Single-text codex of Lydgate's Life of our Lady. 15th century, second half.

Title

Single-text codex of Lydgate's Life of our Lady. 15th century, second half.

Shelfmark

MS. Ashmole 39

Place of origin

England

Date

second half 15th century, likely last quarter

Language

Latin

Middle English (1100-1500)

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Paper with parchment sewing guards which reinforce the centre of all gatherings. These strips are recycled from another source and the majority contain traces of Latin text in an anglicana script of the late fourteenth/early fifteenth century. Stubs from the parchment pastedowns are visible after quires 1 and 8.Four watermarks: Grape, without additional motif, stem consisting of two lines, with noose on stem, drop-shaped berries (Piccard 129185, located to Sankt Gallen 1479), quire 1; Hand/glove, with additional motif, above flower/leaf/star, four-petalled (similar to Piccard 155301), quires 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; Stick, with additional motif, Crosier - with horn (Piccard 33005, located to Culemborg 1475), quires 2, 3; and Fleur de lis, with additional motif, with crown (Piccard 127823, located to Stadtarchiv, Frankfurt, and Main 1488), quire 4.

Physical extent

i (parchment pastedown, contemporary) + 109(paper) + i (parchment pastedown, contemporary)

Hands

Anglicana with Secretary influence, in one consistent and competent hand of the late fifteenth century. Typical double-compartment a, long r, looped ascenders on d, l, b, and h, and sigma-shaped s. Late Medieval English Scribes proposes that the scribe can be identified as John Brode, whose hand also appears in Bodleian Library, MS Digby 181, part 1 (copied second half xv) and John Rylands Library, MS English 113 (copied c.1475–1500). However, though the hands are certainly contemporary there are inconsistent graphs between the Ashmole hand and Brode's hand, for instance: the Ashmole tight anglicana g vs Brode's hour-glass secretary g, the Ashmole long r that opens at the baseline vs Brode's long r that is open from the bottom, the Ashmole sigma s with long horizontal extension in final position vs Brode's narrow sigma s, the Ashmole downwards flourish to the ofcrossbar vs Brode's short crossbar, and the Ashmole single-stroke ampersand vs Brode's ampersand with suspended crossbar. Instead, it is likely that the two scribes are contemporary and trained in a similar milleiu, but are not the same individuals. For the identification of Brode's hand in MS Digby 181 and MS English 113, see Daniel W. Mosser, The Scribe of Chaucer Manuscripts Rylands English 113 and Bodleian Digby 181, Manuscripta, 34 (1990), 129-47; and Simon Horobin, Manuscripts and Scribes, Chaucer: Contemporary Approaches, eds. Susanna Fein and David Raybin (Pennsylvania, 2009), pp. 67-82 (72-6).

Decoration

All chapters begin with space for a flourished lombardic capitol of between 2 and 4 lines - folios 1-56 are complete with large strapwork initials in black with occasional red flourishes and decorative elements extending into the margins, and smaller initials highlgihted in red, folios 57-109 lack rubrication, and folios 84-109 lack initials alltogether.

Folios 1-56 rubricated: running titles, decorated initials that open chapters, and boxing around marginal glosses. The first page of the table of contents, folio 1r, contains a rubricated incipit, line fillers, and flourishes on every line. On folios 3v - 55v, the first letter of every line is embellished with red ink. Paraphs rubricated inconsistently in the first half of the manuscript.

Binding

Post-medieval parchment over original boards with bevelled edges, which sit flush with the edge of the text block. The boards display evidence of two former clasps, likely bar clasps, of which only the catchplates with two pins remain on the left board. The outlines of the catchplates are visible through the surface of the parchment. The right board contains two matching indentations for the corresponding catchplates, now lost. The parchment pastedowns also show evidence of prior clasps, with damage that aligns with the placement of the catchplates and vestiges of rust. The outline of metal corner fittings can be seen through the parchment on both boards, and a vertical row of six metal pins can be seen on the outer edge of the right board.

The spine shows four raised double sewing supports with equal spacing. The sewing supports are laced through the boards in four holes, travel through an indented channel in the inner face of the board to two holes (forming a V shape), and exit to be plugged with a dowel or wedge.

The shelfmark ASH: 39 is embossed into a separate piece of red leather that has been adhered to the centre panel of the spine - possibly taken from a previous binding. The typeface and use of colon is not consistent with the binding style of Elias Ashmole, and was possibly added by the Ashmolean Museum after his donation. The manuscript lacks end bands and the boards sit flush with the edge of the text block.

Acquisition

It was kept in the Ashmolean until 1860, when the collection was transferred to the Bodleian Library.

Provenance

The parchment pastedowns contain several names in fifteenth and early sixteenth century hands which suggest an early provenance in Hertfordshire. T Bourchier and Anne Bourgchier are named on both pastedowns, identifiable as Sir Thomas Bourchier of Knebworth (c.1437-26 October 1491) and his wife Dame Anne Bourchier, née Andrews (c.1445-25 July 1520). Thomas Bourchier was the Constable of Leeds Castle. The name Isabell Bourchieris also recorded on the rear pastedown - likely Thomas Bourchier's first wife Isabel Bourchier, née Barre (c.1453-1489). Thomas and Isabel married in 1472, making it likely that the Bourchiers acquired the manuscript between 1472 and 1489. Thomas Bourchier's matching signature also appears in a Latin psalter, now London, British Library, Royal MS 2 B XIV (folio 135r). This manuscript was likely executed for Isabella, sister of Richard Duke of York and wife of Henry Bourchier, 1stEarl of Essex in the mid fifteenth century. Thomas Bourchier inherited the manuscript in the 1480's as Henry and Isabella's fifth son. A later hand in the calendar records the obituary of Isabella Bourchier on 1 March 1489, and the dates of birth of two of their children, Isabella (24 April 1474) and Johanna (18 March 1479). The name Sir William Rous knyght is recorded twice on the front pastedown - possibly Sir William of Rous of Dennington, Suffolk (b. by 1471), who was knighted on 9 September 1513. Rous was patronized by the Duke of Norfolk and was a member of Parliament from at least 1523. The name Richard Blomvyll is recorded on the rear pastedown and partially erased - possibly Richard Blomvile, esquire, of Gunton St Peter, Hempnale and Newton Flotman (d.1503).

The provenance until the mid 1600s is uncertain. The manuscript was owned by Elias Ashmole (1617–1692), who signs his name in the top outer corner of folio 1r. Ashmole may have acquired the manuscript because of his interest in the Bourchier family, whose heraldry he records in 1658; see MS. Rawl. D. 682, f. 2v, and C. H. Josten (ed.), Elias Ashmole, vol. 2, p. 740. The unstained parchment binding over original boards and recycled parchment sewing guards are not typical of Ashmole's binding style, and so it is likely that the manuscript was in its present condition when he acquired it.

The manuscript was bequeathed to the Ashmolean Museum by Elias Ashmole in 1692 as part of his donation of 1,100 printed books and 600 manuscripts.