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Royal MS 2 A XVIII
- Record Id:
- 040-002105807
- Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:
- 032-002105724
- MDARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100000000224.0x000394
- LARK:
- SLARK:
- Format:
- ISAD(G)
- Reference (shelfmark):
- Royal MS 2 A XVIII
- Title:
- Book of Hours (The 'Beaufort/Beauchamp Hours')
- Scope & Content:
-
The Beaufort/Beauchamp Hours is a composite volume composed of two parts produced in different periods, as well as added texts on the flyleaves. It evolved into its present form during the 15th century.
Part 1, the earliest portion of the manuscript, is a series of 24 leaves containing suffrages and miniatures of saints set in elaborate architectural frames (ff. 3–24). These leaves were originally part of a Psalter made in England and apparently illustrated by Flemish artists around 1410–1415 (now Rennes, Bibliothèque Municipale MS 22; for the reconstruction of this manuscript, see Rickert 1962). The Annunciation scene in this portion of the manuscript (f. 23v) has sometimes been attributed to Herman Scheerre, an artist of German or Dutch origin who was active in London around 1405–1425.
Part 2, the main part of the manuscript, is a Book of Hours, use of Sarum (ff. 25r-95v), and Psalter (ff. 96r-236r) that was most likely made for Margaret Beauchamp (b. c. 1410, d. 1482), duchess of Somerset, in the second quarter of the 15th century. The calendar records the birth of her daughter Margaret Beaufort (1443) and the death of her husband John Beaufort (1444), and the leaves at the beginning of the manuscript contain a list of her Grandison ancestors (f. 1v). She is probably the woman portrayed in prayer before her Guardian Angel (f. 26r) and below the Annunciation (f. 34r).
Further notes in the manuscript suggest that Margaret Beauchamp passed the book on to her daughter, Margaret Beaufort (b. 1443, d. 1509), countess of Richmond and Derby. It records numerous events in the life of her son, Henry Tudor (b. 1457, d. 1509), as well as the death of her husband Thomas Stanley (1505).
Contents:
Front flyleaves:
ff 1v-2r: Added obits of the Grandison family (see Provenance) and medical recipes, incipit: 'Kolla quyntyta', 'Take rosemarie' and 'medson for the meigrem'.
Part 1:
ff. 3r-22v: Suffrages to saints with full-page miniatures, including: John Baptist, James the Greater, George, Antony, John of Bridlington, Francis, Christopher, Anne, Katharine, Margaret, Barbara, and Mary Magdalene.
f. 24r: A salutation to the Virgin Mary, beginning 'Saluto te sancta Maria regina celorum et domina angelorum'.
Part 2:
ff. 25r-27r: Two prayers, to St Christopher and the Guardian Angel (De proprio angelo), withsome verses of psalms added by a later hand on f. 27r.
ff. 28r-33v: Calendar including English saints, with numerous later additions (see Provenance); a similar set of additions to the calendar is included in the Psalter that belonged to Elizabeth of York and subsequently to Catherine of Aragon, (now Oxford, Exeter College, MS. 47) and in the Book of Hours printed in Paris in 1495 that belonged to Anne Curson of Brightwell, wife of Paul Withypoll and mother of Elizabeth Lucar whose death is commemorated in this manuscript (f. 32v) (Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Douce 24).
ff. 34r-35v: Hours of the Virgin, Sarum use.
ff. 64r-65v: The Five Joys and the Seven Joys of the Virgin.
ff. 66r-73r: Penitential and gradual Psalms.
ff. 73v-77v: Litany.
ff. 78r-95v: Office of the Dead.
ff 96r-236r: Psalter, with twelve Canticles and Litany, arranged for five feriae.
f. 236v: Added prayer to St Fridewide.
ff. 236v-240v: Added Life of St Dorothy, in English, translated from the Latin life in the appendix to the Golden Legend. The translation seems to be different from that printed by Caxton, Golden Legend (1483), fol. 493; incipit: 'The right glorius virgine and martir S. Dorothe was borne of the noble blode'.
f. 240v: Added prayer for King Henry, probably Henry VII, in Latin, but with a rubric in English: 'This prier foloweg is for the king'.
