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Harley MS 531

Record Id:

040-001615359

Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:

040-001615359

MDARK:

ark:/81055/vdc_100000001515.0x00037a

LARK:

SLARK:

Format:

ISAD(G)

Reference (shelfmark):

Harley MS 531

Title:

Miscellaneous texts on astronomy, astrology and meteorology

Scope & Content:

The manuscript was probably assembled before 1474 by the Cambridge scholar and physician Roger Marschall from 8 booklets of different dates and origin (ff. 1-32; 33-47; 48-63; 64-103 + i; 104-116 + ii; 117-131 + i; 132-172; 173-184).

Texts included:

Table of contents (f. 1*r);

Iohannes de Sacro Bosco, Algorismus (ff. 1r-4v);

Iohannes de Sacro Bosco, De sphera (ff. 4v-12r);

Iohannes de Sacro Bosco, Computus, with a calendar (ff. 12v-31v);

Mnemonic calendar verses (f. 32r);

Richard of Geddinge (attributed to), Ars minutiarum, (ff. 33r-47v);

Iohannes Danco de Saxonia, Canons on the Alphonsine tables (ff. 48r-59r);

Iohannes Danco de Saxonia, Canons on the eclipse of the sun and moon, (ff. 59r-63v);

Calendrical tables. 'Elevationes mediorum motuum omnium planetarum' (ff. 64r-75v);

Astrological tables, 'Tabule domificationis firmamentum' (ff. 76r-81v);

Astrological tables (ff. 82v-89r);

Astrological tables (ff. 91v-97r);

Tables, 'Calendarium ostendens dignitates planetarum' (ff. 98r-103v);

‘Ars fabricandi instrumentum horarum immobile quod vocatur Dialle’ (ff. 104r-115r);

Astronomical table, 'Tabula cenith solis et umbre' (f. 115v);

A poem (f. 116r);

'De expositione nominum astronomie' attributed in the table of contents to Thebit ben Corat (ff. 117r-131r);

Astronomical text (f. 132r);

Astronomical text on making almanacs (ff. 132r-132v);

'Tractatus de naturiis planetarum' (ff . 133r-134r);

Alkindus (al-Kindi), De mutatione temporum (ff. 134v-138v);

Liber novem iudicum (ff. 139r-162v);

Exafenon, attributed to Richard of Wallingford (ff. 163r-172v).

Collection Area:

Western Manuscripts

Project / Collection:

Harley Collection
Harley Science Project

Hierarchy Tree:

[{ "id" : "040-001615359", "parent" : "#", "text" : "Harley MS 531: Miscellaneous texts on astronomy, astrology and meteorology" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} },{ "id" : "041-001615360", "parent" : "040-001615359", "text" : "Harley MS 531, f 1*r: Table of contents." },{ "id" : "041-001615361", "parent" : "040-001615359", "text" : "Harley MS 531, ff 1r-4v: Iohannes de Sacro Bosco, Algorismus" },{ "id" : "041-001615362", "parent" : "040-001615359", "text" : "Harley MS 531, ff 4v-12r: Iohannes de Sacro Bosco, De sphera" },{ "id" : "041-001615363", "parent" : "040-001615359", "text" : "Harley MS 531, ff 12v-31v: Iohannes de Sacro Bosco, Computus, with a calendar" },{ "id" : "041-001615364", "parent" : "040-001615359", "text" : "Harley MS 531, f 32r: Mnemonic calendar verses" },{ "id" : "041-001615365", "parent" : "040-001615359", "text" : "Harley MS 531, ff 33r-47v: Ars minutiarum attributed to Richard of Geddinge" },{ "id" : "041-001615370", "parent" : "040-001615359", "text" : "Harley MS 531, ff 48r-59r: Iohannes Danco de Saxonia, Canons to the Alphonsine tables" },{ "id" : "041-001615372", "parent" : "040-001615359", "text" : "Harley MS 531, ff 59r-63v: Iohannes Danco de Saxonia, Canons on the eclipse of the sun and moon." },{ "id" : "041-001615374", "parent" : "040-001615359", "text" : "Harley MS 531, ff 64r-75v: Calendrical tables, 'Elevationes mediorum motuum omnium planetarum.'" },{ "id" : "041-001615378", "parent" : "040-001615359", "text" : "Harley MS 531, ff 76r-81v: Astrological tables, 'Tabule domificationis firmamentum'" },{ "id" : "041-001615380", "parent" : "040-001615359", "text" : "Harley MS 531, ff 82v-89r: Astrological tables" },{ "id" : "041-001615381", "parent" : "040-001615359", "text" : "Harley MS 531, ff 91v-97r: Astrological tables" },{ "id" : "041-001615382", "parent" : "040-001615359", "text" : "Harley MS 531, ff 98r-103v: Calendarium ostendens dignitates planetarum" },{ "id" : "041-001615389", "parent" : "040-001615359", "text" : "Harley MS 531, ff 104r-115r: Ars fabricandi instrumentum horarum immobile quod vocatur Dialle" },{ "id" : "041-001615401", "parent" : "040-001615359", "text" : "Harley MS 531, f 115v: Tabula cenith solis et umbre." },{ "id" : "041-001615403", "parent" : "040-001615359", "text" : "Harley MS 531, f 116r: A poem 'Veribus hiis brevibus presentem pinge figuram...'" },{ "id" : "041-001615407", "parent" : "040-001615359", "text" : "Harley MS 531, ff 117r-131r: De expositione nominum astronomie, attributed to Thebit ben Corat" },{ "id" : "041-001615408", "parent" : "040-001615359", "text" : "Harley MS 531, f 132r: Astronomical text on stars, 'Nota de investigatione gradus astris secundum Ptholemeum'" },{ "id" : "041-001615409", "parent" : "040-001615359", "text" : "Harley MS 531, ff 132r-132v: Astronomical text on making almanacs" },{ "id" : "041-001615412", "parent" : "040-001615359", "text" : "Harley MS 531, ff 133r-134r: Tractatus de naturiis planetarum" },{ "id" : "041-001615413", "parent" : "040-001615359", "text" : "Harley MS 531, ff 134v-138v: Alkindus (al-Kindi), De mutatione temporum" },{ "id" : "041-001615414", "parent" : "040-001615359", "text" : "Harley MS 531, ff 139r-162v: Liber novem iudicum (imperfect)" },{ "id" : "041-001615415", "parent" : "040-001615359", "text" : "Harley MS 531, ff 163r-172v: Exafenon, attributed to Richard of Wallingford" }]

