1. Home

Medieval Studies

Medieval Studies

Overview

The Middle Ages, or the medieval period, generally refers to the era 400 to 1500 C.E. in western Europe and the British Isles. These territories formed the Holy Roman Empire, when Christianity emerged as the dominant tradition with cultural roots stemming from ancient Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman traditions. The papacy provided a unifying institutional and political framework. Contact with an expanding Islamic world to the south and east along with unconverted Scandinavian and Germanic cultures to the north are other defining characteristics of medieval culture.  

Church Archives

Church Court Records of Ely
Harvester Microform
1374–1640

Series 1 of the set Ecclesiastical Authority in England reproduces original manuscripts held at Cambridge University Library. Contains the main sequence of Instance Act Books (1374–1640), covering cases between parties, particularly marriage and tithe cases. Part 2 contains the Office Act Books (1469–1639), which treat the spiritual and moral welfare of both clergy and laity. This is supplemented by a collection of Formularies, dealing with matters as diverse as sequestrations, commissions of offices, proceedings against lollards, inquisitions, and dispensations


Episcopal Registers
Harvester Microform

This set includes reproductions of original manuscripts of bishops’ registers, recording administrative acts of bishops and authorities. CRL holds eight parts of the set, which are also separately cataloged:

  • pt. 1. Registers of the Archbishops of York, 1215–1650 [catalog record]
  • pt. 2. Registers of the Bishops of Lincoln, 1209–1663 [catalog record]
  • pt. 3. Registers of the Bishops of Coventry and Lichfield, 1295–1632; Carlisle, 1292–1656; Chester, 1541–1652; and Durham, 1283–1672 [catalog record]
  • pt. 4. Registers of the Bishops of Salisbury, 1297–1689 [catalog record]
  • pt. 5. Registers of the Bishops of London, 1304–1660  [catalog record]
  • pt. 6. Registers of Christ Church Cathedral Priory, Canterbury,1284–1661  [catalog record]
  • pt. 7. Registers of the Bishops of Ely, 1337-1619; Oxford, 1592–1663; and Wales,1389–1705 [catalog record]
  • pt. 8. Registers of the Bishops of Chichester, 1396-1675; Gloucester, 1541–1681; and Rochester, 1319–1683 [catalog record]
Registers of the Archbishops of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace Library
World Microfilms
615–1645
  • 1. MS 1212: 13th cent. cartulary of the Archbishopric of Canterbury (c. 615–1290)
  • 2. John Pecham, 1279–92; Robert Winchelsey, 1294–1313
  • 3. Walter Reynolds, 1313–27; Simon Inslip, 1349–66
  • 4. Simon Langham, 1366–68; William Whittlesey, 1368–74; Simon Sudbury, 1375–81
  • 5. William Courtenay, 1381–96
  • 6. Thomas Arundel, 1396–1414
  • 7–8. Henry Chichele, 1414–43, vols. 1–2
  • 9. John Stafford, 1443–52; John Kompe, 1452–54; Thomas Bourgchier, 1454–86
  • 10. John Morton, 1486–1500; Henry Deane, 1501–03
  • 11. William Warham, 1503–32
  • 12. Thomas Cranmer, 1532–55; Reginald Pole, 1555–58
  • 13. Matthew Parker, 1559–75
  • 14. Edmund Grindal, 1576–83
  • 15–16. John Whitgift, 1583–1604, vols. 1–3
  • 17. Richard Bancroft, 1604–10
  • 18–19. George Abbott, 1611–33, vols. 1–3
  • 20. William Laud, 1633–45

Incunabula

Books Printed in the Low Countries before 1601
General Microfilm Company
–1601

This set includes microfilm copies of books printed in Belgium and the Netherlands and books printed in Flemish or Dutch in other countries before 1601. Partially based on Short-title Catalogue of Books Printed in the Netherlands and Belgium and of Dutch and Flemish Books Printed in other Countries from 1470 to 1600, Now in the British Museum. Publisher's announcement: “Titles of basic importance in all fields are selected from, though not restricted to, this source.”
Early English Books, 1475–1640: Selected from Pollard and Redgrave’s Short-title Catalogue
University Microfilms International
1475–1640

