Missal. — 1052–1073; English, Exeter

Title

Missal. — 1052–1073; English, Exeter

Shelfmark

MS. Lat. liturg. e. 38

Place of origin

English, Exeter

Date

1052–1073

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment

Physical extent

vi (modern paper) + 2 + iv (modern paper) + 2 + viii (modern paper). Most leaves trimmed on at least two sides; the B.L. fragment preserves the full width of the text area and some margins: 167 mm.

Hands

The main text written in a fine Anglo-Saxon minuscule; "The hand is extremely close to ... other Exeter manuscripts made for Leofric ..." (Sotheby's cat.)

Decoration

Coloured red and green initials.

Rubrics in rustic capitals, in reddish-orange, rather oxidised.

Binding

Bound in covers of plain stiff parchment between 1922 and 1963. Beyond the details given by Gambier-Parry on fol. 2r (quoted under Provenance), the leaves show evidence of the sixteenth-century bindings in which they were previously the pastedowns, including the sewing-stations, marks of the turn-ins, worm-holes, and copper-stained holes caused by clasp-fittings.

Acquisition

Given to the Bodleian in October 1963.

Provenance

Exeter Cathedral (?): on the basis of script, the MS. from which the present fragments come has been attributed to an Exeter scribe during the episcopacy of Leofric (1050–72); it is therefore tempting to conclude that it is one of the two Missals listed in the record of his donation of books to Exeter (the other one presumably being the so-called 'Leofric Missal', Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS. Bodl. 579). Other fragments of the same MS. are: London, B.L. Add. MS. 62104 (see Sotheby's 8/12/81 lot 8, with pl.; The British Library catalogue of additions to the manuscripts, new series, 1981–85, (London, 1994), 43, citing the present MS.) Westminster Abbey, MS. 36, nos. 17–19 (photostats are available as MS. Facs. d. 121, fols. 107–112; cf N. R. Ker, Pastedowns, 28, no. 285a and n. 1; "... s. xi med. 2 fr. 17+ long lines ... A. C. Politus. Par. 1535. ...") Lincoln Cathedral, V. 5. 11 (printed book with MS. flyleaves) London, B.L. Harley MS. 5977 no. 59 ? a fragment of a leaf in a private collection in London, of which photocopies are deposited at the Bodleian.

? Exeter College, Oxford: the Westminster and Bodleian fragments were salvaged from 16th-cent. Oxford bindings, and it was suggested in the Sotheby's catalogue that the book may have been taken from Exeter to Exeter College, Oxford (founded in 1314), and discarded at the Reformation; a very faint inscription in 14th-cent. cursive script in the upper right margin of fol. 13v appears to read "Henr'[...] p[er?] [...] R[...] | h[...]h" (??), perhaps including the name of a reader.

"Thomas Bullie" (not in Emden, BRUO) inscribed on fol. 7r in a 16th(?)-cent. hand (if written after binding, this would have been written vertically, near the gutter edge of the inner face of the lower board, in the bound volume); pen-trials of a similar date include two forms of the letter "e", and the words "Ex" and "Pax".

T. Gambier-Parry; inscribed by him on fol. 1r "Fragments of a Missale Plenum of pre-Conquest Exeter execution, evidently exported to Paris on the introduction of a Liturgy in English, and used by a Paris book-binder in the course of his trade.". This suggestion was probably based on the fact that the volumes from which the fragments were recovered were printed in Paris in 1538 and 1539: according to a note on fol. 2r, "Folios 1 and 2 [ ...."tis invicem"... and "placuit ei"] are taken, Folio 1 from the lower cover, Folio 2 from the upper cover, of "Omnium Gentium mores, leges et ritus ..... a Ioanne Boemo Aubano, Teutonico nuper collecti, et novissime recogniti. Parisiis. Apud Iohannem Paruum, Via ad D. Iacobû, sub insigni Floris Lilij. M.D.XXXVIII." Small octavo brown calf over (?)beech boards, diagonal blind lines in blind border: one clasp catch on each cover: initials G. G. (? Gough) impressed in centre of both covers. Folios 3 and 4 [.."S. apostolorum" and "per Dominum"] are taken from the covers of "Ex variis libellis Eliae grammaticorum omnium doctissimi, huc fere congestum est opera Iohannis Campensis, quidquid ad absolutam grammaticen Hebraicam est necessarium .... Parisiis apud Christianum Wechelum. MDXXXIX" (N.B.: Gambier-Parry's Folios 1, 2, 3, and 4, are now fols. 7, 8, 13, and 14, respectively).