Secular Choir, Partially Ferial, Psalter with Antiphons, Use of Sarum; England, Diocese of Norwich; 15th century, second quarter

Title

Secular Choir, Partially Ferial, Psalter with Antiphons, Use of Sarum; England, Diocese of Norwich; 15th century, second quarter

Shelfmark

MS. Hatton 9

Associated place

West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

Place of origin

English, Norwich diocese

Date

15th century, second quarter

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment; paper fly-leaves; some leaves repaired with pieces of parchment, probably at the time when the present binding was made; fol. 21 is repaired with a parchment fragment of a document with a faded text in a cursive early modern (?) hand

Physical extent

119 leaves

Hands

Large formal Gothic book hand

Decoration

Blue KL monograms with red penwork in the calendar.

7-line Beatus-initial (fol. 9v) on gold background, decorated with foliage and coiled tendrils, with a full border made of gold, green, blue and pink bars, decorated with foliage, flowers and gold discs.

4- to 6-line gold initials, decorated with coiled tendrils, leaves and flowers, and partial borders, formed of sprays of leaves, flowers and gold discs at liturgical divisions at psalms 26 (fol. 22r), 38 (fol. 28r), 51 (fol. 34r), 52 (fol. 35v), 68 (fol. 42v), 80 (fol. 51r), 97 (fol. 59v) and 109 (fol. 69v).

Psalm 109 has a full border made of gold, green, blue and pink bars, decorated with foliage, flowers and gold discs.

2-line blue initials with red penwork, some with human and animal figures and heads (fols. 14r, 20v, 63v, 96v, 99v and 109v) at the beginnings of psalms, hymns, canticles, prayers and litany.

1-line plain alternating red and blue initials at the beginnings of verses.

Black cadels, some with human and animal profiles and heads, at the beginnings of verses accompanied by musical notation.

Rubrics in red ink.

Musical notation

Notation on staves.

Binding

Brown speckled leather over pasteboard, 18th century (?). Double blind fillet border round the outer edge of both covers. Blind roll border with arabesque designs next to the spine on both covers. Sewn on five cords, five raised bands on spine. Gilt lettering on spine: ‘HATTON || 98’. ‘9’ painted white at the top of the spine. Bodleian paper label on spine with handwritten ‘M.S. || Hatton || 9.’. The covers are rubbed and worn, and fragments of leather are missing on the lower cover. Fly-leaves made of laid paper, no watermarks.

Acquisition

Bodleian Library: bought in 1671 from Scott; came to the Library in September 1671 (see Summary catalogue, vol. 2, part 2, pp. 801–2). Former shelfmark: ‘Hatton 98’ (fol. 3r and binding).

Provenance

Made for a secular church in the diocese of Norwich: liturgical evidence.

In West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, in the third and fourth quarters of the 15th century: additions to the calendar.

‘By me Hew Darrell’, 16th century, fol. 107r.

‘Wyllyam Clarke’ (faded, upper margin), 16th century, fol. 101v. Faded inscription in English probably in the same hand on fol. 42r.

Christopher, first Baron Hatton (bap. 1605, d. 1670), see ODNB. On fol. 3r ‘Psalterium’.

Robert Scott, London bookseller (b. in or before 1632, d. 1709/10), see ODNB: bought as part of the library of Christopher, first Baron Hatton.