London, British Library, Harley 2403

| Shelfmark | Date and Language | Contents |
| Physical Description | History | Record History | Bibliography |


Shelfmark
Country:England
Settlement:London
Repository: British Library
Idno:Harley 2403
AltName:
Back to Top

Date and Language
Date:s. xvex
Language: English
Dialect:Scribe 1: Scribal dialect - Warwickshire. Linguistic Atlas Grid Reference: 414 292, LP 517 (McIntosh, Samuels and Benskin 1986, p. 244).
Back to Top

Contents
A late fifteenth-century copy of John Mirk's Festial with an explanation of the Apostle's Creed in English.


Back to Top

Physical Description
Form:Codex
Support: Parchment
Extent:200 x 140 mm
Collation: 110, ff. 1r-10v, catchword; 210, ff. 11r-20v, catchword; 310, ff. 21r-30v, catchword; 410, ff. 31r-40v, catchword; 510, ff. 41r-50v, catchword; 610, ff. 51r-60v, catchword; 710, ff. 61r-70v, catchword; 810, ff. 71v-80r, catchword; 910, ff. 81r-90v, catchword; 1010, ff. 91r-100v, catchword; 1110, ff. 101r-110v, catchword; 1210, ff. 111r-120v, catchword; 1310, ff. 121r-130v, catchword; 1410, ff. 131r-140v, catchword; 1510, ff. 141r-150v, catchword; 168, ff. 151r-158v, catchword; 178, ff. 159r-166v, catchword; 188, ff. 167r-174v, catchword; 198, ff. 175r-182v, catchword; 206 (wants ii), ff. 183r-187v, catchword; 214, ff, 188r-191v; 226 (wants iv-vi), ff. 192r-194v.
Layout:Pricking not visible. Writing space of 145 x 95 mm. Single columns with 28-32 lines. Frame ruled in drypoint now grey with dirt.
Writing: Scribe 1 (ff. 1r-191r) writing in brown ink in an Anglicana hand with Secretary features. Characteristics: long s in medial position, sigma s in initial position and 8-shaped s in final position; reversed circular e; z-shaped r in medial position; single lobed g; double compartment a; hooked/looped ascenders on h and f. Body height: 2mm. Scribe 2 (ff. 191v-194r) writing in an Anglicana hand.
Decoration:Festial: homily titles in red, two-line red initial - first letter of each homily, some rubrication. Creed: headings, first letters of new subjects in red.
Binding: Not medieval. Covered in red fabric and leather with usual British Library stamp of shield with angels and the banner 'virtute et fide'. Rebound in 1968. Note on f. ii at back, 'Examined after binding...9/7/1968'. Each quire is now held separately within this modern British Library binding.
Foliation:v (modern paper flyleaves) + 194 + iv.
Additions:
Condition:Good. Folios missing between ff. 183 and 184.
Back to Top

History
Origin:Unknown
Provenance:Unknown
Back to Top

Record History
Catalogued and encoded: Rebecca Farnham, University of Birmingham, August 2003.
Back to Top

Bibliography
Back to Top