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Harley MS 1964

Record Id:

040-002047795

Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:

040-002047795

MDARK:

ark:/81055/vdc_100000000709.0x0001d8

LARK:

SLARK:

Format:

ISAD(G)

Reference (shelfmark):

Harley MS 1964

Title:

Book of Hours, Use of Rennes

Scope & Content:

Contents:

ff. 2v-6r: Unidentified devotional text in French about the teaching of five salutations to Christ, faded at the beginning.

ff. 7r-18v: Calendar, including the following saints in red ink: Agnes, Juliane, Agatha, Ambrosius, Eutrope, Yvo (Tréguier, Brittany), Gervasus and Prothasus, Margarete, Guillermus, Germanus, Stephanus, Armagildus (Armel: Ploërmel, Brittany), Ludovicus, Egidius, Maria Salome, Martine, Maclou (Normandy), Eligius.

ff. 19r-24v: Sequence of prayers to all angels, saints, and the Virgin Mary, with an introductory rubric: ‘Ista salutacio devotissima beate marie virginis dicitur ab illis que a viris sanctis audierunt esse sibi invicium accepta et grata qui quicumque eam dixerit singulis diebus et flexis genibus et cum devocione ab ipsa firmiter pro salute anime corporis que pecierit et debetur primo postulari omnium sanctorum suffragia dicendo’, beginning: ‘O vos omnes sancti angeli micael garbriel raphael et omnis ordines beatorum spirituum cherubin seraphin throni dominaciones principatus potestates virtututes angeli archangeli’.

ff. 24v-31r: Les sept requestes nostre seigneur, with an introductory rubric in French, beginning: ‘Doulx dieu doulx pere sainte trinite ung dieu

ff. 31v-35v: Sequence of prayers, entitled ‘Armoure de la veronique’, beginning: ‘Salve sancta facies nostri redemptoris’.

ff. 35v-37v: Prayer to the Virgin Mary, with an introductory rubric: ‘Si quis devote hanc oracionem genibus flexis et ante lectum suum de servo dixerit sine hesitacione credat beatam virginem mariam in articulo mortis [?sicut] in adiutor advenire et visibiliter apparere’, beginning: ‘O sanctissima et certissima spes omnium in te sperantium sancta Maria domina et matrona nostra’.

ff. 37v-40v: Prayer to the Virgin Mary, beginning: ‘Sancto te beatissima virgo’.

ff. 40r-44r: O intemerata (‘Oracio beate Marie virginis’).

ff. 45r-52r: Prayer to Christ (‘une oraison de [...] ihesu crist nostre redemptour’), beginning: 'Et dieu mon iuge souverain. Souffris la mort grant tristour'.

ff. 52r-52v: Ave verum corpus.

ff. 52v-56v: The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross in Latin, but with a rubric in French.

ff. 57r-64r: Prayer to the virgin Mary in French, entitled: ‘Oracio beate Marie virginis’, beginning: ‘A toy rome de hault page. Rome du ciel et de la terre’.

ff. 65r-74v: Prayer before a cruficix, entitled: ‘Oracio valde bona ac devotissima ad dicendum ante ymaginem crucifix’, beginning: ‘O bone ihesus’.

ff. 75r-75v: Fragment of a suffrage of St Lawrence, including the petition: ‘Da nobis quesumus omnipotens deus vitiorum nostrorum flammas extinguere’.

ff. 76r-76v: Fragment of a suffrage of St Germanus of Auxerre, including the petition: ‘Deus, qui hodiernam diem sacratissimam nobis beati Germani confessoris tui atque pontificis solempnitate tribuisti’.

ff. 77r-159v: Mixed Hours of the Virgin, of the Cross and of the Holy Spirit missing the beginning of Matins of the Virgin, Lauds, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline (numerous missing miniatures).

ff. 160r-182r: The Seven Penitential Psalms.

ff. 182r-195v: Litany of Saints, including saints Nigasius, Gervasius, Prothasius, Crispine, Quintine, Audoene (Rouen), Juliane, Paterne (Avranches, Normandy), Tugduale (Tréguier, Brittany), Yvo (Tréguier), Guille, Maclou, Sampson (Dol, Brittany), Egidius, Petronilla, and Radegundis; followed by Latin prayers to God.

ff. 195v-203r: Obsecro te (‘Oracio beate Marie virginis valde bona’).

ff. 203r-205v: Opening of the Gospel of St John .

ff. 205v-206r: A prayer to God, beginning: ‘Protector in te sperantium deus sine quo nichil est validum nichil sanctum’.

ff. 206r-206v: A prayer to God, beginning: ‘Ecclesiam tuam quesumus domine benignus illustra ut beati illustra ut beati iohannis apostoli tui et evangeliste illuminata doctrinis ad dona perveniat sempiterna’.

ff. 206v-207v: Antiphon for Peace, entitled: ‘Pro pace antiphona’, beginning: ‘Da pacem domine in diebus nostris quia non est alius, qui pugnet pro nobis nisi tu deus noster’; followed by a prayer, entitled ‘oracio’, beginning: ‘Deus a quo sancta desideria recta consilia iusta sunt opera da servis tuis illam quam mundus dare non potest pacem’.

ff. 208r-268r: The Office of the Dead.

ff. 268v-269r: Suffrage to Armel of Ploërmel, Brittany (‘De saint Armel’), ff. 269v-275v: A prayer to the Virgin in French, beginning: 'Dame ge te rant le salut que fist enfer rompre'; ff. 273-275, containing part of this prayer, have been misbound and originally were located between f. 270 and 271. The end of the last French prayer is therefore found on f. 271r.

