The Peterborough Chronicle (Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, MS. E); Peterborough, c. 1121-31, c. 1155, and s. xiii/xiv

Title

The Peterborough Chronicle (Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, MS. E); Peterborough, c. 1121-31, c. 1155, and s. xiii/xiv

Shelfmark

MS. Laud Misc. 636

Date

c. 1121–31

continued c. 1155

additions, late 13th or early 14th century

Language

Anglo-Norman

Old English (ca. 450-1100)

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment

Physical extent

i (parchment) + xi (blank paper, unfoliated) + 91 (interleaved with 17th-century paper) + xiv (blank paper, unfoliated) + vii (paper, foliated 92-98) + ii (blank paper, unfoliated) + iv (paper, foliated 99-102) + ii (blank paper, unfoliated) + i (parchment). The main watermarks on the added paper resemble Heawood 1248 and 3499. (fols. 86-90)

Hands

Fols 1r-88v/9: the scribe wrote the text in different stages. Fols 1r-81r/10 was written at the same time. After that the writing changes in aspect and colour of ink, inidicating that the annals up to fol. 88v/9 were probably written in six blocks: 1122, 1123, 1124, 1125-6 lande, 1126 On þes - 1127, 1128-31. The hand is a round English vernacular hand which uses both Caroline and insular letter-forms (see, also Ker 1957, p. 425; Whitelock 1954, pp. 14-17; O'Brien O'Keeffe 2003, p. 42; Irvine 2004 , pp. xix-xxii) a: insular for English and Latin. d: insular with ascender slightly curving to the right f: insular. g: insular. r: insular. s: insular. The low and high form of s are used indifferently. ð: the same size as d, with a median stroke starting usually on the ascender and concluding with a dot to the left. Short and tapered descenders curving to the left. Abbreviations infrequent (see, for a full analysis Irvine 2004, pp. xxiv-xxviii) The head of nota ˥is curved. Other manuscripts copied by this scribe: BL Cotton MS. Tiberius C. i (Clark 1954 and Ker 1957, p. 425); BL Harley MS. 3667 (Clark 1954)

Fols 88v/10-91: Scribe 2 writes in a clear upright and compressed minuscule, using mainly Caroline letter forms (Ker 1957, p. 425; Whitelock 1954, pp. 14-17; Irvine 2004, pp. xxi-xxiii). f: with a descender often below the line. r: with a descender often below the line. s: with a descender often below the line. þ used along with th. ð used along with th. u often used instead of ƿ. ƿ used with uor uu. Ƿ capital Walways stands instead of Ƿ. descendersoften descend below the line, as they would not normally do in a Latin literary text of this date, and turn to the left at the end. Abbreviations more frequent than Scribe 1 (see, for a full analysis Irvine 2004, pp. xxiv-xxviii) Other manuscripts copied by this scribe: corrections in Cambridge, Corpus Christi College 134 (Bishop 1953, p. 440); London, Society of Antiquaries, MS 60, fols 6-71. (Bishop 1953, p. 440)

The addition on fols. 86v-90v in textualis.

Decoration

Ornamental arabesque initial Bon fol. 1r, green with decoration in red.( Pächt and Alexander iii. 88)

Years in red; first letter of each annal usually stroked with red.

Plain coloured red initials from fol. 83v onwards (1124) and in the added text on fols. 86v-90v.

Binding

Standard binding of the Laudian collection, calf over pasteboard with Laud's arms in gilt; rebacked.

Acquisition

Part of Laud's third donation to the Bodleian, 1639 (Hunt in the revised Quarto catalogue).

Provenance

Peterborough, Northamptonshire, Benedictine abbey of St Peter, St Paul, and St Andrew: (MLGB3: evidence from locally specific contents, including obits, scribbles, etc.). Not identifiable in the surviving catalogues from the abbey.

On fol. 1r there is an erased inscription, s. xiv: alienauerit...sit...et a celesti consolacione alienatus (Ker 1957, p. 426).

William Cecil, Lord Burghleigh(1520-1598); in his possession when Laurence Nowell (d. 1576) made a transcription, now London, British Library, Add. 43704 in 1565 while he was in residence at Burghleigh House.

Probably owned by Matthew Parker (d. 1575) by 1566/67, as Parkerian underlinings, scoring in the margin and pointing fingers agree closely with the citations of the Chronicle in A Defence of Priestes Mariages of that date (Whitelock 1954, p. 23).

William Lisle (d. 1637); his annotations throughout.

William Laud, 1638 (fol. 1r).

Title

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

Shelfmark

MS. Laud Misc. 636

Summary

Chronicle of England (Anglo-Saxon Chronicle) to 1154 ('The Peterborough Chronicle'), Old English

Chronicle of England to Edward I (added 13th century, second half), French

It is MS. E of the Chronicle.

Date

c. 1121-31; additions c. 1154 and 13th century, second half

Language

French

Old English (ca. 450-1100)

Physical extent

91 Leaves

Custodial history

Written at Peterborough Abbey Manuscript 2559 acquired by the Bodleian Library