Manuscripts of the West Midlands Catalogue

Oxford, Bodleian Library, Ashmole 43

Country:	England
Settlement:	Oxford
Repository:�	Bodleian Library
Idno:	Ashmole 43
AltName:	SC 6924

Date and Language

Date:	s. xiii/xiv
Language:�	English
Dialect:	Scribal Dialect: Gloucestershire. Linguistic Atlas Grid Reference: 378 227, LP 7170 (McIntosh, Samuels and Benskin 1986, p. 196).

Contents

A late thirteenth/early fourteenth-century copy (no later than 1330 (G�rlach 1974, p. 74)) of the South English Legendary.

Item: 1

Locus:	ff. 3r-6r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Wulstan (IMEV 3068)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Wants verses 1-84.
Bibliography:

Item: 2

Locus:	f. 6r-7v
Title:	South English Legendary: Lives of Saints Fabian and Sebastian (IMEV 2895)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 3

Locus:	ff. 7v-10r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Agnes (IMEV 2850)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 181-184.

Item: 4

Locus:	ff. 10r-12v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Vincent (IMEV 3067)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 184-189.

Item: 5

Locus:	ff. 12v-13r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Julian the Confessor (IMEV 2949)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 255-256.

Item: 6

Locus:	ff. 13r-15r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of Julian Hosteler (IMEV 2950)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 256-260.

Item: 7

Locus:	ff. 15r-18v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Bridget (IMEV 2872)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 8

Locus:	ff. 18v-21v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Blase (IMEV 2866)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 485-490.

Item: 9

Locus:	f. 21v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Agatha (IMEV 2839)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 193-197.

Item: 10

Locus:	ff. 23v-24r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Scholastica (IMEV 3052)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 197-199.

Item: 11

Locus:	ff. 24r-25r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Valentine (IMEV 3066)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 12

Locus:	ff. 25r-28r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Juliana (IMEV 2951)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cockayne 1872, pp. 81-87.

Item: 13

Locus:	f. 28r-v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Matthias (IMEV 3026)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 389-390.

Item: 14

Locus:	ff. 28v-31v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Oswald the Bishop (IMEV 3035)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 15

Locus:	ff. 31v-32v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Chad (IMEV 2874)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 16

Locus:	ff. 32v-34r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Gregory (IMEV 2910)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 355-359.

Item: 17

Locus:	ff. 34r-41v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Patrick (IMEV 3037)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1875, pp. 151-210.

Item: 18

Locus:	ff. 41v-45r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Edward the Elder (IMEV 2889)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 19

Locus:	ff. 45r-46r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Cuthbert (IMEV 2800)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 359-362.

Item: 20

Locus:	ff. 46r-48v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Benedict (IMEV 2860)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 21

Locus:	f. 48v
Title:	South English Legendary: Feast of the Annunciation (IMEV 2989)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 22

Locus:	ff. 48v-49r
Title:	South English Legendary: Moveable Feasts/Septuagesima (IMEV 791)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 23

Locus:	ff. 49r-51r
Title:	South English Legendary: Lent (IMEV 1859)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 24

Locus:	ff. 51r-52r
Title:	South English Legendary: Easter (IMEV 3384)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 25

Locus:	ff. 52r-56r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Mary of Egypt (IMEV 2990)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 260-271.

Item: 26

Locus:	ff. 56r-59r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Alphege (IMEV 2844)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 27

Locus:	ff. 59r-60v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. George (IMEV 2905)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 28

Locus:	ff. 60v-61r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Mark (IMEV 3004)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 362-363.

Item: 29

Locus:	ff. 61r-62r
Title:	South English Legendary: Litany (IMEV 1911)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 30

Locus:	f. 62r-v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Peres (IMEV 3042)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 31

Locus:	ff. 62v-63v
Title:	South English Legendary: Lives of Saints Philip and James (IMEV 3048)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 364-366.

Item: 32

Locus:	ff. 63v-66r
Title:	South English Legendary: Early History of the Cross (IMEV 3389)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Morris 1871, pp. 18-35.

Item: 33

Locus:	ff. 66r-68r
Title:	South English Legendary: The Invention of the Cross (IMEV 82)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Morris 1871, pp. 39-49.

Item: 34

Locus:	ff. 68r-71r
Title:	South English Legendary: The Exaltation of the Holy Cross (IMEV 3388)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Morris 1871, pp. 48-57.

Item: 35

Locus:	f. 71r-v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Quiriac (IMEV 3051)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Morris 1871, pp. 58-61.

Item: 36

Locus:	ff. 71v-80v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Brendan (IMEV 2868)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 37

Locus:	ff. 80v-83r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Dunstan (IMEV 2884)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 19-24.

