Bodleian Library
Univertiy of Oxford Manuscripts and Archives at Oxford University
  • Home
  • About
  • Help

Help with advanced searching

A-C: Calendar, Psalter and Anselm of Canterbury, Prayers and meditations; England (A: St Albans (?), B: Winchester), 12th century

MS. Auct. D. 2. 6

Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford

Details

This item is described in 1 online catalogue.?

For the main catalogue entry, see: Medieval manuscripts in Oxford libraries

Description

From Medieval manuscripts in Oxford libraries

This is an extract only. For more information, see the catalogue record in Medieval manuscripts in Oxford libraries.

Medieval manuscripts in Oxford libraries contains descriptions of all known Western medieval manuscripts held in the Bodleian Libraries, and of medieval manuscripts in selected Oxford colleges. Learn more.

Title

A-C: Calendar, Psalter and Anselm of Canterbury, Prayers and meditations; England (A: St Albans (?), B: Winchester), 12th century

Shelfmark

MS. Auct. D. 2. 6

Place of origin

English

English, Winchester, Cathedral Priory(the Old Minster) (?)

English, St. Albans, Benedictine abbey(?)

Date

12th century, middle

12th century, middle or third quarter

c. 1140–1150 (perhaps 1139 × 1158)

Language

Latin

Contents

MS. Auct. D. 2. 6 – Part 1
[Items 1–2 occupy quire 1]
1. (fols. 2v–7r) Calendar
(fols. 7v–8r) Easter table from 1064 to 1595, and a table of moveable feasts with the key to the Easter table. The Easter table was probably written in the lunar cycle 1140–1158 (key-letters filled in to 1159, then every 4th year as far as 1307) (Summary catalogue, vol. 2, part 2, p. 713).
MS. Auct. D. 2. 6 – Part 2 (fols. 9–155)
[Items 1–4 occupy quires II-XX]
1. (fols. 9r–137r) Psalter
2. (fols. 137v–144v) Weekly canticles, with titles:
Rubric: Canticum ysaie
Rubric: Canticum regis ezechie
Rubric: Canticum anne matris samuelis
Rubric: Canticum moysi
Rubric: Canticum abbacuc prophete
Rubric: Canticum moysi
3. (fols. 145r–150v) Daily canticles, prayers and creeds, some with titles:
(fol. 145r) Rubric: ymnus ad matutinos
(fol. 145v) Rubric: ymnus trium puerorvm
(fol. 146v) Rubric: Canticum zacharie
(fol. 147r) Rubric: ymnus sancte dei genitricis Marie
(fol. 147v) Rubric: Canticum sancti senis symeonis
(fol. 147v) Pater noster
(fol. 148r) Rubric: ymnus ad matutinos
(fol. 148r) Gloria in excelsis
(fol. 148v) Athanasian Creed
4. (fols. 150v–155r) Litany, containing several Winchester saints, including Justus and Elphege among the martyrs; Birinus, Hedda, Swithun, Birstan, Elphege and Athelwold (all Winchester bishops), and Dunstan and Gaugeric among the confessors; Etheldreda and Eadburga among the virgins. Birinus and Swithun are invoked twice (fol. 151v). Frideswide is over an erasure. The litany is followed by petitions which mention ‘episcopum nostrum’, not ‘abbatem’, and collects (fols. 153r–155r):
Incipit: Deus cui proprium est misereri semper et parcere suscipe
Incipit: Omnipotens sempiterne deus qui facis mirabilia magna solus
Incipit: A domo tua quesumus domine spirituales nequitie repellantur et aeriarum discedat malignitas potestatum
Incipit: Ure igne sancti spiritus renes nostros et corda nostra .
Incipit: Pretende domine famulis et famulabus dexteram celestis auxilii
Incipit: Deus a quo sancta desideria recta consilia et iusta sunt
Incipit: Propitiare quesumus domine nobis famulis tuis per horum sanctorum tuorum
Incipit: Absolue domine animas famulorum tuorum fratrum nostrorum et omnium fidelium defunctorum ab omni uinculo
Incipit: Deus qui es sanctorum tuorum splendor mirabilis atque lapsorum subleuator
Incipit: Adesto domine supplicationibus nostris et uiam famulorum tuorum in salutis tue
Incipit: Ad te nos domine clamantes exaudi et aeris serenitatem nobis tribue
Incipit: Deus in quo uiuimus mouemur et sumus pluuiam nobis tribue congruentem ut presentibus
Incipit: Omnipotens sempiterne deus salus eterna credentium exaudi nos pro famulo
Incipit: Ineffabilem misericordiam tuam nobis domine clementer ostende ut simul nos
MS. Auct. D. 2. 6 – Part 3 (fols. 156–200)
1. (fols. 156r–200v) Anselm of Canterbury Prayers and meditations

