The James Catalogue of Western Manuscripts

Shelfmark O.11.11
Manuscript Title

Brut Chronicle etc

Alternative Title

Brut Chronicle (in English)

James Number n/a
Date xv (2nd half)
Century 15th
Physical Description

Written space c. 100 x 173 mm. 28 long lines.

Written in a secretary hand, the same throughout. 2-line blue initials with red ornament

Provenance

Bequeathed by A. G. W Murray, librarian 1913-19.

Written in England. 'Catal. A No 170 (altered to 109)' and 'N. 26' inside the cover, both of 19th cent. Loscombe sale, 19 June, 1854, lot 1146, to Upham and Bête (£16) and sold by them to Lord Ashburnham. Ashburnham Appendix 109 in his 1897 catalogue: 'Appendix' sale, 1 May 1899, lot 58 to Leighton (£5 10s). Label of George Dunn, of Woolley Hall, near Maidenhead, inside the cover: his sale, 11 Feb 1913, lot 443.

Second Folio mende
Donor Murray, A.G.W. (1884-1919), Bibliographer And Librarian Of Trinity College Cambridge
Size (cm) 26 x 18
Folio ff. iii + 132 + iii
Binding 18th century binding
Material Parchment
Language Middle English
Collation

1-88 98 wants 5-8 after f. 68 106 wants 1-3 before f.69 11-128 wants 2 after f. 88 14-168 178 wants 7, 8, blank. Trances of signatures suggest that the series began with a on quire 2. The series +, a ... is not uncommon. Cf MMBL, i, 427, and Ker, II, Eton College, 117.

IIIF Manifest URL https://mss-cat.trin.cam.ac.uk/Manuscript/O.11.11/manifest.json
Online Since 28/09/2018

Contents

Ker, N. R., Medieval Manuscripts in British Libraries, 4 vols. (Oxford, 1969-92), II. pp. 261-2]

How this lond was first called Albion and of whom it hadde that name ye shall here as foloweth afterward. In þe yeer fro þ begynnyng of þe worlde m1 m1 m1ix mclxxxx there was in the noble lond of grece a worthi kyng and a mighty and a man of greet Renoun that was called Dioclician …(f.3 v) In the noble Cite of grete Troie … (f.130 v) wherof vii were dedly 'y dar say no mor' '.

An abbreviated Brut Chronicle (ed Brie, EETS, 131, 136, 1906-8), ending with the murder of James I of Scotland in 1437. Chapter numbers betin with 'I' on f. 3 v and cease with 'CXXVI' on f.103 v (edn, ch 242). After ch. 54, death of Arthur, a page, f.37r , was left blank, and from f.60v, accession of William II, a new reign always begins on a new page. f. 68v ends in ch. 95, 'to the kyng prayyng him in goodly' (cf. edn, p. 158) and f.69 begins with the first words of the story of Henry III; probably seven leaves are missing in the gap. One leaf is missing between f.88 which ends 'þe Kyng of Cipris' (edn, p.315/20) and f.89 which begins 'vndertook þe quarell' (ef. Edn, p. 319/23). The story of Henry V is much shortened, taking only eight leaves (120v - 128v</sup)). f. 129v begins 'Aftir the noble and victorious prince kyng Harri þe v regned his sone' (cf edn p. 563) .

The blank space on f.130 bears doodles and a note of 16th cent, 'Thys same (?) dyd master Iohn ardyns sunns honed at bartylmatyde (cancelled) wrytyng of henly (?) at bartyllmadyde'. ff. 131 v-132 v are blank, except for a prayer and a 'thanksgiueing for Deliverance from any Danger', 16th/17th cent.

Bibliography

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