| Description | A collection of texts associated with, and owned and used by, Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556), Archbishop of Canterbury.
The texts comprise for the most part papers relating to the sacraments. These derive from the doctrine commission set up by Henry VIII in 1540, under the chairmanship of Cranmer, which continued its work until 1543 when the King's Book was published. Also included are papers relating to the saints, the theology of justification, divorce and other subjects.
Written in several hands, with headings, additions and sections of text in Cranmer's hand.
MSS. 1107 and 1108 originally comprised volumes 9 and 12 of a series; see Physical Description field.
f. i. Vellum flyleaf. A leaf from a manuscript of the Sentences of Peter Lombard [? English, c.1300-c1350], containing the Prologue and chapter headings for Book 1, ending with the heading for Distinctio 17. Double column, 41 lines to the page. With large decorated initial C in blue and red: 'Cupientes aliquid de penuria...'. Title added in a later hand: 'Sententiae doctorum virorum Angliae de sacramentis et excommunicatione'.
Another leaf from the same manuscript is used as a flyleaf at f. 182; another as a flyleaf in MS. 1107.
f. ii. Paper flyleaf, with title: 'Collections of B. Cranmar'.
f. 1r. Notes as follows, probably in Cranmer's hand:
'How many sacraments ther be in the scripture instituted of Christ in the New Testament. Minister verbi minister reip. Whether a layman can excommunicate. Whether excommunication be necesssary where Christen governors be'.
ff. 2r-3v. Convocation of Canterbury proceedings [November-December 1547], comprising:
f. 2r-v. 'Certeyn peticions and requests made by the clergie of the lower house of the Convocation to the ... Archbishop of Canterbury grace and the residewe of the prelats of the higher house for the furtherance of certeyn articles following...'. [November 1547].
f. 3r-v. Address of the lower clergy asking to be seated in Parliament. [December 1547].
Reprinted from previous editions of this manuscript in Gerald Bray ed., 'Records of Convocation. Vol 7, Canterbury 1509-1603' (Boydell Press for the Church of England Record Society, 2006), pp. 294-6.
ff. 4-5. Blank.
ff. 6r-44v. Queries concerning the sacraments, put to bishops and theologians, with their replies. n.d. [c.1540-43].
The papers represent the work of the doctrine commission set up by Henry VIII in April 1540, of which Cranmer acted as chairman. See Diarmaid MacCulloch, 'Thomas Cranmer, a life' (New Haven and London, , 1996), pp. 267-8, 276-9. The headings identifying the bishops replying appear to be in Cranmer's hand. Further papers relating to the commission are at ff. 69-143.
Published incompletely from this manuscript in 'Miscellaneous writings and letters of Thomas Cranmer ...', edited for the Parker Society by John Edmund Cox (Cambridge, 1846), pp.150-3, and in [John Strype], 'Strype's memorials of Archbishop Cranmer' 3 vols (Oxford: Ecclesiastical History Society, 1848-54), vol 2, pp. 475-9. Also in Gilbert Burnet,'The history of the Reformation of the Church of England', ed. N. Pocock, 7 vols (Oxford, 1865), vol 5, pp. 197-217.
f. 6r-v. Bishop of Lincoln [John Longland].
f. 7. Blank.
f. 8r-v. Archbishop of Canterbury [Thomas Cranmer].
f. 9. Blank.
f. 10r-v. Bishop of Rochester [Nicholas Heath]
f. 11r-v. Richard Cox, afterwards Bishop of Ely (autograph signatures).
f. 12. Blank.
f. 13r. John Tayler (autograph signature) [John Taylor, afterwards Bishop of Lincoln].
f. 14. Blank.
ff. 15r-16r. Richard, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield [Richard Sampson, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield from 1543].
f. 17r. W, Bishop of St. David's (autograph signature) [William Barlow].
f. 18r. Richard Cox, afterwards Bishop of Ely (autograph signature).
ff. 19r-21r. Bishop of Durham [Cuthbert Tunstall].
f. 22. Blank.
f. 23r. Bishop of Salisbury [John Capon, also known as John Salcot].
f. 24. Blank.
ff. 25r-26v. Bishop of Bristol. Signed 'per me Paulum Episcopum Bristollen.' [Paul Bush]
ff. 27-28. Blank.
ff. 29r-30r. Archbishop of York [Edward Lee].
ff. 31r-32r. Bishop of Ely [Thomas Goodrich].
ff. 33r-34v. Bishop of Carlisle [Robert Aldrich, or Robert Aldridge].
ff. 35-36. Blank.
ff. 37r-39r, 42r-v. Bishops of London [Edmund Bonner], Worcester [John Bell], Hereford [John Skip or John Skyppe], Norwich [William Rugg, also known as William Repps], Chichester [Richard Sampson or George Day, Bishop from 1543] and St. Asaph [Robert Warton, also known as Robert Perfey].
ff. 40r-41v. Bishops of London [Edmund Bonner], Worcester [John Bell], Chichester [Richard Sampson or George Day] and Hereford [John Skip or John Skyppe].
ff. 43r-44r. Further questions concerning the sacraments.
f. 45. Blank.
ff. 46r-50v. 'De autoritate excomunicandi' (ff. 46r-48v), and 'De authoritate episcopali in corrigendis vitiis et coercendis improbis' (ff. 49r-50v). Written in the same hand.
f. 51. Blank.
ff. 52r-57v. 'Merita sanctorum'.
ff. 58r-67v. [Notes on justification]. Two collections of quotations on justification, mainly in the hand of Thomas Cranmer.
Separate early foliation, 166-175.
Printed from this manuscript in 'Miscellaneous writings and letters of Thomas Cranmer ...', edited for the Parker Society by John Edmund Cox (Cambridge, 1846), pp. 203-211.
