Henry Ramsden Bramley: His Life and Edition of Richard Rolle’s English Psalter

H. R. Bramley’s 1884 edition of the English Psalter written by the Yorkshire hermit Richard Rolle (d. 1349), remains the standard edition of Rolle’s influential Middle English translation and commentary. In this essay, I discuss Bramley’s interest in Rolle and the making of his edition in light of Bramley’s biography as an Anglican priest, Oxford University administrator, and scholar. Bramley admired Rolle as a fellow Yorkshireman and as a pastoral-minded contemplative, whose spirituality and teachings were based on the Psalms. Bramley’s own theological writings are akin in certain respects to Rolle’s and his edition of the English Psalter is innovative, despite limitations. Correspondence and other material preserved in the Oxford University Press Archive (https://global.oup.com/uk/archives/index.html) reveal that Bramley changed his base text within a year of publication, producing as a result a more textually adventurous and useful edition.