Brut Chronicle,

A fifteenth-century manuscript of the Brut in English with continuation to 1450, written probably in the 1460s or 1470s in the West Midlands of England (indicated by the dialect) or possibly in Wales.
The text is the English translation of the Brut to 1333 followed by the usual continuation to 1377. The continuation for 1377-1450 (at which point the text ends abruptly) is, except for the years 1415-19, that of the unusual text printed by J. S. Davies in 1856, known as Davies's Chronicle. A quire and a half are wanting at the end of the manuscript; originally no doubt the text continued to 1461, as does Davies's Chronicle. The Brut with its continuation was printed by Caxton in 1480, and then frequently until 1530. Among additions to Brie's text of the Brut are the epitaphs of the Welsh and the English clerk on Llywelyn ap Gruffydd. On a blank page is a Latin epitaph for Mathew Goch, previously only known in a shorter form from a single manuscript (f. 181 verso). The manuscript is on paper, written by three or more hands, and as pastedowns and flyleaf has three leaves of a fine English noted missal of the twelfth century.

Access to the original manuscript by authorised permission only. Readers are directed to use surrogate copies.

Title based on contents.

Previously Gwysaney MS 20.

Preferred citation: NLW MS 21608D [RESTRICTED ACCESS].

By the mid sixteenth century the manuscript was in Ruthin, as is shown by the many names of Ruthin men inscribed in it, among them Lewis Dolgelley,'an honeste and a veyrey rych mercer', David Holland, John Mylles and Robert Mule. The manuscript was at Llannerch by the time of Robert Davies (1658-1710), whose bookplate it bears, and remained with the Llannerch-Gwysaney manuscripts until 1959. Sold at auction at Sotheby's (lot 201), 15 June 1959.

C. W. Marx, 'Middle English manuscripts of the Brut in the National Library of Wales', National Library of Wales Journal, 27 (1991-2), 361-382 (pp. 373-376).

Published