Decoration:
Part 1:
The miniatures of saints are attributed to the Bruges artist known as the Master of the Beaufort Saints after this manuscript. They are painted on separate leaves which were pasted into the manuscript (ff. 3v-21v) and paired with relevant prayers decorated with initials and borders executed in England. Names of the saints are inscribed as instructions next to each pasted miniature. The final miniature was illuminated by a different artist, sometimes identified with Herman Scheerre (f. 23v).
13 full-page miniatures of saints in colours and gold: John the Baptist (f. 3v), St James (f. 4v), St George slaying the dragon (f. 5v), St Anthony with two pigs at his feet (f. 6v), St John of Bridlington (f. 7v), St Francis (f. 9v), St Christopher (f. 11v), St Anne with the Virgin and Child (f. 13v), St Catherine (f. 15v), St Margaret emerging from the dragon (f. 17v), St Barbara (f. 19v), St Mary Magdalene (f. 21v), the Annunciation with a man and a woman kneeling (f. 23v).
Decorated initials with floral borders in colours and gold.
Part 2:
The illuminations are attributed to the London artist William Abell.
1 half-page miniature in colours and gold of the Annunciation, at the beginning of Matins in the Hours to the Virgin (f. 34r).
2 small miniatures in colours and gold at the beginning of prayers: St Christopher (f. 25r), and a woman with a scroll reading ‘Sub umbra alarum tuarum protégé me’ before her guardian angel holding a scroll reading: ‘dominus custodiat tea b omni malo’(f. 26r).
5 historiated initials in colours and gold: woman with a book and scroll ‘Mater ora filium ut post hunc exilium nobis donet gaudium sine fine’, at the beginning of Matins (f. 34r); The Last Judgement, at the beginning of the Penitential Psalms (f. 66r); a funeral service, at the beginning of the Office of the Dead (f. 78r); the Tree of Jesse, at the beginning of the Psalter (f. 96r).
Initials in gold and blue with blue and red flourishing. Line-fillers in gold and blue.
- Collection Area:
- Western Manuscripts
- Project / Collection:
- Royal Collection
Royal Manuscripts Digitisation Project - Hierarchy Record Ids:
- 032-002105724
040-002105807 - Is part of:
- Royal MS 1 A I-20 E X : Royal Manuscripts
Royal MS 2 A XVIII : Book of Hours (The 'Beaufort/Beauchamp Hours') - Hierarchy:
- 032-002105724[0073]/040-002105807
- Container:
- View / search within Archive / Collection: Royal MS 1 A I-20 E X
- Record Type (Level):
- File
- Extent:
-
1 volume
- Digitised Content:
- http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Royal_MS_2_A_XVIII (digital images currently unavailable)
- Thumbnail:
-
- Languages:
- English
Latin - Scripts:
- Latin
- Start Date:
- 1401
- End Date:
- 1505
- Date Range:
- 1401-c 1500
- Era:
- CE
- Access:
- Restrictions to access apply please consult British Library staff
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- User Conditions:
-
Letter of introduction required to view this manuscript.
- Physical Characteristics:
-
Materials: Parchment codex.
Dimensions: 215 x 150 mm (text space: 130 x 85 mm)
Foliation: ff. iv + 242 + v (including 2 blank folios ff. 20* and 20**; the unfoliated flyleaves are 4 modern paper leaves at the beginning and at the end, and 1 parchment leaf at the end; ff. 1-2 are medieval parchment flyleaves; 1 unfoliated parchment leaf after f. 2).
Collation: i2+1 (ff. 1-2 and unfoliated leaf); ii8 (ff. 3-10); iii14 (irregular gathering combining a gathering of 4 leaves (ff. 11-12 and 21-22) which includes two gatherings of 4 and 6 leaves (ff. 13-16 and 17-21 including ff. 20* and 20**)); iv2 (ff. 23-24); v8+1 (ff. 25-33, f. 27 is added); vi-xii8 (ff. 34-89); xiii6 (ff. 90-95); xiv-xxxi8 (ff. 96-239); xxxii2 (240-unfoliated leaf); correction sign 'cor' (f. 10v), catchwords in several hands, and bifolium signatures.
Layout: Written in one or two columns.
Script: Gothic.
Binding: British Museum/British Library in-house binding.
