THE MANUSCRIPT

The manuscript of the Capcio Seisine Ducatus Cornubie is preserved among the records of the King's Remembrancer of the Exchequer in the Public Record Office, the pressmark being E.120/1. It is written on parchment folios, which generally have been cut to end in a point, and except for folio 9 verso which is blank, both sides of each of the twenty nine membranes have been used. The numbering of the folios is not contemporary. They have been stitched at the head, and though the present stitching is modern, marks or slits on some folios may indicate earlier stitching or thonging. The gathering of membranes which constitutes the document is protected by the addition of a further used parchment which has been cut to form a cover. The reverse of the cover has been used to add the title of the MS. which is not in a contemporary hand.

The manuscript was repaired on 7 January 1958 when the present stitching and parchment guard were probably added. It is impossible to measure the membranes accurately without unstitching the gathering, though it is clear that although they approximate in size they also differ.

Three hands of early fourteenth-century date appear in the manuscript. The first, (a), is thicker than (b) which is a lighter, quicker hand, and a third hand (c), possibly mistaken for (a) in places, is also used. Most of the manuscript is written in hand (b) as the following list shows