The manuscript contains a few later additions:

f. [iii]verso: ‘Edera [mu]steli sum compelitor[...]’; added in the 15th century.

f. [276]recto: Various inscriptions, including: ‘Ego sum bonus puer’; added in the 15th or 16th century.

Decoration:

3 miniatures and decorated initials in colours and gold with full foliate borders including acanthus leaves and flowers, of the Annunciation to the Shepherds, at Terce, David, at the beginning of the Penitential Psalms, and the Vigil of the Dead, at the beginning of the Office of the Dead ( ff. 126v, 160r, 208r). Large puzzle initial in blue and gold with red and blue penwork decoration, at the Obsecro te (f. 196r). Initials in colours and gold. Initials in blue with red pen-flourishing or in gold with blue pen-flourishing. Flower-shaped line-fillers, in red or blue ink, some with gold. Capitals marked in yellow. Rubrics in red or blue. Some descenders and catchwords decorated with brown ink highlighted with yellow (e.g., f. 41r).

Collection Area:

Western Manuscripts

Project / Collection:

Harley Collection

Hierarchy Tree:

[{ "id" : "040-002047795", "parent" : "#", "text" : "Harley MS 1964: Book of Hours, Use of Rennes" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} }]

Hierarchy Record Ids:

032-002045828
040-002047795

Is part of:

Harley MS 1-7661 : Harley Manuscripts

Harley MS 1964 : Book of Hours, Use of Rennes

Hierarchy:

032-002045828[1966]/040-002047795

Container:

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

Record Type (Level):

File

Extent:

1 volume

Digitised Content:

Languages:

French, Middle
Latin

Scripts:

Latin

Start Date:

1425

End Date:

1474

Date Range:

2nd quarter of the 15th century-3rd quarter of the 15th century

Era:

Access:

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User Conditions:

Letter of introduction required to view this manuscript

Physical Characteristics:

Materials: Parchment.

Dimensions: 100 x 70 mm (text space: 45 x 40 mm).

Foliation: ff. 276 (+ 2 unfoliated paper flyleaves at the beginning + 2 at the end); 2 unfoliated parchment stubs after f. 66; ff. 1 and 276 are former pastedown; there are missing leaves after ff. 18, 74, 75, 76, 94, 115, 132, 138, 144, 149, 234 (not accounted for in the modern foliation).

Collation: Indicated by catchwords.

Script: Gothic.

Binding: Post-1600: Brown mottled calf with the initials ‘M.B.’ (Museum Brittanicum) gold stamped on its upper cover and gold fillets.

Custodial History:

Origin:

Western France (Brittany).

Provenance:

An unidentified scriptorium in Brittany: the Use and the saints present in the calendar, the litany and the suffrages indicate the manuscript was intended to be used in Brittany. The style of the miniatures also indicates that the manuscript was produced in Brittany.

John Crosse, owned in the 15th century: their ownership inscription on f. 2r: ‘'Iste liber pertinet ad John crosse' (not in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972)).

‘Francis Cowynde’, owned in the 15th century: his ownership inscription on f. 3r: 'Iste liber pertenet [sic] ad ffrawncis cowynde [...]' (not in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972)).

Holme family, Chester, arms painters and antiquaries: acquired with other Holmes manuscripts by Robert Harley in 1710 through the mediation of Francis Gastrell, bishop of Chester; according Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972), p. 194, but see below.

George Hicks (b. 1641, d. 1715), Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford, and Dean of Worcester, owned in the early 18th century: according to a pencil inscription on f. 2v: 'Given by Dr Hickes'; this inscription is identical to inscriptions on flyleaves of other manuscripts that were given by him to the Harleian Library (e.g. Harley MS 1769); nevertheless, this manuscript is not listed under his entry in Wright, Fontes Harleiani (1972), p. 189.

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 Cavendish, née 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), II (1808), p. 359.

The Diary of Humfrey Wanley 1715-1726, ed. by Cyril Ernest Wright and Ruth C. Wright, 2 vols (London: Bibliographical Society, 1966), I: 1715-1723, p. xx.

Cyril Ernest Wright, Fontes Harleiani: A Study of the Sources of the Harleian Collection of Manuscripts in the British Museum (London: British Museum, 1972), pp. 189, 194.

Material Type:

Archives and Manuscripts

Legal Status:

Not Public Record(s)

Places:

Brittany, France
Western France