David and Goliath from BL Eg 1139, Upper cover

Detail of the upper cover of the ivory binding, with David and Goliath. Image taken from Upper cover of Book of Hours, Use of Rome ('The Hours of Dionora of Urbino') (Eleonora Gonzaga della Rovere). Written in Latin.

The Egerton Manuscript Collection is named after its founder, Sir Thomas Egerton (1540-1617), 1st Viscount Brackley, was a lawyer, statesman, and patron of the arts during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I of England. He served as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal and later as Lord Chancellor of England, holding high positions in the legal and political realms.

Sir Thomas Egerton acquired a substantial number of historical and literary manuscripts. In 1617, shortly before his death, Sir Thomas Egerton bequeathed his collection of manuscripts to the British Museum, which was the precursor to the British Library.