A Calendar of the Earlier Hereford Cathedral Muniments

Description

The Hereford Cathedral Muniments (HCM) are a wide variety of documents historically held in the archive of Hereford Cathedral. The earliest manuscripts in that archive date from the 7th and late 8th centuries, while the latest manuscripts date from the mid-15th century, at which point print books became the preferred mode of documentation. The earliest mention of muniments, or documents specifically relating to the dean and chapter of Hereford Cathedral, dates to the mid-13th century. With a total of 227 manuscript volumes, the Hereford Cathedral document archive provides valuable information on the operations of both the lay and clerical inhabitants of Hereford over seven centuries. The Atlas of a Medieval Life project utilizes a selection of the HCM, those dated between August 1282 and December 1361.
From 1939-1955, the Hereford Cathedral documents were held by the National Library of Wales. During this time, B.G. Charles and H.D. Emanuel translated summaries of the muniments dating from before 1550 into English. Three copies of this calendar of muniments were printed, and the copy held by the National Library of Wales was digitized and made available for public use.