Nicholas Upton — 15th century, second half; English

Title

Nicholas Upton — 15th century, second half; English

Shelfmark

MS. Holkham misc. 31

Place of origin

English

Date

15th century, second half

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment

Physical extent

iii (paper) + 72 + iii (paper)

Hands

fine bâtarde

Decoration

Initials, mainly blue with red flourishes, a few gold with purple flourishes.

A series of coats of arms in colour (fols. 37v onward).

Binding

Typical Holkham binding of polished brown leather; the spine lettered in gilt 'UPTON | DE OFFICIO | MILITARI'.

Provenance

'Johannes ... scripsit hunc librum ... de arte arm...', not in the same script as the main text (fol. 72r, partly obliterated).

William Harvey, Clarenceux King at Arms (d. 1567).

Strangeman family, Essex: inscribed 'This Boake was wrightten by nicolas Upton a canon of Sarum and of wells a man skylfull in lawes of armes in Civell lawes in naturall philosophy and in Haroldrye: He was acquaynted wythe ye customs of many natyons and wroughte this booke with his owne hand and gave yt to Duke Umfry of glocester uncle of kinge Henry the sixte and lord protector of England. This book came to ye possessyon of William Harvey yt was Clarenceaux kinge at Armes whoes wyffe being one of the pryvey chamber to ye late quen mary gave the wardship of W. Lathom son and here to Raffe Lathom esquier lord of Upmynster in Essex at whoes house thare she dyed and the book amongst others cam to ye hands of yt William who after maryed Anne daughter to Wylliam Strangeman esquyer; and uppon composityon wyth mary ffortescue late wyfe to Bartholomew Strangeman esq. brother to yt Anne came ye ye same to ye use of James Str.angeman brother [last line cropped]' (fol. 72r), an erased inscription on the same page seems to start 'Jacobus Stangeman ...', and he is also referred to in a note on fol. 65v. For a genealogical tree setting out the relationships here described, see Visitation of Essex 1558 (Harleian Society, London, 1878), p. 104; and for James Strangeman (c. 1555–1595/6 (?)), see H. W. King, in Essex Archaeological Society Transactions, 2 (1863), pp. 139–46, and Oxford DNB. Also on fol. 72 is an erased inscription in Latin relating to James Strangeman.

'Memorandum that in St. Sepulchres church remayn[ith] this remembraunce of Henry Jugge "Heer lyeth buryed Henry Jugge son of Robbert Jugge, July 1502", Robert Wetherell' (fol. 72v, among many pen trials).

Sir Edward Coke; with the bookplate of 'THOMAS WILLIAM COKE' and signed 'Thos. Willm. Coke' (fol. i verso), formerly Norfolk, Holkham Hall, MS. 707.