A.D. 1632
William Burton, the historian of Leicestershire, gave the original MSS. of Leland’s Itinerary (together with a transcript of some parts) and of his Collectanea; the former filling seven volumes in quarto91, and the latter (including the book De Scriptoribus Britannicis) four in folio. The Collectanea, after the death of Leland, had been in the possession of Sir John Cheke, to whom Edward VI entrusted the custody of Leland’s papers; on his going into exile in the reign of Queen Mary, he gave them to Humphrey Purefoy, Esq., whose son, Thomas Purefoy, presented them to Burton in the year 1612. The Itinerary was first published by Hearne in 1710, in 9 vols.; the Collectanea in 1715, in 6 vols.; the De Scriptoribus, by Ant. Hall, in 1709. The MS. of the Itinerary is much stained and injured by damp; but it is no longer in the perishable condition described by Hearne. There are, besides, three transcripts of it in the Library; one, of part of the book (Bodl. 470) is a copy (mentioned above) which was made for Burton, and sent by him to Rouse, with a letter dated ‘Lindley, Leic. 17 July, 1632,’ in which he describes it as being ‘written, though not with so fine a letter, yet with a judicious hand.’ He says that another part is ‘now (as I heere) in the hands of Doctor Burton, Archdeacon of Gloucester, which he received by loane from a freind of mine, but never yet restored; the which, I thinke, upon request he will impart unto you;’ and adds, ‘Some more partes there were of this Itinerary, but through the negligence of him to whom they were first lent, are embesiled and gone.’ He undertakes to send the three parts of the Collectanea and the book De Scriptt. Angliæ, according to promise, as soon as he has done using them. Another copy, made by Burton himself in 1628, was given to Dr. W. Stukeley by Thomas Allen, Esq., lord of Finchley, in June, 1758, and finally came to the Library with Gough’s collection. It is now numbered Gough, General Topog. 2. It is injured by damp at the beginning, but has been repaired by Stukeley. The third copy is a later transcript, also in Gough’s collection, and numbered General Topog. 1.
Notes
91 An eighth volume of the Itinerary was given by Charles King, M.A. of Ch. Ch. some time subsequently, having been lent by Burton and not recovered at the time of his own gift.