Choir Psalter; England, Canterbury, 14th century, second quarter (after 1320)

Title

Choir Psalter; England, Canterbury, 14th century, second quarter (after 1320)

Shelfmark

MS. Auct. D. 2. 2

Place of origin

English, Canterbury

Date

14th century, second quarter (after 1320)

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment; fly-leaves made of laid paper; watermark on fol. 1

Physical extent

191 leaves

Hands

Formal Gothic book hand.

Decoration

Gold KL monograms in the calendar with alternating blue and pink backgrounds and contrasting surrounds, decorated with arabesque designs.

11-line Beatus initial and 5- to 6-line historiated initials and borders, decorated with foliage, flowers, grotesques and scenes at liturgical divisions: fol. 8r Psalm 1 (initial B(eatus)) King David enthroned, playing harp in the upper part of the initial; young David, holding a sling, facing fully armed Goliath in the lower part of the initial. Full border: animal mask; rabbit playing pipes; two shields of arms, of De Quincy (?) and Bury St Edmunds. fol. 31r Psalm 26 (initial D(ominus)) King David pointing to his eyes, kneeling before an altar; half-figure of God in clouds above. Full border: lion; fox, standing before a lectern (?), preaching to a cock and hen; inscription in capitals ‘pax vobis’. fol. 46v Psalm 38 (initial D(ixi)) King David, with sceptre, kneeling on one knee. fol. 60r Psalm 51 (initial Q(vid)) Seated King David speaking to the Fool in a hat with bells. fol. 61r Psalm 52 (initial D(ixit)) King Saul, enthroned, stabbing himself with a sword. Full border: squirrel, goat playing bagpipes. fol. 75r Psalm 68 (initial S(aluum)) Jonah, nimbed, spewed up by a whale near Nineveh in the upper part of the initial; sailors throwing Jonah, nimbed, overboard into the mouth of a whale in the lower part of the initial. Full border: squirrel, green parrot (?), two shields of arms, of Warenne and Butler or Cletherow (?). fol. 94v Psalm 80 (initial E(xultate)) King David playing three bells in the lower part of the initial; two angels playing an organ in the upper part. Border (left and lower margins): rabbit playing pipes, goat playing harp; two coats of arms, of Bardolf and Fitzwalter (?). fol. 113v Psalm 97 (initial C(antate)) Three clerics in variously coloured copes singing from a book open on a lectern. Partial border: green parrot (?), grotesque playing pipe, two coats of arms, one with fleur-de-lis and another with check-pattern in red and gold. fol. 116r Psalm 101 (initial D(omine)) Vine leaves and interlace on gold background. Partial border: rabbit chased by a dog; coat of arms of Bardolf. fol. 133v Psalm 109 (initial D(ixit)) Trinity (two seated nimbed figures in identical clothing support a medallion with a white dove).

Borders: see above.

3-line initial, decorated with foliage on gold background, at the beginning of psalm 119.

1- to 2-line initials, gold or on gold backgrounds, containing portrait heads of men and women (including kings and queens, Christ, nimbed bishop, etc.), animals and animal masks, grotesques, floral and arabesque designs, at the beginnings of psalms, canticles and litany.

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

Line-endings in blue, pink and gold with flowers, geometric and arabesque designs.

Binding

Brown leather over wood boards, c. 1600 (before 1607), London. Both covers decorated with two blind rolls, one of which is identical with no. 526 in Oldham (1952). Metal fittings of two clasps (now lost). Laid paper pastedowns and fly-leaves. Rebacked in the Bodleian, with the original spine relaid (‘L. F. 31.7.57’ on the lower pastedown). Six raised bands edged with blind fillet lines on spine. Lettering on spine; ‘Hatton || 95.’. Evidence of a paper label on spine with fragments of printed letters and number ‘2’.

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). The shelfmark ‘Auctarium’ was given c. 1789, when books then considered most valuable in the Library were moved to the Auctarium (one of the schools in the Bodleian Library quadrangle) (see Summary catalogue, vol. 1, pp. xiv, xxxix–xl). Earlier shelfmark: ‘Hatton 95’ (fol. 1v and binding).

Provenance

Canterbury, Kent, Benedictine cathedral priory of Holy Trinity or Christ Church . Made for the Cathedral Priory of Christ Church, Canterbury. ‘Psalteriu(m)’ in the upper margin on fol. 8r in a 14th-century (?) hand. The Summary catalogue, vol. 2, part 2, reports that the full readable text of the inscription is ‘Psalterium : Petri (?) : de : ... : dis.xx (?) g ... :’. The ultra-violet light shows that reagent was used to read the text and at present nothing apart from ‘Psalteriu(m)’ is readable. ‘Eccl esie ChristiCantuariensis’ in a 15th-century (?) hand on fol. 9r (erased). Shields of arms (see ‘Decoration’).

William Ingram, 16th century, warden of the Martyrdom in Canterbury Cathedral in 1503, see Greatrex (1997), p. 209: ‘William Inggram’ in the upper margin on fol. 2r (very faded).

‘Liber Georgij Nedham’, 16th century. Only fragments of the inscription are visible in the calendar on fol. 2r, and ultra-violet light shows that reagent was used to read the text.

Partially erased inscription in a 16th-century hand (?) in the right margin on fol. 2r.

Edmond Catcher, 1607: prayer to Christ in English on fol. 1r, asking to deliver him from fever, with the heading: ‘ffrom Edmond Catcher . 1607’. ‘Liber Edmonde Catcher, 1607’ on fol. 2r according to the Summary catalogue, vol. 2, part 2. Only fragments of the inscription seem to be visible in the lower margin, and ultra-violet light shows that reagent was used to read the text.

Theological notes in Latin on fols. 8r–v, 92r, 99r, 100r–v, 105v, etc. and psalm numbers in a 17th-century hand. The leaves at the end of the volume were apparently missing by this date, as ‘Finis psalteri’ and ‘Finis’ appear on the last page.

An inscription torn out at fol. 189r.

‘Psalterium’ in the upper margin on fol. 2r in imitation of medieval script.

Christopher, first Baron Hatton (bap. 1605, d. 1670) , see ODNB.

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