Cambridge's Corpus Christi College acquires rare manuscript

A university library has acquired a rare manuscript given to Queen Elizabeth I after the government stopped it being sold overseas.

The Nine Roundels, dating 1573, was given to the monarch by Archbishop Matthew Parker during a visit to his palace in Canterbury.

It has been described as "potentially a unique example of its kind".

It is now in the possession of The Parker Library at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.

The manuscript is written on parchment and has nine sections, which would likely have been folded up and placed alongside other gifts, including gold and gems.

Two of the roundels depict the gems with the rest containing Latin phrases about learning and loyalty, the Queen's beauty and information about the gems in Latin and French.

The manuscript was in a private collection until 2021 when it was sold at auction by Sotheby's to an overseas purchaser.

The buyer was denied an export licence by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of a reviewing committee.

The item was described as "exceptionally rare and potentially a unique example of its kind, in a novel and highly unusual format" by the committee.

Any item considered too important to leave the UK can be put under an export deferral to give UK institutions the opportunity to buy the object.

The Parker Library is where Archbishop Parker left the vast majority of his manuscripts, printed books and silver after being a student and Master at the college.

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