Collection Info
As with other series shelfmarked MS. Ch. and MS. Rolls, this is an artificial collection created from a range of archival sources, and the provenance of individual items is not always known.
The collection catalogued in 1878 comprised MSS. Ch. Glouc. 1-28 and b. 1 and includes one of the most famous items in the collection, Henry III’s issue of Magna Carta in 1217 (MS. Ch. Glouc. 8). This was part of 18 deeds given by Richard Furney. (See Summary Catalogue 27825-30, where the deeds are identified as Ch. Glouc. 5-11, 13-16, 20, 26, Ch. Lancs. 6, Ch. Lincs. 15, 17, Ch. Worcs. 6, to which should be added Ch. Glouc. b. 1. Ch. Lincs. 15, 17, are misfiled and relate to Tainton in Gloucestershire.) Furney was a schoolmaster in Gloucester and the items are strays from the archives of Gloucester Cathedral and Gloucester City.
MSS. Ch. Glouc. 29-208, and MS. Rolls Glouc. 1 are later accessions from various sources, the most substantial being Ch. 45-134, New College leases relating to Marshfield (see the collection overview for Berkshire for further information).