Joseph from BL Eg 2781, f. 185 - Public domain medieval manuscript

Detail of historiated initial of the Jews bowled over by Joseph's account of his rescue. Image taken from f. 185 of Book of Hours, Use of Sarum (The 'Neville of Hornby Hours'). Written in Latin and French.

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.