Register of Richard Swinfield, Bishop of Hereford

Description

The Register of Richard Swinfield, Bishop of Hereford, also known as Registrum Ricardi de Swinfield, contains the documents pertaining to Swinfield’s role as the Bishop of Hereford, which he held from 1283-1317. The Register encompasses two volumes, collectively spanning approximately 580 pages, with the main text predominantly in Latin, alongside some French. Its contents are miscellaneous, encompassing a wide array of document types such as charters, letters, commissions, wardship documents, receipts, requests, and bonds, among others. Unlike many medieval manuscripts, these documents do not feature visual embellishments such as enlarged initials, borders, rubrics, seals, or chirographs. The regesta are held at the University of Oxford under the shelf marks 60.654 and 60.655.
In 1909, The Cantilupe Society published an edition of Swinfield’s Register containing transcriptions of the Latin and French documents, as well as English summaries. William W. Capes, MA, transcribed and edited these documents, which were printed by Wilson and Phillips, printers in Hereford. Digitized versions of this edition are widely available online, though the original documents have not been digitized.