Ernest Cushing Richardson Collection of Medieval and Renaissance Documents, 1380-1851

Contents and Arrangement

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Collection Overview

Collector:

Richardson, Ernest Cushing, 1860-1939

Title:

Ernest Cushing Richardson Collection of Medieval and Renaissance Documents

Repository:

Manuscripts Division

Permanent URL:

http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/js956f85w

Dates:

1380-1851

Size:

12 boxes and 23 items

Storage Note:

Firestone Library (scamss): Box 1-12

Language:

Italian English

Abstract: The Ernest Cushing Richardson Collection of Medieval and Renaissance Documents consists of medieval and renaissance documents and manuscripts collected by Ernest Cushing Richardson, an American librarian and author. Of principal interest are some 350 documents (deeds, bonds, contracts, investitures, wills, and other legal documents), chiefly dating from 1380 to 1550 and written in Milan, Alessandria, Brescia, Cremona, Lodi, and other northern Italian cities.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

Consists of medieval and renaissance documents and manuscripts collected by Richardson. Of principal interest are some 350 documents (deeds, bonds, contracts, investitures, wills, and other legal documents), chiefly dating from 1380 to 1550 and written in Milan, Alessandria, Brescia, Cremona, Lodi, and other northern Italian cities. Included are a series of documents pertaining to the monastery of San Pietro di Civate (near Como) and to other religious houses. Each notarial document come with a 19th-century description in Italian.

There are also approximately 150 other documents. Including a selection of papal bulls, and documents from Rome, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, England, Ireland, and the United States, chiefly dating from the 17th-19th centuries. The collection also contains a numbered series of 25 bound manuscripts (chiefly canon law treatises and collections of documents pertaining to the history of the Roman Catholic church), copied by Italian scribes in the 17th-18th centuries.

Arrangement

This is an unprocessed collection and remains in its original arrangement.

Collection Creator Biography:

Richardson, Ernest Cushing, 1860-1939

Ernest Cushing Richardson (1860-1939) was an American librarian, theologian and scholar who made significant contributions to the field of American librarianship. He was the University Librarian for Princeton University from 1890 to 1925, and during his tenure invented a new cataloging system that was specific to the Princeton library, often called the "Princeton system" or the "Richardson system". In 1925, Richardson became consultant to the Library of Congress. He died in Switzerland in 1939.

Collection History

Acquisition:: Several of the manuscripts are from the library of Antonio Xaverio Cardinal Gentili (1680-1753), Bishop of Palestrina from 1747 to 1753, bearing his oval stamp generally in the lower corner of the first page (see S.C. Cockerell, THE BOOK HANDBOOK [1948], vol. 1, p. 325). The Gentili library was ingerited by the Principe del Drago and the Marchese Campana and was eventually sold by Sotheby's (London) on 20 June 1860. Other Gentili manuscripts were purchased separately by Richardson for the Princeton Library and are found in General Manuscripts Bound (C0199).
Appraisal: No appraisal information is available.
Processing Information: This is an unprocessed collection. The contents list provided is a preliminary inventory.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Ernest Cushing Richardson Collection of Medieval and Renaissance Documents; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

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