- Custodial History:
-
Origin: Part 1 (ff. 3r-24r): England (London) and Netherlands (Bruges). Made after 1401: includes a prayer and a miniature of John Bridlington canonized in 1401 (ff. 7v-8). Part 2 (ff. 25r-236r): England (London).
Provenance:
Part 1 (ff. 3r-24r):
Herman Scheerre (fl. c. 1388-c. 1422), illuminator of German or Flemish origin who worked in London (c. 1405- c. 1422), the miniature on f. 23v associated with his workshop: inscribed 'Omnia levia sunt amanti: si quis amat non laborat/ de daer' on the Virgin's desk in the Annunciation scene (f. 23v): the same motto found in manuscripts signed by Scheerre: Additional 16998 and London, Lambeth Palace Library, Ms. 69.
Made for a man whose name begins with 'J', perhaps John Beaufort, marquees of Dorset and marquees of Somerset (b. c.1371, d. 1410), married to Margaret Holland (d. 1439): inscribed: 'michi famulo tuo J.' in the prayer to Saint Christopher (f. 12r) (see Rogers 1982).
Originally formed part of the Psalter (now Rennes, Bibliothèque Municipale MS. 22); made before 1415: includes a memorandum concerning the battle of Agincourt of 1415 (f. 16v); probably owned by John Holland (b. 1395, d. 1447), restored in the title of earl of Huntingdon in 1417 and of duke of Exeter in 1443: inscribed 'huntyngton' (f. 188v); then probably owned by Anne of York (b. 1439, d. 1476), wife of Henry Holland (d. 1475), duke of Exeter and earl of Huntington, son of John Holland: the calendar of the Rennes Psalter includes dates of birth of children of Richard (d. 1460), duke of York and Cecily Neville (b. 1415, d. 1495) added after 1461: Anne of York, Edward, Elisabeth of York, Margaret, and George, Edward IV is mentioned as the king and George as the duke of Clarence; and a date of birth of Anne of York’s daughter Anne Holland in 1461 (d. 1474).
Part 2 (ff. 25r-236r):
Margaret Beauchamp (b. 1405/6, d. 1482), duchess of Somerset, daughter of John Beauchamp of Bletsoe, married to Sir Oliver St John, John Beaufort, and Lionel de Welles, 6th Baron Welles, probably made for her before 1443: the calendar includes dates of the birth of her daughter Margaret Beaufort in 1443, the death of her second husband John Beaufort (b. 1404, d.1444), duke of Somerset and son of John Beaufort, marquis of Dorset, the investiture of her daughter Margaret Saint John as the abbess of Shaftesbury in 1460; and a series of obits of the members of de Grandison family of the 14th century, related to her through her great-grandmother Sybil de Patshull, daughter of Mabel Grandison; the same obits of the de Grandisons inscribed on the flyleaf (f. 1v); [the obit of queen Catherine de Valois (d. 1437), wife of Henry V was added later by the hand of Margaret Beaufort's early additions].
Both parts:
Lady Margaret Beaufort (b. 1443, d. 1509), countess of Richmond and Derby, daughter of Margaret Beauchamp, married to Edmund Tudor (b. c.1430, d.1456) in 1455, and Thomas Stanley (d. 1505), earl of Derby, probably belonged to her: includes dates of the birth of her son, the future Henry VII, in 1456 (1457 according to modern calculation), the death of Edward IV in 1483; Henry's victory over Richard III in 1485; Henry's coronation in 1485 and his marriage to Elizabeth of York in 1485; the births of their children: Edmund, Maria, Margaret, Arthur and Henry; the victorious battles of Henry VII of 1487 and 1497; the marriage of Prince Arthur and Catherine of Aragon in 1501; the death of Elisabeth of York (1502); the visit of Henry VII and Margaret (d. 1541), queen of Scots in her estate in Collyweston in 1503; the death of her husband Thomas Stanley (d. 1505), earl of Derby.
Added obit of Lady Margaret Beaufort (1509), the date of birth of prince Edward (b. 1537, d. 1553), obits of queen Jane Seymour [b. 1508, d. 1537), Henry VIII (b. 1491, d. 1547), and Elizabeth Lucar (d. 1537), daughter of Paul Withypoll, member of the merchant taylors' company in Bristol, and wife of Emanuel Lucar, a London city merchant (f. 32v).
