Medieval and early modern manuscripts from the collection of Richard Rawlinson (1690-1755).

Richard Rawlinson (1690-1755) was educated at St. Paul's School and Eton, and matriculated at St. John's College, Oxford in 1708. He proceeded to BA in 1711, MA in 1713 and received the honorary degree of DCL in 1719. Dr. Rawlinson was FRS and FSA, and a Bishop among the Nonjurors (1728). In 1719-1726 he travelled in Holland, France, Germany and Italy, gradually amassing a foreign, classical and English library. He also bought heavily at book-auctions in London between 1715 and 1755.

He gave many printed books and a few manuscripts to the Bodleian during his lifetime, and in 1750 founded an Anglo-Saxon Professorship at Oxford. Finally by his will, besides bequests to Hertford and St. John's Colleges and to the Ashmolean Museum, he bequeathed to the University all his manuscripts, medals, coins, seal-matrixes and impressions, prints, copperplates and paintings, and a collection of printed books. His musical manuscripts were left to the Music School and only came to the Bodleian in 1885.

MSS. Rawlinson A
MSS. Rawlinson B
MSS. Rawlinson C
MSS. Rawlinson D
MSS. Rawlinson G
MSS. Rawlinson Liturgies
MSS. Rawlinson Poetry
MSS. Rawlinson Q
MSS. Rawlinson Statutes