account of persons enter'd at St John's Coll." (from contents). English. 205 x 165 mm. Text area: 180 x 135 mm. Transcription in Rawlinson's? hand of extracts from the University Register? Frame-ruled in red ink. Catchwords bottom right-hand corner. [fol. 83v blank.]
• 16. Fols [84-85]: Item 21. "Numerus studentium & servientium in Coll. S.J.B." (from contents). Latin. 232 x 150 mm. Text area: 209 x 118 mm. In Rawlinson's? hand. Frame-ruled in red-ink. Catchwords bottom right-hand corner. [fol. 85 blank.]
• 17. Fols [86-87]: Item 22. Notes on Thomas White, including a transcription of his Founder's Letter. Dimensions vary. Various 17th/18th c. hands.
• 18. Fol. 88: Item 23. "Inscription upon a monument in Fyfield Church." (from caption). Latin & English. 131 x 156 mm. Text area: 115 x 140 mm. Description, and transcription of, the monument to George Dale which mentions Thomas White, in Rawlinson's? hand. [fol. 88v blank].
• 19. Fols [89-90]: Item 24. "Extracted out of a book called the Nine Worthies of London [by Richard Johnson, 1573-1659?] – printed there in 1592 where the Goddess Fame assigning her several Worthies to speak makes Sr Thomas White to speak these following Verses." English. 176 x 115 mm. Text area: 168 x 110 mm. In Rawlinson's? hand. [fol. 90v blank].
• 20. Fol. 91: Not listed in contemts. A paragraph excerpted from an Act of Parliament in the 18th year of Elizabeth I for the preservation of Collegiate lands. English. 192 x 136 mm. In Rawlinson's? hand. [fols 91v-92 blank.]

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At the head of fol. [2]r: "Liber Coll. Sti. Joannis Baptistae Oxon." with a pencil inscription "President Fry's hand" [i.e. Thomas Fry, 1718-1772].

On front pastedown 20th c. bookplate of St John's College, and also current shelfmark, in 20th c. pencil.

This catalogue entry derives from Stewart Tiley's unpublished descriptive catalogue of the post-1500 western manuscripts at St John's College, Oxford (2018). This entry was uploaded to ArchivesHub in April 2023 as part of the St John's College Library digitization project. To learn more about the project and to find digital resources, please visit the Digital Library

On inside of original cover, now a fly-leaf, are an armorial bookplate for Rawlinson, together with a bookplate in the form of a seal of Oxford University, with the text "Sigillum Univ. Oxon. Diplomati Ric. Rawlinson pro gradu Doctoris Legum Appensum".