Analysed in Ashley Null, 'Thomas Cranmer's doctrine of repentance: renewing the power to love' (Oxford: University Press, 2000), pp. 205-212.
At f. 67v, in another hand, is 'Quod sola fides iustificat habent omnes hi authores...' [not included in the Cox edition].
f. 68. Blank.
ff. 69r-143v. Seventeen queries concerning the sacraments, put to bishops and theologians, with their replies.
The papers represent the work of the doctrine commission set up by Henry VIII in April 1540, of which Cranmer acted as chairman. See Diarmaid MacCulloch, 'Thomas Cranmer, a life' (New Haven and London, 1996), pp. 276-9.
The replies are the originals, comprising separate fascicules in different hands.
Further papers relating to the commission are at ff. 6-44.
Printed (but not in the order of the text) in Gilbert Burnet,'The history of the Reformation of the Church of England', ed. N. Pocock, 7 vols (Oxford, 1865), vol 4, pp. 443-496. The text is also summarised from this manuscript and from British Library, Cotton MS. Cleopatra E. v in 'Letters and papers... of the reign of Henry VIII, vol 15, 1896, item 826.
ff. 69r-70v. Seventeen queries.
ff. 71r-73v. Replies of Thomas Cranmer. Ending with postscript (autograph): 'T. Cantuarien. This is myn opinion and sentence at this present, which I do not temeraryously defyne, but do remytt the iugement thereof holly unto your maiestie'.
f. 74. Blank.
ff. 75r-84v. Replies of Edward Lee, Archbishop of York. With autograph signature 'Edwarde Ebor' at f. 84v.
ff. 85-86. Blank.
ff. 87r-90v. Replies [of Nicholas Heath, Bishop of Rochester]. Endorsed: 'The Bisshope of Rochester is booke'.
ff. 91r-92v. Replies of Edmund Bonner, Bishop of London, concluding: 'Ita mihi Edmundo Londin. Episcopus pro hoc tempore dicendum videtur salvo iudicio melius senten. cui me prompte et humiliter subiicio'.
ff. 93r-98v. Replies [of Robert Aldrich, Bishop of Carlisle]. Endorsed: 'Robert Karliolen.'
ff. 99r-103v (f. 103 blank). Replies of 'George Daye' [George Day (c.1502-1556), Bishop of Chichester from 1543]. With a postscript: 'Opiniones non assertiones'.
ff. 104r-109v (ff. 107v-109v blank). Replies of Thomas Robertson (fl. 1520-1561), afterwards Dean of Durham, probably autograph.
ff. 110r-113v. Replies of John Redman (1499-1551), With autograph signature: 'J. Redmayn'.
ff. 114r-115v. Replies of Richard Cox, afterwards Bishop of Ely.
ff. 116r-119v. Replies of Edward Leighton [probably Edward Layton, DD, Canon of Westminster 1540-47]. At the end are the autograph signatures of Thomas Cranmer and Leighton: 'per me Edoardum Leyghton'.
ff. 120r-123v. Replies of Symon Matthew [Simon Matthew (d. 1541), prebendary of St. Paul's] , probably autograph.
ff. 124r-127v (ff. 126v-127v blank). Replies of William Tresham, probably autograph.
ff. 128r-129v. Replies of Richard Curwen (d. 1543), recorded here as Richard Coren (f. 129v) and as Richard Curren (f. 137v), probably autograph.
ff. 130r-131v. Replies of 'Edgeworth' [Roger Edgeworth (c.1488-1560)], probably autograph.
f. 132r-v. Queries.
f. 133r-v. Replies from Owen Oglethorpe (1503-1559), afterwards Bishop of Carlisle. Probably autograph, signed 'Owinus Oglethorpus'.
ff. 134r-137v. A summary, forming a digest of the opinions of members of the committee concerning the 17 queries. Included is Thomas Thirlby (c.1500-1570), of whom there is no separate reply. In Latin.
ff. 138-140. Blank.
ff. 141r-143v. A summary, forming a digest of the opinions of members of the committee concerning the 17 queries. Included is Thomas Thirlby (c.1500-1570), recorded here as Bishop Elect of Westminster, suggesting that 1540 is the date of this portion of the text. In English.
ff. 144r-181v. 'Collectiones de Divortio'.
The papers are thought to relate to the divorce of William Parr, Marquess of Northampton (1513-1571), which was the subject of a commission headed by Cranmer in 1547. See Eric Joseph Carlson, 'Marriage and the English Reformation' (Oxford: 1994), pp. 83-4, and Diarmaid MacCulloch, 'Thomas Cranmer, a life' (New Haven and London, , 1996), pp. 367-9. See also the comments that the leaves are currently bound in the wrong order, in Gilbert Burnet,'The history of the Reformation of the Church of England', ed. N. Pocock, 7 vols (Oxford, 1865), vol 2, pp. 118-122. `
ff. 144r-161r. 'De divortio'. Originally a separate fascicule, as indicated by water staining. In a secretary's hand with additions by Cranmer.
ff. 162r-168v. 'Quod non liceat post divortium vivente priori coniuge secundas nuptias contrahere'. A separate fascicule, in another hand.
ff. 169r-180r. Diputation concerning divorce. Mainly in a single italic hand, with marginalia in Cranmer's hand. At f. 171r is a heading in Cranmer's hand: 'Quod liceat a divortio facto repudii gratia novum inire coniugium'. At f. 180r. is a set of questions on divorce in Cranmer's hand, to which there are replies at f. 169r.
ff. 180v-181v. Blank, except for title 'Collectiones de Divortio' at f. 181v.
f. 182r-v. Vellum flyleaf. A leaf from a manuscript of the Sentences of Peter Lombard, containing part of Book 1, Distinctiones 3-5. See description of another leaf, f. i. |