Hugo de S. Caro, Comm. in libros Regum, Paralipomenon, Neemiae, Tobiae, Hester, Machabaeorum; Stephen Langton, Comm. in libros Eccles. et Mach; Oxford, England, Completed c. 1484?

Title

Hugo de S. Caro, Comm. in libros Regum, Paralipomenon, Neemiae, Tobiae, Hester, Machabaeorum; Stephen Langton, Comm. in libros Eccles. et Mach; Oxford, England, Completed c. 1484?

Shelfmark

Exeter College MS. 52

Place of origin

Oxford, England

Date

Completed c. 1484?

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment FHHF

Physical extent

155 leaves preceded and followed by one 18th-century paper flyleaf.

Hands

Written by Scribe 3 (William Osborne?); see MS 51, Script, and Watson, Exeter, Plate IV.

Decoration

Of the same type as in MS 51 but by Artist D. Illuminated borders on fols. 1r, 20r, 95r, 96r by Artist D (John Bray: see Watson, Exeter, pp. 85–87, q.v. also for a characterization of his work: see also Watson, Exeter, Plate IV). On fol. 1r the border has been lost from the outer and lower margins but borders on fols. 20r, 37r, 54r, 95r, 96r, 103v, 128v, and 150v are intact; all others have been lost from the beginnings of books. Spray decoration is in the same style and possibly from the same Oxford shop as is found in Cambridge, Trinity College, MS R.14.5 (Scott, Later Gothic Manuscripts, no. 103), Oxford, Oriel College MS 6, and Bod. Lib., MS Hatton 73 (SC 4119). For the manuscripts see Watson, Exeter, pp. 85–87, n. 10.

Three-line initials at the beginnings of chapters are plain blue and not illuminated. There are a few red and blue paraphs.

Binding

Stamped leather bindings over square-edged wooden boards, (presumably) rebound; stamp used was employed in Oxford between 1535 and 1621, here in the second phase state, probably c. 1605–10. Two straps held by nails. Refurbished in the 19th century (1839?): that volumes were resewn is indicated by the very tight binding, which makes collation difficult, and by the provision of new endbands; edges were stained red; book was reinforced by pasting long strips of canvas round the spine and attached to the boards, and the old spines were replaced. Sewn on five bands. For other details see Watson, Exeter, p. 87.

Provenance

For c. 1484 as the suggested date of completion see Watson, Exeter, pp. 85–87 , also below, MS 68, History. Keys’s arms have probably been lost from the lower margin of fol. 1r. For his inscription, which was once probably found in this volume, see MS 53, History.

Exeter library identifications are, on the front pastedown, bookplate 3, on which are ‘173.F.2’, deleted and replaced by ‘213.E.3’, and ‘Coxe Lii’ (pencil).