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. Beds. 1-25, 26-7, and Rolls 1-3, including documents from the Franciscan friary of Bedford, Caldwell Priory, and Harwold Priory. The Caldwell documents relate to a dispute with Osney Abbey and were presumably part of the archives of the latter institution. The provenance of the other documents is not recorded.

Ch. 28-46 and Rolls 4 are later accessions from various sources.