GUIDE: Early English Books, 1475–1640: selected from Pollard and Redgrave’s Short-title catalogue: A Guide to.... CRL owns the first 56 units of this microfilm set of Pollard’s and Redgrave’s titles. Individual title access is through the guide; only a few of the titles are analyzed in CRL’s catalog.
French Books before 1601
General Microfilm Company
–1601

GUIDE: Short-title catalogue of books printed in France and of French books printed in other countries now in the British Museum. This microfilm set is based on the British Library’s bibliography.  
German Books before 1601
General Microfilm Company
–1601

GUIDE: Short-title catalogue of books printed in the German-speaking countries and German books printed in other countries from 1455 to 1600, now in the British Museum. This microfilm set includes a selection of German books on all subjects published before 1601. The initial selection is based on the Short-title Catalogue, but also includes works in the Bodleian, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, and other sources. 
Hispanic Culture Series
General Microfilm Company
–1601

This series, also called Hispanic books printed before 1601, is based on the bibliographies listed below and covers early books printed in Spain, Portugal, and Latin America 

  • Penney, Clara Louise, ed. List of Books Printed before 1601 in the Library of the Hispanic Society of America.
  • Thomas, Henry. Short-title Catalogues of Spanish, Spanish-American and Portuguese Books Printed before 1601 in the British Museum.
  • Simon Diaz, Jose. Bibliographia de la Literatura Hispanica. 

​Titles cataloged individually. 
Incunabula: The Printing Revolution in Europe 1455–1500
Primary Source Microfilm
1455–1500

CRL has the following units of this set: Units 46–47, German vernacular literature; Units 54–55, Iberian printing; Units 56–59, 67, 78–79, 83, Bibles & commentaries; Units 70–72, 75, Printing in Florence; and Units 76–77, Printing in Venice. 
Italian Books before 1601
General Microfilm Company
–1601

GUIDE: Short-title catalogue of books printed in Italy and of Italian books printed in other countries from 1465 to 1600, now in the British Museum. This set reproduces 15th- and 16th-century books in all subject areas. The initial selection for the microfilm set is based on the Short-title Catalogue, but titles from other collections also are included.
Medina’s Biblioteca Hispano-Americana, 1493–1810
General Microfilm Company
1493–1810

GUIDE: Medina, Jose Toribio. Biblioteca Hispano-Americana, 1493–1810. This set contains microfilm copies of titles in Medina’s bibliography and represents a history of the Spanish-speaking peoples of the western hemisphere. Most individual titles are not cataloged at CRL.
Scandinavian Culture Series
General Microfilm Company
–1700

GUIDE: This is a microfilm set of a selection of Scandinavian books printed before 1700, based on the bibliographies below:

  • Collijn, Isak. Sveriges bibliografi intill are 1600.
  • Nielsen, Lauritz M. Dansk bibliografi, 1482–1550, 1551–1600, med saerligt hensyn til dansk bogtrykkerkunsts historie.
  • Bruun, Chr. V. Bibliotheca danica, 1482–1830.
  • Pettersen, Hjalmar Marius. Bibliotheca norvegica, 1643–1813.
  • Collijn, Isak. Sveriges bibliografi, 1600–talet.

Manuscripts

Ancient Correspondence, 1175–1538
Harvester Microform
1175–1538

GUIDE: List of ancient correspondence of the Chancery and Exchequer preserved in the Public Record Office. List and Index Society, v. 15. This set contains more than 12,400 individual documents spanning the reigns of King John to King Henry VII and includes: state papers; correspondence of kings, bishops, Popes, knights, noblemen, royal servants, and Lord Chancellors; and medieval and other records. Topics covered by this collection include: the diplomatic relations between Britain and France; the political struggles between the king and barons; ecclesiastical elections; sieging of castles; packing of wool; trading; escapes from imprisonment; protection of lepers; enclosures; keeping of servants and falcons; and even the slowness of letters in transit. It is a useful source for the study of economic, military, diplomatic, ecclesiastical, social, and literary history. The originals are part of the records of the PRO Special Collections (PRO S.C. 1/1-64).
Anglo-Saxon & Mediaeval Manuscript Collection
World Microfilms

