Usuard — 15th century, first half; English, East Anglia (?)

Title

Usuard — 15th century, first half; English, East Anglia (?)

Shelfmark

MS. Lat. liturg. e. 43

Place of origin

English, East Anglia (?)

Date

15th century, first half

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment

Physical extent

iii + 132 leaves (fol.i–iii, 130–2 are paper flyleaves).

Hands

Written in a good anglicana script. Headings in red.

Decoration

Decorated throughout with two-line intials in blue, with red penwork flourishing extending most of the height of the page; the flourishing on fol. 61v in the form of a fine human head in profile.

Binding

Bound in 19th cent. blind-tooled dark brown calf over pasteboards; apparently sewn on three cords, the spine with five false raised bands; rebacked; the edges of the leaves red.

Acquisition

given by his executors, 1973

Provenance

Perhaps made in Norfolk / East Anglia, to judge by the inclusion of the non-Sarum feast of the dedication of Norwich cathedral (fol. 90v).

There are a number of 15th-cent. notes, corrections, and additions (e.g. Bridget of Sweden, x Kal. Aug.; fol. 69v); the whole of vii Id. Nov. was omitted by the original scribe, and written on an inserted half-leaf (fol. 107).

fol. 1, top: 'xij d.' (16th cent.?)

Quaritch, cat. 801 (1960), item 218, re-offered in Quaritch, cat. 814, 1961, item 22 (priced £150. With a cutting from the catalogue pasted in)

Francis Wormald