Persian MS 881 (The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, The University of Manchester)
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Persian Manuscripts
A Persian manuscript on the history of India bound together with several printed Arabic, Persian, and Hindustani linguistic texts.
Contents
Summary of Contents: This volume primarily contains a manuscript entitled Nasab al-Ansāb (Lineage of the Ancestors), which recounts a general history of India. Several printed linguistic texts append the volume.Physical Description
Form: codexExtent: 272 folios 3 flyleaves (ff. ii + 272 + i)Additions: Bookplates; Left pastedown: ‘Bibliotheca Lindesiana’ with pencilled shelfmark ‘2/A’, and ‘Persian MSS No. 922’.Binding
Probably bound in Britain, possibly for former owner William Hunter.
Endpapers of medium-weight, natural ivory-coloured, straight-grained paper watermarked with a crown above a decorative staff, and countermarked ‘S. Wise & Patch’, of Stacey Wise (1783–1842) in partnership with Christopher Patch (fl. 19th c.) who then operated the Padsole Mill in Maidstone, Kent, with ~15 laid lines per 20 mm and 25 to 28 mm between chain lines.
160 × 65 mm.
170 × 30 mm.
Sewn on three recessed cords, laced into pasteboards. Edges roughly trimmed, and front-bead red and white endbands stitched at head and tail. Covered in full calfskin leather, tighbacked and tight-jointed.Spine panels blind-tooled with Greek meanders and with dashed lines and dash-and-dot decorative lines on either side on the spine, with the same repeated on the boards, with the smaller lines on interior only.
331 × 228 × 37 mm.
Handle binding with caution. In fair but stable condition with broken head and tail caps, broken headband, extensive exterior abrasion, joints cracking, stains, and bottom corners bumped.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
Probably acquired by William Hunter (1755–1812) while serving as Secretary to the Asiatic Society in Calcutta, Bengal, then brought to Britain when he returned and bound for him.
Subsequently sold by Hunter's survivors after his death through the London firm of R. H. Evans on 23 Feb. 1816.
Possibly purchased at the sale by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles (1781–1826), a member of the Royal Asiatic Society who primary served in Java and Sumatra.
After Raffles death, his second wife Sophia Hull (1786–1858) inherited the volume, then after her death, her niece Jane Rosdew Mudge (1818-1893) and husband Rev William Charles Raffles Flint (1819-1884) inherited it then sold it with the rest of the library through the London firm of Edmund Hodgson on 15 March 1859.
Subsequently acquired by bookseller Bernard Quaritch (1819–1899) from an unidentified source, then advertised it in his Nov-Dec. 1874 catalogue, no. 371, for £3, indicated on the final left flyleaf b side (f. iib), then sold to Alexander Lindsay, 25th Earl of Crawford (1812–1880) for the Bibliotheca Lindesiana at Haigh Hall, Wigan. .
Subsequently purchased by Enriqueta Rylands (1843–1908) in 1901 from James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford (1847–1913).
Bequeathed by Enriqueta Rylands (1843–1908) in 1908 to the John Rylands Library.
Persian MS 881A
Contents
A general history of India to the
1b to 97bAuthor: AnonymousTitle: Nasab al-AnsābIncipit: (basmalla) برگ ۱پ (folio 1b):Explicit: برگ ۱پ (folio 97b):Colophon: برگ ۱پ (folio 97b):Colophon:Language(s): PersianPhysical Description
Form: codexSupport: Textblock of medium-weight, cross-grained, externally lightly sized and polished, buff-coloured paper probably handmade in the Indian subcontinent with ~12 laid lines per 20 mm and no discernible chain lines, and average thickness of 108 microns.Extent: 97 folios.Dimensions (leaf): 320 × 212 × 0.108 mm.Dimensions (written): 256 × 168 mm.Foliation: Largely foliated with pencilled Arabic numerals added to every tenth folio of the upper-left corners of the a sides followed for this record.Collation
Primarily quaternions. 2IV(16)1V(26)1III(32)2V(52)1III(58)6IV-7(97) . Catchwords throughout most of the lower-left corners of the b sides.Condition
In poor to fair condition, with insect damage on the initial folios with stains and modest historical repairs throughout.Layout
Written in 1 column with 25 lines per page. Ruled with a misṭarah hand guide.
Hand(s)
Copied in hasty black nasta‘līq script with headers breaks and marks in red.
Persian MS 881B
Contents
98a to 110bAuthor: AnonymousTitle: Taṣrīf al-Fa‘ālIncipit: (basmalla) برگ ۹۸پ (folio 98b/page 1):Explicit: برگ ۱۱۰ر (folio 110a/page 22):Colophon: برگ ۱۱۰پ (folio 110b/page 23): در سنه ۱۸۰۷ عیسوی بشهیر جهانگیرنگر جہاپ گردید.Colophon: Printed in 1807 in Jahāngīrnagar.Language(s): Arabic and PersianPhysical Description
Form: otherSupport: Textblock of medium-weight, cross-grained, externally lightly sized and polished, straw-coloured paper probably handmade in the Jahāngīrnagar (Dhaka) with ~12 laid lines per 20 mm and no discernible chain lines and thickness of 72 microns.Extent: 12 folios.Dimensions (leaf): 328 × 215 × 0.072 mm.Dimensions (written): 256 × 168 mm.Foliation: Paginated in Hindu-Arabic numerals at top-centre throughout.Collation
One sexternion. 1VI(12). No catchwords.Condition
In good condition.Layout
Written in 1 column with 25 lines per page. Ruled with a misṭarah hand guide.
