Arabic MS 59 (The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, The University of Manchester)

Provenance and Acquisition

Title page: names and seals of previous owners erased.

Title page: inscription with date Rabīʿ II 1130 AH (1717 CE).

According to the note on the front pastedown, the manuscript was in Damascus before arriving to England: Damascus No. 12.

Before 1806, the manuscript belonged(?) to George Cecil Renouard (1780-1867) classical and oriental scholar, who served as chaplain to the British Embassy at Constantinople 1804-1806, and Lord Almoner's Professor of Arabic at Cambridge University 1815-1821. In his collection, the manuscript was successively numbered 56 and 77; see these numbers on the front pastedown.

Formerly in the collection of John Lee (formerly Fiott) (1783-1866), the antiquary and astronomer, a Fellow of St John's College Cambridge. Lee's bookplates on front pastedown: 1) an oval globe azure on a chevron between three lozenges or and anchor erect with cable sable. The crest is a demi-horse rampant, charged on the shoulder with a fluer-de-lys sable, on a wreath of the colours. Beneath it is written: 'John Fiott, B.A. / St John's College. Cambridge / 1806.' ; 2) a shield of a coat of arms with two crests. The shield is in quarters, with first and fourth quarters azure, two bars or, over all a bend chequy gules and of the second, and the second and third quarters azure, on a chevron between three lozenges or an anchor erect with cable sable. The crests: a bear passant sable, muzzled, collared, and chained, and a demi-horse rampant, charged on the shoulder with a fleur-de-lys sable. Beneath the shield is the motto: 'Verum atque decens', and the name of the engraver: 'Mutlow Sc[ulpsit] York St[reet].' In Dr Lee's catalogue, the manuscript was numbered 147 - this number is written in pencil in the upper outer corner of the first flyleaf. Lee's oriental manuscript collection was catalogued by previous owner George Cecil Renouard.

The Persian scholar Bland, Nathaniel (1803–1865)Nathaniel Bland (1803–1865) borrowed the manuscript from Dr. Lee when preparing a paper on Persian Chess (see his article in the JRAS, 1852), but failed to returned it (see Murray's The History of Chess, p. 53-54). His bookplate on the back pastedown: Bland MSS no. 140. Bland's oriental manuscripts were sold after his death through Quaritch, Bernard (1819–1899)Bernard Quaritch (1819–1899) in 1866 to Crawford, Alexander Crawford Lindsay, Earl of (1812–1880)Alexander Lindsay, 25th Earl of Crawford (1812–1880).

Formerly in the collection of Alexander Lindsay, 25th Earl of Crawford (1812–1880) Crawford, Alexander Crawford Lindsay, 1812-1880.

Purchased by Enriqueta Rylands (1843–1908) Rylands, Enriqueta, 1843–1908 in 1901 from James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford (1847–1913) Crawford, James Ludovic Lindsay, Earl of, 1847–1913 .

Bequeathed by Enriqueta Rylands (1843–1908) in 1908 to The John Rylands Library.