Hierarchy Record Ids:

032-002045828
040-001615359

Is part of:

Harley MS 1-7661 : Harley Manuscripts

Harley MS 531 : Miscellaneous texts on astronomy, astrology and meteorology

Contains:

Click here to View / search full list of parts of Harley MS 531

Hierarchy:

032-002045828[0531]/040-001615359

Container:

View / search within Archive / Collection: Harley MS 1-7661

Record Type (Level):

File

Extent:

185 folios.

Digitised Content:

http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Harley_MS_531 (digital images currently unavailable)

Thumbnail:

Languages:

Dutch, Middle
Latin

Scripts:

Latin

Start Date:

1272

End Date:

1474

Date Range:

1272-1474

Era:

Access:

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User Conditions:

Physical Characteristics:

Material: Parchment codex.

Dimensions: 215 x 150 mm (text space: ff. 1r-32v: 135 x 95 mm; 33r-47v: 165 x 105 mm; 48r-63v: 160 x 110 mm; 64r-103v: 160 x 110 mm; 104r-116v: 155 x 105 mm; 117r-130r: 165 x 110 mm; 132r-172v: 175 x 115 mm; 173r-184v: 160 x 115 mm).

Foliation: ff. xi + 1* + 184 ( + 2 unfoliated parchment leaves after f. 116 and f. 131, and one after f. 162).

Script: Gothic cursive.

Binding: British Museum binding. Former covers of brown leather with blind tooling, including tulips at the corners pasted into the inside covers.

Custodial History:

Origin: England. ff. 1r-32r written in 1272: inscribed along the lower edge: 'Iste liber est scriptus anno 1272 annus 19 cicli solaris . . .' (f. 1), and 'kalendarius sciptus 1272' (f. 32r).

Provenance:

Roger Marchall (b. c.1417, d. c. 1477), physician and writer on medicine: table of contents in his hand (f. 1* verso); probably bequeathed by him to Peterhouse College, Cambridge: erased inscription below the table of contents includes the date '1474' (see Voigts 1995); to be identified with the entry 77, 'Tractatus Algorismi per Magistrum Johannem de Sacrobosco,' on John Leland's Peterhouse list, see Joannis Lelandi Antiquarii de rebus britannicis collectanea (Farnborough: Gregg, 1970) [A facsimile of the edition of 1774].

Sir Simonds d'Ewes (b.1602, d. 1650), 1st baronet, diarist, antiquary, and friend of Sir Robert Cotton (see Wright 1972): number A886 in his catalogue (see Watson 1966).

Sir Simonds D’Ewes (d. 1722), 3rd baronet and grandson of the former: inherited and later sold the D’Ewes library to Robert Harley on 4 October 1705 for £450 (see Watson 1966).

The Harley Collection, formed by Robert Harley (b. 1661, d. 1724), 1st earl of Oxford and Mortimer, politician, and Edward Harley (b. 1689, d. 1741), 2nd earl of Oxford and Mortimer, book collector and patron of the arts.

Edward Harley bequeathed the library to his widow, Henrietta, née Cavendish Holles (b. 1694, d. 1755) during her lifetime and thereafter to their daughter, Margaret Cavendish Bentinck (b. 1715, d.1785), duchess of Portland; the manuscripts were sold by the Countess and the Duchess in 1753 to the nation for £10,000 (a fraction of their contemporary value) under the Act of Parliament that also established the British Museum; the Harley manuscripts form one of the foundation collections of the British Library.

Publications:

A Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts in the British Museum, 4 vols (London: Eyre and Strahan, 1808-12), I, no. 531.

Medieval Libraries of Great Britain: A List of Surviving Books, ed. by N. R. Ker, 2nd edn, Royal Historical Society Guides and Handbooks, 3 (London: Royal Historical Society, 1964), pp. 26-7.

Andrew G. Watson, The Library of Sir Simonds D'Ewes (London: British Museum, 1966), no. A886.

Andrew G. Watson, Catalogue of Dated and Datable Manuscripts c. 700-1600 in The Department of Manuscripts: The British Library, 2 vols (London: British Library, 1979), no. 635.

Linda Ehrsam Voigts, 'A Doctor and his Books: the Manuscripts of Roger Marchall (d. 1477)', in New Science out of Old Books : Studies in Manuscripts and early Printed Books in honour of A.I. Doyle, ed. by Richard Beadle and A. J. Piper (Aldershot: Scholar Press, 1995), pp. 249--314 (no. 32).

Linda Ehrsam Voigts, ‘Marchall, Roger (c.1417–1477)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/45763, accessed 10 Oct 2011].

Material Type:

Archives and Manuscripts

Legal Status:

Not Public Record(s)