London, British Library, Royal 17 B.xliii

| Shelfmark | Date and Language |
Part 1: | Contents | Physical Description |
Part 2: | Contents | Physical Description |
Part 3: | Contents | Physical Description |
Part 4: | Contents | Physical Description | History | Record History | Bibliography |


Shelfmark
Country:England
Settlement:London
Repository: British Library
Idno:Royal 17 B.xliii
AltName:
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Date and Language
Date:s. xvin
Language: English
Dialect:Scribe 1 (ff. 4r-115v), Scribal Dialect: Herefordshire. Linguistic Atlas Grid Reference: 350 218, LP 7260 (McIntosh, Samuels and Benskin 1986, vol. 4, p. 199). Scribe 3 (ff. 150r-183v), Scribal Dialect: Derbyshire (McIntosh, Samuels and Benskin 1986, vol. 1, p. 115).
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Part 1

Contents
The manuscript is made up of four originally independent sections which were bound together in the eighteenth century. However, it is possible that they were bound prior to this although there is no evidence to support this. The manuscript now contains secular and religious texts such as Mandeville's Travels, St. Patrick's Purgatory, and Sir Gowther. Only the scribal dialect of the first text has been located to the West Midlands (Herefordshire).

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Physical Description
Form:Codex
Support: Parchment
Extent:205 x 145 mm
Collation:1-148. Catchwords: ff. 11v; 19v; 27v; 36v; 43v; 51v; 59v; 67v; 75v; 83v; 91v; 99v; 115v.
Layout:Writing space of 145 x 100mm ruled for 26-27 lines in a now faded purple/possibly discoloured drypoint. Pricking of small triangular holes.
Writing: Scribe of ff. 4r-115v writing in a small rounded Anglicana hand influenced by Secretary features of the early fifteenth century. Single compartment a used regularly; rounded lobe d with squashed ascender curving 45 degrees from the left to the right, ending with a stroke towards the right which closes itself in a loop; g with rounded open ascender turning on the left and extending towards the left without closing into a loop. Slightly bent descender with a serif on the top of the back stroke on the left of p, rounded head with shaft starting detached from the back stroke and finishing half way past the descender; similar to the almost upright back stroke of ž with a little tail attached on the left of the back stroke and an elongated head. Short r is used regularly in initial and medial position. Long s used regularly in initial and medial position; B-shaped s used in final position; closed sigma s used occasionally in final and initial position. Closed w with the first stroke extending in an otiose hairline closing on itself into a loop and closed also the second back stroke and a b-shape finish the letter on the right side. Body height: 2 mm. Seymour (1966, p. 185) describes this script as 'a fine cursiva libraria hand'.
Decoration: F. 4r, unusual four-sided bar border, c. 1-1.5 cm thick, leaves travel round a gold bar to give a 'barber pole' effect. Large, acanthus-like leaves with background/parchment used to create a white stripe down the middle, coloured light brown with red dots to decorate. Along the bottom margin a spray grows from a large dahlia-like flower that is only outlined in red, the spray is also outlined in red and consists of pairs of curling leaves, only outlined in red with the vine, also only outlined in red, with pairs of green or red dots, the upper left corner holds the nine-line initial F. It is blue with a pattern of red triangles on the left leg and infilled with red leaves with a green background. Three-line initials in blue with crude brown (oxidised) and blue penwork. Place names underlined in red. Red paraphs, some capitals in text tinted red. Latin lines in red. Not professional.
Binding:
Foliation:
Additions:
Condition:
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Part 2

Contents

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Physical Description
Form:Codex
Support: Parchment
Extent:205 x 145 mm
Collation:15-168.
Layout:
Writing: Scribe of ff. 116-131v - elaborate Secretary hand with ascender and descenders extending far above and below the line of writing. Great degree of calligraphic sophistication in the penwork decorations in ink especially of the litterae notabiliores and the ascenders and descenders of letters appearing in the first and last line of the text which usually extend in the lower and upper margin in elaborate decorations and otiose strokes. Single compartment a used regularly, although the double compartment appears occasionally; d with rounded lobe and slightly bent ascender ending in a small hairline; secretary g with semi-rounded head and flat top, rounded open ascender turning on the left occasionally on the right extending into hairline. Slightly bent and long descender with a serif on the top of the back stroke on the left of p, rounded small head with shaft starting detached from the back stroke and finishing past the descender. Short r is used regularly in initial and medial position; long s used regularly in initial and medial position; closed sigma s used occasionally in final position. Open w: two continuous backstrokes and a small loop at the end of the second stroke. Body height: 1.5 mm.
Decoration: F. 116r, four-sided border - bars made up of brown and light brown, and green. Very unusual. Apart from border only first letters of each line tinted red. Not professional.
Binding:
Foliation:
Additions:
Condition:
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Part 3

Contents

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Physical Description
Form:Codex
Support: Parchment
Extent:205 x 145 mm
Collation:1 + 17-188
Layout:Writing space of 150 x 95 mm with 23-26 lines. Frame retains faint traces of brownish crayon? Ruling for lines not visible.
Writing: Scribe of ff. 133r-148v writing in a cursive script of the second half of the fifteenth century. The script is not dissimilar to that of ff. 116r-131v.
Decoration: Item 3: first letter of each line tinted red. Top line ascenders into margin and tinted red. Prefixed to this text on f. 132v is a coloured drawing of nimbed bishop in the act of benediction, surrounded by fiends and souls in torment. Not professional and not part of the orginal manuscript - vellum insert.
Binding:
Foliation:
Additions:
Condition:
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Part 4

Contents


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Physical Description
Form:Codex
Support: Parchment
Extent:205 x 145 mm
Collation:1 + 198 (wants 1), 208, 21-2210. Catchwords: 156v; 164v; 174v.
Layout:Writing space of 150 x 95 mm with 32-33 lines.
Writing: Scribe of ff. 150r-183v writing in a late fifteenth-century Anglicana hand similar to Scribe 1 but smaller and traced with thinner lighter strokes, certain degree of cursiveness as minims are traced continuously and some features from the Secretary script appear. Single compartment a used regularly; d with rounded lobe and squashed ascender curving 45 degrees from the left to the right, ending with a stroke towards the right which closes itself in a loop; Secretary g with flat head and open, almost straight, descender. Slightly bent descender with a little serif on the top of the back stroke on the left of p, rounded head with shaft starting detached from the back stroke and finishing half way past the descender; short back stroke of ž with a prolonged head which extends below the line of writing extending in an otiose hairline. Short r is used regularly in initial and medial position. Long s used regularly in initial and medial position; B-shaped s used in final position. Open w traced with a continuous stroke from the first back stroke to the second with a loop from right to left closing on the line of writing with a small loop on itself, like the head of a small b. Body height: 1.5 mm. The final text is written in in an early sixteenth-century hand.
Decoration: Item 4: brackets in red. First letter of each line in red. Drawing, f. 149v, representing a winged figure (Tundale's Guardian Angel?) drawing a bow, surrounded by fiends. Not part of the original manuscript - vellum insert.
Binding: Not medieval, 1757. Size: 210 x 150 mm. Cover of burgundy and black leather over pasteboard with gold stamp on front and the date 1757. Five bands across the spine.
Foliation:ff. iii + 181 + iii.
Additions:See item 5. Drawings: see above
Condition:Good
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History
Origin:Unknown
Provenance:Unknown
Acquisition:Theyer monogram with no. 15 on f. 1. Theyer sale cat. no. 218.
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Record History
Catalogued and encoded: Rebecca Farnham, University of Birmingham, August 2003. Script described by Orietta DaRold, University of Birmingham, June 2004.
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Bibliography
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