Archivio del Catasto
University Microfilms International
1420, 1427

This microfilm set of the 1427 survey of Florence is complete, except for areas of Pistoia, Pisa, and Arezzo. The census includes volumes on the technical regulations and laws concerning the Catasto. Title on container labels: “Florence census 1420, 1427.”
Books printed in the low countries before 1601.
General Microfilm Company
-1601

GUIDE: Short-title catalogue of books printed in the Netherlands and Belgium and of Dutch and Flemish books printed in other countries from 1470 to 1600, now in the British Museum. Z2402.B7 Cockx-Indestage, Elly, and Genevieve Glorieux. Belgica typographica 1541-1600. Z2402.C6 This set includes microfilm copies of books printed in Belgium and the Netherlands and books printed in Flemish or Dutch in other countries before 1601. The initial selection is based on the works cited above. This set has been expanded to include the 17th century. This is a continuing project, with additional reels received periodically. Most of the titles have been cataloged with over 2,300 individual titles in CRLCATALOG.
British Literary Manuscripts from the British Library, London. Series 3, the Medieval Manuscripts to c. 1500
Harvester Microform
–c. 1500

GUIDE: British literary manuscripts from the British Library: an inventory to parts one and two of the Harvester microform collection, based on the Sloane and additional manuscripts series. This set includes material from the Sloane collection. Entries from the British Library’s catalogs of manuscripts precede each reel. Prominent works include four texts of The Canterbury Tales (Sloane 1685, 1686; Add. MSS. 5140, 35286), The Legende of Good Women (Add. MS. 12044), and Troilus and Cresseide (Add. MS. 12044), as well as a rich cache of religious and devotional material. CRL owns Parts 1–2 of this series.
British Manuscripts Project
Library of Congress

A joint project of the American Council of Learned Societies and the Library of Congress, the collection consists of reproductions of nearly five million pages of manuscripts and, in a few instances, rare printed materials found in some of the major public and private collections of England and Wales. American scholars in many fields of knowledge selected the works for their intrinsic importance to learned studies. The collection spans several centuries; it includes many types of works (letters, treaties, public records, grants, papal indulgences, speeches, stories, poems, pedigrees, deeds, tracts, court cases, treasurer's accounts, journals, petitions, homilies, and commentaries), and covers a wide range of subjects (politics, religion, philosophy, literature, science, history), in many languages (English, Latin, Greek, Arabic, Welsh, French, etc.). This collection contains many important collections from the British Museum as well as the Public Record Office. CRL holds limited reels of this collection, some of which are cataloged under separate headings. The following is a short checklist of items, with the listing of the depository, LC Reel number, and corresponding BMP item numbers (these are in numerical sequence and may not match the order of LC Reel numbers). Titles can be checked through the checklist or via the online version at the University of Michigan.

