Portable Psalter, part of a Monastic Breviary of the Benedictine Abbey of Hyde; England, Winchester and East Anglia, probably between 1292 and 1304

Title

Portable Psalter, part of a Monastic Breviary of the Benedictine Abbey of Hyde; England, Winchester and East Anglia, probably between 1292 and 1304

Shelfmark

MS. Gough Liturg. 8

Date

1292 × 1304 (?)

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment; the parchment of leaves with miniatures is much thicker and stiffer than the rest

Physical extent

72 leaves Leaves were trimmed, causing the loss of text and decoration

Hands

Small formal Gothic book hand; brown ink

Decoration

KL monograms in the calendar, decorated with coiled tendrils and vine leaves, extending into the margins (partly trimmed off).

Miniatures (most defaced) illustrating the life of Christ, painted on both sides of each leaf, in East Anglian style. The miniatures, most likely the remains of three or four quires, are bound out of order between the text quires of the present psalter. They are similar in size to the rest of the psalter and may have been made for the Hyde Breviary, or they may have been added at the time of the rebinding in the 18th century or earlier (see Sandler, 1974, pp. 119–21 and Sandler, 1986 for their probable original sequence). There is an offset on fol. 35v of the illumination on fol. 38r which indicates that the miniatures were not always in this position. The miniatures appear to be by two artists (see Sandler, 1986, vol. 2, no. 42 on the division of work) whose work has been identified in the Peterborough Psalter (Brussels, Bibliothèque Royale MS. 9961–62) and the Ramsey Psalter (St Paul im Lavanttal (Carinthia) Stiftsbibliothek MS. XXV/2.19 and New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS. M. 302) (Sandler, 1986, 1999). The miniatures are in rectangular frames, on gold background, incised with geometric, floral and zoomorphic designs. fol. 2r, Nativity, with Christ Child on a tall pedestal; gold background with fleurs-de-lis. fol. 2v, Annunciation to the Shepherds. fol. 3r, Massacre of the Innocents. fol. 3v, Baptism of Christ. fol. 10r, Zachariah (?) blessing the infant John the Baptist. Rubric in a 16th-century (?) hand, partly cropped off, in the upper margin: ‘Natiuitas Domini (?) nostri Iesu Christi’. fol. 10v, Annunciation to Joseph: sleeping Joseph is spoken to by an angel. fol. 11r, The First Temptation: the Devil offers stones to Christ, who is standing, holding a book. fol. 11v, Entry into Jerusalem. fol. 22r, Adoration of the Magi. fol. 22v, An angel warning the Magi. fol. 23r, Presentation in the Temple. fol. 23v, Flight into Egypt, and the fall of the idols. fol. 36r, Agony in the Garden. fol. 36v, The Betrayal with Peter cutting off Malchus’s ear; one soldier with winged headgear. fol. 37r, Christ before Caiaphas and Annas, one soldier with winged headgear; the Denial of Peter, with the cock crowing above; background with rampant lions. fol. 37v, Christ before Caiaphas with the Veil of the Temple (?) above. fol. 49r, Flagellation: Christ tied around the waist. fol. 49v, Christ carrying the Cross. fol. 50r, Noli me tangere: standing Christ, holding a staff with cross and pennant; Mary Magdalene kneeling before him. fol. 50v, Incredulity of St Thomas: St Thomas kneeling to touch the wound of Christ. fol. 61r, Crucifixion: Christ on the Cross; the Virgin Mary and St John standing on either side; a soldier piercing Christ’s side with a spear; another soldier holding a sponge and a pot with vinegar; a devil sitting on the bar of the Cross. fol. 61v, Descent from the Cross. fol. 62r, Entombment. fol. 62v, The Harrowing of Hell: Christ, holding a staff with a cross and pennant, leading souls out of the mouth of Hell, watched by two devils, one blowing a horn. fol. 71r, The Ascension of Christ. fol. 71v, Pentecost.

5-line historiated initials on gold backgrounds and full borders at liturgical divisions; 8-line initial at the beginning of psalm 109. Related in style to the Master of the Queen Mary Psalter (London, British Library, Royal MS. 2 B. VII) (Pächt and Alexander, 1966–73). fol. 17v Psalm 26 (initial D(ominus)) The Anointing of David. (full border) Blue and pink bars with sprays of vine leaves; a hybrid figure playing a musical instrument; a grotesque in the upper margin partly cropped off. fol. 27r Psalm 52 (initial D(ixit)) King David, seated, speaking to the Fool, nude, apart from a cloak, holding a stick and eating a loaf of bread; the face of God in a cloud above. (full border) Blue and pink bars with sprays of vine leaves; two grotesques (one defaced); human head. fol. 31r Psalm 68 (initial S(alvum)) Psalmist, nude, praying in waters, looking up at half-figure of God, holding an orb and blessing. (full border) Blue and pink bars with sprays of vine leaves; two grotesques playing musical instruments. fol. 38r Psalm 80 (initial E(xultate)) King David, seated, playing bells. (full border) Blue and pink bars with sprays of vine leaves; three grotesques, two playing musical instruments. fol. 47r Psalm 109 (initial D(ixit)) Trinity: two seated figures, holding orbs and blessing; white dove with spread wings above. The opening words of the psalm are written in capitals on pink background. (full border) Blue and pink bars with sprays of vine leaves; crouching dog, grotesque.

