The manuscript collection originates from the library founded by Havel Gelastus Vodňanský (c. 1520–1577), a native of Vodňany, a Utraquist priest, and a professor at the University of Prague. According to his will, the manuscripts were moved from Prague to Vodňany and stored—verifiably since the 18th century—at the town hall as part of the municipal archive. In the 1950s, they became part of the museum collections. The set includes thirteen medieval and one early modern manuscript.