  • Bath, Marquises of. Library, Longleat., Coventry Papers LC Reels: Bath 1–65 BMP no.: 1–79 See also Coventry Papers
  • British Museum. Dept. of Manuscripts, Cotton Appendix LC Reels: BMab 349, 380 BMP No.: 687, 692–693
  • British Museum. Dept. of Manuscripts, Cotton Caligula LC Reels: BMab 174 B, 179, 455 BMP No.: 710, 712, 715, 720
  • British Museum. Dept. of Manuscripts, Cotton Galba LC Reels: BMab 282 BMP No.: 898–899
  • British Museum. Dept. of Manuscripts, Cotton Julius LC Reels: BMab 104, 189 BMP No.: 926, 933, 941, 964, 967
  • British Museum. Dept. of Manuscripts, Cotton Nero LC Reels: BMab 278, 380 BMP No.: A27, A64
  • British Museum. Dept. of Manuscripts, Cotton Titus LC Reels: BMab 104, 345, 346, 348, 349, 350, 373, 380 BMP No.: A143, A145, A147, A156–157, A160, A179, A201, A203–204
  • British Museum. Dept. of Manuscripts, Cotton Tiberius LC Reels: BMab 189 BMP No.: A107
  • British Museum. Dept. of Manuscripts, Cotton Vespasian LC Reels: BMab 278, 281, 307, 308, 309, 310, 312 BMP No.: A242, A245, A251–258, A309, A311, A313
  • British Museum. Dept. of Manuscripts, Cotton Vitellius LC Reels: BMab 314 BMP No.: A351, A355
  • Cambridge University. Library LC Reels: Camb 231–232 BMP No.: B571–580
  • Cambridge University. Pembroke College LC Reels: Camb 162 BMP No.: C694, C698, C741,
  • Cambridge University. Trinity College LC Reels: Camb 386 BMP No.: C957–959, D95–97
  • Downshire, Marquesses of. Library. Trumbull mss. Papers of William Trumbull, the Elder LC Reels: Camb 203–205, 216–229 BMP No.: D103, D125–130, D153–186
  • (Miscellaneous Collections) Singer, Dorothea (Waley), Bibliography (#4701120) LC Reels: Misc 16–36 BMP No.: F214–216
  • Northumberland, Dukes of. Library (Alnwick Castle)., Manuscripts LC Reels: Aln 1, 2, 6, 7, 47, 54, 55 BMP no.: F233–238, F247–251, F315, F320–323, F333, F360, F402–404, F415, F449, F476-478
  • Northumberland, Dukes of. Library (Syon House) LC Reels: Aln 93, 104, 106, 107, 112 BMP no.: F500–504, F576–579, F606–612, F646–683, F850, F910, F912–916, F939, F941-949
  • Oxford University. Bodleian Library, Laud Misc. LC Reels: Oxf 30, 34 BMP No.: G457, G460, G468, G474, G476, G478, G488–489, G496, G500, G503–505
  • Oxford University. Bodleian Library, Bodley LC Reels: Oxf 30 BMP No.: G88
  • Oxford University. Bodleian Library, Tanner LC Reels: Oxf 99, 141, 144, See Also Tanner Manuscripts
  • Oxford University. Bodleian Library, Rawlinson LC Reels: Oxf 226–228, 231–240, 243–244, 246–252, 266 See also Rawlinson Manuscripts
  • Penshurst. De l'Isle and Dudley, Barons of. Library. Penshurst Muniments LC Reels: Camb 752, 773, 786 BMP No.: H748–754, H938–940, J386–387, 389–429
  • Great Britain. Public Record Office., War Office. Amherst Papers LC Reels: PRO 239–411 BMP No.: E425–678 See also Amherst Papers

GUIDE: British Manuscripts Project: A Checklist of Microfilms Prepared in England and Wales for the American Council of Learned Societies (1941–45).
Chronicles and Documents of Medieval England, c. 1150–1500, from Cambridge University Library
Harvester Microform
1150–1500

Manuscripts, including chronicles, geneologies, letters, and various documents chiefly related to land, law, politics, and religion in England. CRL owns part 1 (manuscripts Dd–Gg) and 2 (manuscripts Hh–Oo and additional works).
Husting Rolls of Deeds and Wills, 1252–1485
Chadwyck-Healey
1252–1485

This set contains transcripts of more than 22,600 deeds and testaments disposing of real property from the Court of Husting, the principal court of medieval London. The deeds specify details of the property, names of owners and tenants, and other information about individual properties, streets, markets, and other features of London.
Lincoln Cathedral Library, the Mediaeval Manuscript Collection
World Microfilms Publications
700–1500
Mediaeval and Renaissance Manuscript Collections at Oxford Colleges
World Microfilms Publications
1200–1704

CRL owns sections IV (law) and V (medical & natural sciences). Section IV contains the Decretals of Gregory IX and of Gratian, Justinian's Works, as well as the works of many Popes (Innocent IV, Boniface VIII etc.). Section V includes such works from the Christ Church collection as the Lectio Astronomica (1703) and a 17th-century Euclides Elementum. Those from New College include works by Hippocrates, Pliny, Ptolemy, Aristos, Galen, Averroes, and Roger Bacon.
Medieval Literary and Historical Manuscripts in the Cotton Collection, British Library, London
Harvester Microform

This set has seven parts:

  • Pt. 1: Cotton Julius-Cotton Tiberius
  • Pt. 2: Cotton Caligula-Cotton Claudius
  • Pt. 3: Cotton Nero-Cotton Otho
  • Pt. 4: Cotton Vitellius
  • Pt. 5: Cotton Vespasian
  • Pt. 6: Cotton Titus
  • Pt. 7: Cotton Domitian, Cotton Cleopatra, Cotton Faustina, and Appendix
Property and Privilege in Medieval and Early Modern England and Wales
Harvester Microform

