Unique amongst English Premonstratensian literature and the chief source of history for this area of S-E Derbys in the Middle Ages.
Of great value (PREMONS).
Exists in a carelessly written 15th century transcript of the original plus fragments of the 13th century original (WARD) written between 1253 and 1286 (the earliest fragments are full of erasures and corrections - probably original) (CLARK).
Small quarto volume in British Museum (WARD), MS Cott. Vesp. E.26 (H83).
Vellum (PAGE) 11" x 8", *186 pages (KERRY) *196 (PAGE). Detailed description (KERRY in Reliquary). The handwritings are of the reigns of Edward I and *II (PAGE) *IV (KERRY).
*Preceded (PAGE) *Followed in the MS by the Cartulary, the Stanley section of which is imperfect (see SALTMAN).
2 17th century transcripts of the poor late 15th century MS are in the British Museum: 1 was made in 1611 by the Lancaster Herald Nicholas Charles; the other is a later copy in the Harleian collection. There are also 2 transcripts in the Bodleian Library, with 3 fragments covering about 1/3 of the text and found in the same MS used by Saltman. Fragment 1 is apparently late 13th century and possibly the original by Thomas de Musca about 1260: chapters 5-8. Fragment 2 is a bit later and has the last few lines of chapter 12. Fragment 3 is overleaf of 2 and in a 14th century hand: it is chapter 13, plus the last 2 or 3 lines of the chronicle version used by Saltman and lost when the book was bound.
A further MS Belvoir Castle Original MS 2 ff.51-54 was published by Peck (see below) and is mire intelligible than Cott. Vesp. E26; it abbreviates the beginning of chapter 7 but supplies material missing from Cott. Vesp. E26 chapters 10, 11 and 12, It divides the text properly into chapters. (SALTMAN)
Hope used all 4 texts but admitted inability to translate the corrupt text; Colvin corrected bits and added the last few lines from 3.
The first publication in print was by T. Dugdale in 1661 in Monasticon Anglicanum, II, 626.