Manuscripts Supplied to Robert Harley by John Bagford: Further Information from BL, Harl. MS. 5998

Abstract

• The London bookseller, John Bagford (? 1650/1-1716), transferred – probably by sale – many parts of his collections, printed and manuscript, to Sir Robert Harley (1661-1724), with the assistance of Harley’s librarian, Humfrey Wanley (1672-1726), and Harley’s son, Edward Harley (1689-1741). BL, Harl. MS. 5998, once thought to be an account book, lists with prices a considerable number of books, both printed and manuscript, transferred or to be transferred to Harley, Wanley, and a number of other people. This article transcribes the entries relating to manuscripts and attempts to identify which further volumes in the Harley manuscript collection at the British Library came from Bagford.