CRL has the following parts:

  • Pt. 1: Arundel-Cotton Nero
  • Pt. 2: Cotton Otho-Cotton Roll
  • Pt. 3: Egerton-Lansdowne 
  • Pt. 4: Royal-Add. Roll
Rawlinson Manuscript Collection at the Bodleian Library, Oxford, 1253–1753
Harvester Microform
1253–1753

CRL holds parts 1–4, selected volumes in the Rawlinson A; parts 5–6, selected volumes in the Rawlinson B; and part 7, selected volumes in the Rawlinson C collections. The bulk of the microfilm edition is dated c.1540 to c.1680, although the Rawlinson manuscript collection contains letters, papers, and records from 1253 to 1753. The microfilm edition is selective and excludes most volumes concerning the history of continental Europe or other parts of the World or British history if of less significance for public affairs. Most of the Thurloe Manuscripts (Rawlinson A Volumes 1–67) have been omitted. The set is also known as Sixteenth and Seventeenth-Century Manuscripts from the Rawlinson Collection. A finding aid is at beginning of each reel.
The Repertories of the Court of Aldermen, 1495–1835, from the Corporation of London Record Office
Harvester Microform
1495–1835

Offered as part of the set “Making of Modern London,” the repertories of the Court of Aldermen—one of the two assemblies responsible for administering London—give a detailed record of London and its people over four centuries. The records describe local administrative issues (police, water supply, building codes, citizenship) and related matters. To date, only the repertories from 1495 to 1692 have been produced.
Trinity College, Cambridge Library, the Mediaeval Manuscript Collection
World Microfilms

The set is issued in several sections and parts, which are also cataloged separately:

In addition to the digitized guide below, see the searchable catalogue online at Trinity College.
All Topic Guides

Scandinavian Culture Series

GUIDE: This is a microfilm set of a selection of Scandinavian books printed before 1700, based on the bibliographies below:

  • Collijn, Isak. Sveriges bibliografi intill are 1600.
  • Nielsen, Lauritz M. Dansk bibliografi, 1482–1550, 1551–1600, med saerligt hensyn til dansk bogtrykkerkunsts historie.
  • Bruun, Chr. V. Bibliotheca danica, 1482–1830.
  • Pettersen, Hjalmar Marius. Bibliotheca norvegica, 1643–1813.
  • Collijn, Isak. Sveriges bibliografi, 1600–talet.

German Books before 1601

GUIDE: Short-title catalogue of books printed in the German-speaking countries and German books printed in other countries from 1455 to 1600, now in the British Museum. This microfilm set includes a selection of German books on all subjects published before 1601. The initial selection is based on the Short-title Catalogue, but also includes works in the Bodleian, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, and other sources. 

Early English Books, 1475–1640: Selected from Pollard and Redgrave’s Short-title Catalogue

GUIDE: Early English Books, 1475–1640: selected from Pollard and Redgrave’s Short-title catalogue: A Guide to.... CRL owns the first 56 units of this microfilm set of Pollard’s and Redgrave’s titles. Individual title access is through the guide; only a few of the titles are analyzed in CRL’s catalog.

British Literary Manuscripts from the British Library, London. Series 3, the Medieval Manuscripts to c. 1500

GUIDE: British literary manuscripts from the British Library: an inventory to parts one and two of the Harvester microform collection, based on the Sloane and additional manuscripts series. This set includes material from the Sloane collection. Entries from the British Library’s catalogs of manuscripts precede each reel. Prominent works include four texts of The Canterbury Tales (Sloane 1685, 1686; Add. MSS. 5140, 35286), The Legende of Good Women (Add. MS. 12044), and Troilus and Cresseide (Add. MS.

Archivio del Catasto

This microfilm set of the 1427 survey of Florence is complete, except for areas of Pistoia, Pisa, and Arezzo. The census includes volumes on the technical regulations and laws concerning the Catasto. Title on container labels: “Florence census 1420, 1427.”