Hand(s)
Woodblock-printed in clear black thuluth and nasta‘līq scripts.
Persian MS 881E
Contents
110b to 132bEditor, Compiler and Translator: Jones, William, 1746-1794Language(s): English and ArabicIbn al-Mutafanninah, The Mahomedan Law of Succession to the Property of Intestates. Translated by Sir William Jones. London: Printed by J. Nichols for C. Dilly, 1782.Physical Description
Form: codexSupport: Two types of medium-weight, cross-grained, unsized and unpolished, evenly-formed, ivory-coloured paper both probably handmade in Britain, with the text imposed upon unwatermarked half demy-sized stock with ~15 laid lines per 20 mm and 26 mm between chain lines and thickness of 115 microns, with the plates imposed upon comparatively thin, hald demy sheets with partially unidentifiable watermarks along the fore-edge, with ~19 laid lines per 20 mm and 26 mm between chain lines and thickness of 65 microns.Extent: 12 folios.Dimensions (leaf): 290 × 218 mm.Foliation: Paginated 1–11 in Hindu-Arabic numerals on the plates only, with signature marks for the text folios.Collation
Binions and singletons. 3II(B4)6I(11)1II(C4). No catchwords.Condition
In good condition, with three pierced holes in the gutter margins where the printer originally stab-bound the pamphlet.History
Persian MS 881D
Contents
110b to 132bAuthor: Gilchrist, JohnTitle: The Arrangement and Substance of the Intended Public Collegiate Disputation in the Hindoostanee Department, at the Government House, on Monday, the 6th of February, 1804.Language(s): English and romanized HindustaniPhysical Description
Form: codexSupport: Textblock of medium-weight, straight-grained, unsized and unpolished, ivory -coloured paper probably handmade in the Indian subcontinent with ~20 laid lines per 20 mm and no discernible chain lines, and average thickness of 112 microns.Extent: 97 folios.Dimensions (leaf): 308 × 212 × 0.112 mm.Foliation: Paginated.Collation
Undetermined, but probably quaternions throughout. No catchwords.Condition
In good condition.History
Origin: Printed by the Hindoostanee Press Calcutta (Kolkata); 6 February, 1804 CE.Persian MS 881C
Contents
Summary of Contents: An incomplete dictionary of the Gujarati and Marathi languages by Dr. Robert Drummond published in110b to 132bAuthor: Drummond, RobertTitle: Illustrations of the Grammatical Parts of the Guzarettee, Mahratta & English Languages.Language(s): English, Gujarati, and MarathiRobert Drummond, Illustrations of the Grammatical Parts of the Guzarettee, Mahratta & English Languages. Bombay: Courier Press, 1808.Physical Description
Form: codexSupport: Textblock of three types of paper, all medium-weight, straight-grained, unsized and unpolished, evenly-formed, ivory-coloured paper:- ~19 laid lines per 20 mm and 26 mm between chain lines, with Britannia watermark and countermarked watermarked ‘J. Whatman 1805’, manufactured by the Whatman Paper Mill in Maidstone, Kent, then owned and operated by William Balston (1759–1849).
120 × 90 mm. 31 × 73 mm. - Britannia watermark and countermarked ‘GR 1804, with ~19 laid lines per 20 mm and 26 mm between chain lines ’
130 × 73 mm. 70 × 50 mm. - ‘Watermarked J. Budgen 1805, with ~20 laid lines per 20 mm and 26 mm between chain lines, manufactured by John Budgen of the Dartford Mill, Dartford, Kent’
40 × 50 mm.
Extent: 38 folios.Dimensions (leaf): 320 × 198 × 0.072 mm.Dimensions (written): 256 × 168 mm.Foliation: Paginated only in the initial portion.Collation
Undetermined, but probably quaternions throughout. No catchwords.Condition
In good condition.History
Origin: Printed by the Courier Press Bombay Presidency; July, 1808 CE.Persian MS 881F
Contents
Summary of Contents: This unsigned composite gulzār (flower-garden) calligraphy composition reads ‘Bāgh-i Hamīshah Bahār’ (Garden of Eternal Spring).Title: Gulzār calligraphyLanguage(s): PersianPhysical Description
Form: codexSupport: Medium-weight, straight-grained, unsized and unpolished, evenly-formed, ivory-coloured paper with ~15 laid lines per 20 mm and 26 mm between chain lines and thickness of 115 microns, with the plates imposed upon comparatively thin, hald demy sheets with partially unidentifiable watermarks along the fore-edge, with ~15 laid lines per 20 mm and 27 mm between chain lines.Extent: 1 bifolium.Dimensions (leaf): 315 × 209 mm.Condition
In good condition.History
Origin: Possibly completed in Calcutta (Kolkata); undated, but probably undated, but probably late 18th to early 19th centuries CE.Additional Information
Record Sources
Bibliographical description based on an index created by Reza Navabpour circa 1993, derived from a manuscript catalogue by Michael Kerney, circa 1890s, concisely published as Bibliotheca Lindesiana, Hand-list of Oriental Manuscripts: Arabic, Persian, Turkish, 1898.
Manuscript description by Jake Benson in 2025 with reference to the volume in hand.
Availability
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Funding of Cataloguing
Iran Heritage Foundation
The John Rylands Research Institute
The Soudavar Memorial Foundation
Subjects
- ~19 laid lines per 20 mm and 26 mm between chain lines, with Britannia watermark and countermarked watermarked ‘J. Whatman 1805’, manufactured by the Whatman Paper Mill in Maidstone, Kent, then owned and operated by William Balston (1759–1849).
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