Add MS 59856

MISSAL: of Sarum Use, produced in England, possibly for the church of St Mary, Horsham, co. Suss.; first half of 15th cent. Latin. See F. H. Dickinson (ed.), Missale ad usum . . . ecclesiae Sarum (1861-1883). The calendar points to southern England and includes the translations of Sts Wulstan (7 June) and Richard (16 June) and Sts David and Chad whose feasts became general in 1415. It does not contain other 15th cent. feasts, such as St Osmund (canonised 1457). The text is appropriate for use in a chapel or chantry, lacking Masses for Sundays in the Temporale, and containing rubric references to capella in the Masses for the Virgin (ff. 81v, 82, 84, 86v). f. 112 is blank, except for 3 prayers in the second general mass which were copied and altered in the 16th cent. f. 113 seems to be a cancelled shorter version of f. 52 (end of Sts Andrew and Nicholas). A contemporary note (f. 45v) requests prayers for John Michelgror [Michelgrove?] and his family, and another (f. 48) for a number of people, including John Mililgro, John Futor and John Athyt. Names resembling these first three in the list - John Michelgrove, John Fust, and John atte Hill - occur in the list of parishioners of St Mary, Horsham, who were granted a royal licence to found a guild and chantry in that church in 1457, see Calendar of Patent Rolls, Henry VI, vol. vi, p. 414. Michelgrove comes second in that list, after the Earl of Arundel. However, the chantry was at the altar of St John the Baptist, who is not prominent in the Missal, and it has been suggested that the manuscript may, therefore, have been intended for use at another altar in the church or by the Michelgrove family. Bookplate of the Rev. W. Scott Moncrieff, of Christ Church, Sunderland (f. i). See Johnson Baily in Notes and Queries, 5th ser., IX, 23 March and 27 April 1878. See also Sotheby's sale-cat., 5 July 1976, lot 84. Purchased of Alan G. Thomas, 9 March 1977.

Vellum; ff. iii+113. Sec. fol.: 'KL primus mandantem'. 302 x 208mm. Marbled endpapers and modern paper flyleaves. Gatherings (15) of 8, except i6, vi10 (6-7 added and the upper part of 6 now excised), xiv8 (lacks 8, blank), xv2. Ruled (single bounding lines) in ink for 2 columns of 24 lines. Catchwords, some leaf signatures, guide letters for initials. Written space: 202 x 126mm. Script is a Gothic textualis semi-quadrata by several hands. 19th cent. calf blind-tooled binding. Red fore-edges. Sewn on 5 cords.

Contents:

1. ff. 1-6v. Calendar.

2. ff. 7-8. Benedictio salis et aquae.

3. ff. 8-37. Temporale (Advent to Corpus Christi).

4. ff. 37-44v. Kyries and Prefaces.

5. ff. 46-51v. Canon of the Mass.

6. ff. 51v-79. Sanctorale (Andrew to All Saints).

7. ff. 79-81v. Commune Sanctorum.

8. ff. 81v-88. Masses for the Virgin.

9. ff. 88-111v. Masses for the Trinity and the Cross, Votive masses, general masses and added prayers.

Versal initials in blue with red flourishing, red and blue litterae notabiliores. Partial border in red and blue flourishing (f. 43). Part of f. 45 has been excised and apparently carried an inserted Crucifixion miniature. Only part of a drawing of a cross inscribed by a circle survives.