Item: 38

Locus:	ff. 83r-84r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Aldhelm (IMEV 2843)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 39

Locus:	ff. 84r-85v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Augustine (IMEV 2854)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 40

Locus:	ff. 85v-87r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Barnabas (IMEV 2856)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 26-29.

Item: 41

Locus:	ff. 87r-88v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. John the Baptist (IMEV 2945)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 42

Locus:	ff. 88v-95r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Peter (IMEV 3046)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 43

Locus:	ff. 95r-98v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Paul (IMEV 3041)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 187-192.

Item: 44

Locus:	ff. 98v-100r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Swithun (IMEV 3060)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 45

Locus:	ff. 100r-104v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Kenelm (IMEV 2956)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 345-355.

Item: 46

Locus:	ff. 104v-108r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Margaret (IMEV 2987)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cockayne 1866, pp. 24-33.

Item: 47

Locus:	ff. 108r-112v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Mary Magdalene (IMEV 2994)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 48

Locus:	ff. 112v-116v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Christina (IMEV 2876)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 49

Locus:	ff. 117r-120r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. James the Great (IMEV 2918)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 33-45.

Item: 50

Locus:	ff. 120r-122v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Christopher (IMEV 2878)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 51

Locus:	ff. 122v-124v
Title:	South English Legendary: The Seven Sleepers (IMEV 3091)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 52

Locus:	ff. 124v-127r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Lawrence (IMEV 2957)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 340-345.

Item: 53

Locus:	f. 127r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Hippolytus (IMEV 2915)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 480-483.

Item: 54

Locus:	f. 131r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Bartholomew (IMEV 2858)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 366-376.

Item: 55

Locus:	f. 134v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Giles (IMEV 2906)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 56

Locus:	f. 136r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Matthew (IMEV 3017)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 77-81.

Item: 57

Locus:	f. 137v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Justina (IMEV 2953)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 58

Locus:	ff. 138r-139v
Title:	South English Legendary: Legend of St. Michael (IMEV 3029)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Part 1.
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 299-322.

Item: 59

Locus:	f. 139v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Jerome (IMEV 2922)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 60

Locus:	f. 141v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Leger (IMEV 2958)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 81-83.

Item: 61

Locus:	f. 142v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Frideswitha (IMEV 2900)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 62

Locus:	f. 149r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Faith (IMEV 2897)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 63

Locus:	f. 150v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Denis (IMEV 2882)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 64

Locus:	ff. 151v-154r
Title:	South English Legendary: Legend of St. Michael (IMEV 3029)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Note:	Part 2.
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 299-322.

Item: 65

Locus:	f. 154r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Luke (IMEV 2973)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 66

Locus:	f. 157v
Title:	South English Legendary: The Eleven Thousand Virgins (IMEV 721)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 86-92.

Item: 67

Locus:	f. 160r
Title:	South English Legendary: Lives of Saints Simon and Jude (IMEV 3055)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 68

Locus:	f. 162v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Quintin (IMEV 3050)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 69

Locus:	f. 164v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Alban (IMEV 2842)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 67-70.

Item: 70

Locus:	f. 165v
Title:	South English Legendary: All Saints' Day (IMEV 184)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 418-420.

Item: 71

Locus:	f. 166v
Title:	South English Legendary: All Souls' Day (IMEV 201)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 420-431.

Item: 72

Locus:	f. 169v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Eustace (IMEV 2894)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 393-402.

Item: 73

Locus:	f. 172v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Leonard (IMEV 2959)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 456-462.

Item: 74

Locus:	f. 174r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Martin (IMEV 3005)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 449-456.

Item: 75

Locus:	f. 176r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Brice (IMEV 2870)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 76

Locus:	f. 177r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Edmund the Bishop (IMEV 2886)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 431-449.

Item: 77

Locus:	f. 184v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Edmund the King (IMEV 2887)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 296-299.

Item: 78

Locus:	f. 185v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Cecilia (IMEV 2873)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 79

Locus:	f. 188r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Clement (IMEV 2875)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 322-340.

Item: 80

Locus:	f. 195v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Katharine of Alexandria (IMEV 2954)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 92-101.

Item: 81

Locus:	f. 199r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Andrew (IMEV 2848)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Furnivall 1862, pp. 98-101.

Item: 82

Locus:	f. 202r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Nicholas (IMEV 3033)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 240-55.

Item: 83

Locus:	f. 208v
Title:	South English Legendary: Anne/Prologue to Conception of the Virgin (IMEV 2632)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1875, pp. 64-69.