2- to 3-line initials and borders, decorated with human and animal heads, grotesques, floral and geometric designs at the beginnings of psalms, litany, canticles and prayers.

Borders: see above.

1-line alternating blue and gold initials, decorated with contrasting red and purple penwork at the beginnings of verses and periods.

Rubrics in red ink in prayers and the Office of the Dead (fols. 67v–70v)

Binding

Brown leather over pasteboard, 18th century. Double gilt fillet line border round the outer edge of the upper and lower covers (partly lost). Triple gilt fillet line decoration, forming a rectangle with floral corner-pieces on the upper and lower covers. Blind roll arabesque decorations on turn-ins. Rebacked in the Bodleian. Gilt lettering on spine ‘MS. | GOUGH | LITURG. | 8’. Parchment pastedowns and fly-leaves, probably 18th century. The binding is identical to that of MS. Rawl. liturg. e. 1*.

Acquisition

Bodleian Library: bequeathed by Gough; received in 1809. Former shelfmarks: ‘Gough Missal 140’, cancelled by encircling (fol. 1r), see Bliss and Bandinel (1814).

Provenance

Hyde, Hampshire, Benedictine abbey of Holy Trinity, St Mary the Virgin, and St Peter : made for the abbey, liturgical evidence. Originally part of Oxford, Bodleian Library MS. Rawl. liturg. e. 1*, a portable breviary from the same house (psalter preceding the breviary). Probably written during the rule of Abbot Symon de Kanings, 1292–1304, successor of Robert de Popham (d. 1292), the last Hyde abbot whose obit is written in the calendar in the original hand (see Tolhurst, 1932–42, vol. 69, p. xi; Sandler, 1986, vol. 2, nos. 64a and b). The manuscripts are probably the work of the same scribe and illuminators.

The addition of the feasts of Grimbald (see ‘Text’) suggests that the psalter was still in the Winchester area in the 15th century. It may have been at Hyde until the dissolution of the Abbey in 1538.

Rubric, probably in a 16th-century hand, partly cropped off, attempting to identify the subject of an unusual miniature (fol. 10r).

Bound, probably in the 18th century, with miniatures in their present order, before the manuscript was acquired by Gough, and before 1755, since the breviary, which has the same binding, was owned by Richard Rawlinson (1690–1755). The order in which the quires are put together is indicated by Arabic numerals (1–13) in a postmedieval, probably 18th-century, hand on fols. 2r, 4r, 10r, 12r, 22r, 24r, 36r, 38r, 49r, 51r, 61r, 63r and 71r. This numbering shows that the Beatus-page was already lost when the volume was bound (Sandler, 1974, p. 142 n. 69).

Richard Gough (1735–1809) , see ODNB.

Title

A Psalter for the use of the Benedictine abbey at Hyde near Winchester

Shelfmark

MS. Gough Liturg. 8

Summary

A Psalter for the use of the Benedictine abbey at Hyde near Winchester: preceded by a calendar, and followed by the usual canticles, the Athanasian creed, a litany (fol. 66) and the Office for the Dead (fol. 68). The calendar is unusually full and curious, giving many antiphons, and, besides obits of kings, abbots, priors, etc. (some added), the following entries among others:

'Sancti Branwalatoris & Wostani episcoporum' (Jan. 19)

'Anniuersarius monachorum de Merlo' (Marlow ?: Mar. 9)

'Anniuersarius fratrum & sororum Ambresburˉ.' (Mar. 15)

Remotio abbatum' (Mar. 30)

'Anniuersarius monachorum sancti Petri de cultura' (Apr. 20)

'Anniuersarius monachorum sancte Marie eboracensis ecclesie' (Oct. 5)

'Remotio regum' (Nov. 19)

At irregular intervals throughout the book are twenty-six full-page miniatures, in seven groups, illustrating the life of Christ, in English 13th century style, unfortunately rather damaged: leaves have been torn out after fols. 11 and 20.

Date

Written in about A.D. 1300 in England

Language

Latin

Physical facet

On parchment, with fine miniatures, etc., see below, in double columns

Physical extent

72 Leaves