MS 260: Simon Foster, Account of the Execution of William Laud.

Scope and Content

The printed edition of William Laud's funeral sermon, preached on the scaffold, with a manuscript leaf inserted describing Laud's execution, by someone signing themselves 'S.F.', who was present at the proceedings. Coates (1802, 422-3) who reproduced the account in its entirety, identifies the author as Simon Foster (fl. 1645).

1. Fols 1, 4r-11v: The Archbishop of Canterbury's Speech or His funerall sermon, preacht by himself on the scaffold on Tower-Hill, on Friday the 10. of Ianuary, 1644. Upon Hebrews 12 . 1, 2. London, printed by Peter Cole, at the signe of the Printing-Presse in Cornhill, neer the Royall Exchange, over against Popes-head-alley. 1644. (from title page). Wing (CD-ROM, 1996.) L599. ESTC R11435. Variant 1. With annotations and crossing through in a single 17th c. mixed hand (belonging to Simon Foster) in black ink: "I, S.F., note the differences between the paper the ArchBp had in his hand, & wch was printed, twice at Oxford, in Mercurius Aulicus, & in the brief Account of his life & Death & this printed at London amidst his Enemys that murdered & martyred him" (margin to fol. 4v). English.

2. Fols 2-3: Foster, Simon. Account of Laud's execution. English. Single 17th c. mixed hand in black ink. In long-lines with 3-32 lines to a page. "[Text] At the beheading of the Right Reverend Father in god William Laud Archbp of Canterbury, I, S.F., was p[re]sent nigh him, & observed those circumstances followi[n]g ... His countenance did not once alter all the while he was upon the scaffold." [fol. 3 blank except for glosses in a later hand (Loveday's?)].

Access Information

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Acquisition Information

Two letters to the President of St John's College, Oxford, inserted. From T. Loveday, great great grandson of John (above), regarding the donation of the manuscript to the College and its provenance, dated 20th January and 4th March 1952.

St John's shelfmark in pencil on front pastedown.

Other Finding Aids

This catalogue entry derives from Stewart Tiley's unpublished descriptive catalogue of the post-1500 western manuscripts at St John's College, Oxford (2018).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

Custodial History

Note in Foster's hand on fol. iii verso: "This booke I will and give to my son Michael Fostre after my Death".

Note on fol. i recto: "Legi [?] Martio 1718/9"

Note on fol. 1r: "19 March 1727/8 Collated & perfect [?]".

Various annotations on front pastedown: the initials "C. & P./"; a price?; a reference in pencil to Coates; an inscription in black ink, "June 10. 1755. Ye Gift of my bro. Bagshaw". The last is the Rev. Thomas Bagshaw, warden of Bromley College, Kent, and is in the hand of his brother-in-law, John Loveday of Caversham, in whose hand are several glosses on the original account.

Bibliography

Coates, Charles. 1802. The history and antiquities of Reading . London: For the author by J. Nichols.