Form

codex

Physical extent

201 + modern parchment fly-leaves at the beginning and end.

Binding

Modern binding, white leather over wood boards, rebound in the Bodleian in 2010. symmetrical holes on fol. 1 and four marks on 2r left by the fitting of a clasp.

The former binding: brown leather over pasteboard, 18th century. Blind fillet lines round the outer edge of both covers. Blind roll decoration forming a rectangle with floral corner-pieces on both covers. Blind roll decoration on the edges of covers. Rebacked in the 20th (?) century with the original spine relaid. Sewn on four cords. End-leaves of 18th-century laid paper. Fol. 1 (parchment), originally the second leaf of the first booklet, was used as the upper pastedown of an earlier binding: glue and fragments of dark pink textile with yellow patterning; fragments of blue textile, possibly the remains of two ties. Four

Acquisition

Bodleian Library: donation of Richard Beswick, c. 1672. Former shelfmarks: ‘Cod. 170. Museo’ (fol. 2r); ‘170’ in ink on the fore-edge of leaves; ‘MS. e Mus. 118’ (fol. 2r). The manuscript was part of ‘in Musaeo’ collection (manuscripts kept in a cupboard in the Librarian’s study) which was formed from miscellaneous donations and acquisitions of the period c. 1647–83. The shelfmark was changed to ‘e Musaeo’ and the numeration altered in 1728. 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).

Provenance

Calendar and Psalter bound together before 1200: a 12th-century addition of Frideswide in the calendar and litany.

‘Adam Basset de Litlemore’ in clumsy 13th-century (?) capitals on fol. 155r.

Benedictine nunnery of Littlemore, Oxfordshire. Cautio note of the prioress of Littlemore, 14th century (?), fol. 1v: ‘Caucio Priorisse de lytelmor’ jacet pro xl s’ & habet supplementum perforium [or possibly ‘portiforium’] cum uno signaculo argenteo 2o folio incipiatur’.

Conservation treatment carried out in the Bodleian Library in 2010 showed that there is only one set of sewing holes at three sewing stations and two kettle stitches for all three texts. There is no evidence to suggest that the three texts had previous or independent bindings. It is theoretically possible that one text was sewn independently, and later resewn to incorporate the other two texts using the same sewing positions, but this seems unlikely, as none of the holes are enlarged as one would expect had they been used more than once (Nicole Gilroy, Report of the treatment carried out on MS. Auct. D. 2. 6, 6th January 2011).

Richard Beswick or Bestwick, d. 1705 (Foster, 1891–92, p. 118; Boase, 1894, p. 118), Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford: ‘Liber Bibliothecae Bodleianae Ex dono Ric: Beswick Art: Mag: nuper Coll: Exon: Socii’ (fol. 2r).

View full record in Medieval manuscripts in Oxford libraries

See this item

Requesting

For information on how to request this item, see Medieval manuscripts in Oxford libraries.

Viewing

This item is available to view online:

  • Digital Bodleian (40 images from 35mm slides)

Connections

People associated with this object

  • Beswick, Richard, -1705

  • Anselm, Saint, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1033-1109

  • Basset, Adam, of Littlemore, 13th century (?)

View full record

See this itemFind out how to request this item

View online
Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford

On this page

  • Overview
  • Description from Medieval manuscripts in Oxford libraries
  • See this item
  • Connections
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies
  • Terms of use
  • Contact

© Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford 2025

  • Mellon Foundation
  • Bodleian Libraries, Univertiy of Oxford
We use cookies to help give you the best experience on our website. By continuing without changing your cookie settings, we assume you agree to this. Please read our cookie policy to find out more. Cookie Policy