Item: 84

Locus:	f. 209v
Title:	South English Legendary: The Concepcio Marie (IMEV 38)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1875, p. 65.

Item: 85

Locus:	f. 212r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Lucy (IMEV 2961)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 101-106.

Item: 86

Locus:	f. 214r-
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Thomas the Apostle (IMEV 3063)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 376-389.

Item: 87

Locus:	f. 219r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Anastasia (IMEV 2845)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 88

Locus:	f. 220v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Stephen (IMEV 3059)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 89

Locus:	f. 222r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. John the Evangelist (IMEV 2932)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:

Item: 90

Locus:	f. 228r
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Oswald the King (IMEV 3036)
Incipit:
Explicit:
Bibliography:	Cf. Horstmann 1887, pp. 45-46.

Item: 91

Locus:	ff. 260r-268v
Title:	South English Legendary: Life of St. Edward the Confessor (IMEV 2888)
Incipit:	'Seyn Edward �e gode'.
Explicit:	Unreadable due to fading
Bibliography:

Physical Description

Form:	Codex
Support:�	Parchment
Extent:	230 x 135 mm
Collation:	Catchwords: ff. 11v; 23v; 35v; 47v; 59v; 71v; 83v; 98v; 108v; 119v; 131v; 143v; 154v; 164v; 176v; 189v; 200v; 212v; 224v; 236v; 248v.
Layout:	Pricking: where visible round holes. Writing space of 180 x 95 mm. Single columns with 39 lines. Ruling in drypoint.
Writing:	One scribe writing in brown ink in an Anglicana hand. Characteristics: small neat hand. Split ascenders on b, l, and h; double compartment g; elongated ascenders on top line. Body height: 2 mm. G�rlach (1974, p. 74) notes that the scribe has attempted to 'reproduce features of a dignified book hand on the basis of an engrossing hand, with upright and square proportions'.
Decoration:	Three-line blue initial with red penwork extending into left margin on initial of each saint's life. First letter of each line tinted red. Elongated ascenders on top line decorated red.
Binding:	Not medieval. Size: 240 x 135 mm. Cover of brown leather with blind tooled edging of double rows and two double rows 25mm in from spine. Spine rebacked. Four raised bands across the spine.
Foliation:	ff. iv + 269. There are a further 8 unfoliated modern paper flyleaves at the beginning and 9 unfoliated modern paper flyleaves at the end.
Additions:
Condition:	Good condition apart from ff. 266-269 which are very ragged.

History

Origin:	Unknown.
Provenance:

Record History

Catalogued and encoded: Rebecca Farnham, University of Birmingham, January 2004.

Bibliography

Cockayne, T. O., ed, 1866. Seinte Marherete the meiden ant martyr, EETS, os, 13, London: Tr�bner & Co.

Cockayne, O., ed. 1872. Liflade of S. Juliana, EETS, os, 51, London: Tr�bner.

G�rlach, M. 1974. The Textual Tradition of the South English Legendary, Leeds Texts and Monographs, ns, 6, Leeds: University of Leeds School of English, 73-75.

Horstmannn, C. 1874. ‘Die altenglische Legende von St Brendan’, Archiv, 53, 17-48, pp. 17-37.

Horstmann, C., ed, 1875. Altenglische Legenden. Kindheit Jesu. Barlaam und Josaphat. St. Patrik’s Fegefeuer. Aus den verschiedenen Mss. zum ersten Male herausgegeben, Paderborn: Ferdinand Schoningh.

Horstmann, C., ed, 1887. The Early South English Legendary or Lives of Saints, EETS, os, 87, London: Tr�bner.

Laing, M. 1993. Catalogue of Sources for a Linguistic Atlas of Early Middle English, Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, pp. 122-123.

McIntosh, A., Samuels, M. L. and Benskin, M. 1986. A Linguistic Atlas of Late Medieval English: County Dictionary, 4 vols, Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press, 4.

Madan, F., Craster, H. H., and Denholm-Young, N. 1937. A Summary Catalogue of Western Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library at Oxford, vol. 2, part 2, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. 1123.

Moore, E. G. ed, 1942. The Middle English Verse Life of Edward the Confessor: a dissertation, PhD thesis, University of Pennsylvania, p. iii.

Morris, R., ed, 1871. Legends of the Holy Rood; Symbols of the Passion and Cross Poems In Old English of the Eleventh, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries, EETS, os, 46, London: Tr�bner.

Pickering, O. S. 1973. ‘The Temporale Narrative of the South English Legendary, Anglia, 91, 425-55.

Wells, M. E. 1936. ‘The South English Legendary and its Relation to the Legenda Aurea’, PMLA, 51, 337-360, p. 343.