Presented to the British Museum by George II in 1757 as part of the Old Royal Library.
- Information About Copies:
-
Full digital coverage available for this manuscript, see Digitised Manuscripts http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/.
- Publications:
-
[George Warner] Reproductions from Illuminated Manuscripts, Series I, (London: British Museum, 1907), pl. 15.
Christopher Wordsworth and Henry Littlehales, The Old Service-Books of the English Church, 2nd edn (London: Methuen & Co., 1910), pl. 1.
George F. Warner and Julius P. Gilson, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts in the Old Royal and King’s Collections, 4 vols (London: British Museum, 1921), I, pp. 32-33.
Schools of Illumination: Reproductions from Manuscripts in the British Museum, 6 vols (London: British Museum, 1914-1930), IV: English A.D. 1350 to 1400 (1922), pls 8, 9.
Eric G. Millar, English Illuminated Manuscripts of the XIVth and XVth Century (Paris: Van Oest, 1928), pl. 85.
Guide to an Exhibition of English Art gathered from Various Departments and held in the Prints and Drawings Gallery (London: British Museum, 1934.), no. 130.
Charles L. Kuhn, 'Herman Scheerre and English Illumination of the Early Fifteenth Century', Art Bulletin, 22 (1940), 138-56 (p. 151).
Joan Evans, English Art 1307-1461, Oxford History of English Art, 5 (Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1949), p. 98.
Margaret Rickert, 'The so-called Beaufort Hours and York Psalter', Burlington Magazine, 104 (1962), 238-48.
Illuminated Manuscripts Exhibited in the Grenville Library (London, British Museum, 1967), no. 31.
J. J. G. Alexander, 'William Abell 'lymnour' and 15th Century English Illumination', in Kunsthistorische Forschungen Otto Pächt (Salzburg: Residenz Verlag, 1972), pp. 166-72 (p. 166).
D. H. Turner, 'The Wyndham Payne Crucifixion', The British Library Journal, 2 (1976), 8-26 (pp. 9, 16, 20).
Francois Avril, L'enluminure a l'époque gothique 1200-1420 (Paris, 1979), p. 130.
Richard Marks and Nigel Morgan, The Golden Age of English Manuscript Painting 1200-1500 (London, 1981), pls 31, 32.
Nicholas John Rogers, 'Books of Hours produced in the Low Countries for the English Market in the Fifteenth Century', unpublished doctoral dissertation (Cambridge, 1982), pp. 84-91.
Janet Backhouse, The Illuminated Page: Ten Centuries of Manuscript Painting in the British Library (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1997), no. 124.
Kathleen L. Scott, ‘Design, Decoration and Illustration’, in Book Production and Publishing in Britain 1375-1475 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989), pp. 31-64 (p. 56 n. 25, pl. 11, p. 59, n. 52).
Jeffrey Hamburger, 'The Casanatense and the Carmelite Missals: Continental Sources for English Manuscript Illumination of the Early 15th Century', in Masters and Miniatures: Proceedings of the Congress on Medieval Manuscript Illumination in the Nothern Netherlands (Utrecht, 10-13 December 1989), ed. by Koert van der Horst and Johann-Christian Klamt (Doornspijk: Davaco, 1991), 161-73, (pp. 163, 165).
Katrien Smeyers and Susie Vertongen, 'De Meester van de Beaufortheiligen en de Brugse miniatuurkunst', in Boeken in de late Middeleeuwen, Verslag van de Groningse Codicologendagen (Groningen: Egbert Forsten, 1992), pp. 275-84.
Susie Vertongen, 'Herman Scheerre, The Beaufort Master and the Flemish Miniature Painting: A Reopened Dabate', in Flanders in a European Perspective: Manuscript Illumination around 1400, Flanders and Abroad: Proceedings of the International Colloquium, Leuven, 7-10 September 1993, ed. by Maurits Smeyers and Bert Cardon (Leuven, 1995), 251-65 (pp. 251 n. 3, 252, 255, n. 17).
Kathleen L. Scott, Later Gothic Manuscripts 1390-1490, A Survey of Manuscripts Illuminated in the British Isles, 6, 2 vols (London: Harvey Miller, 1996), no. 37.
Anne F. Sutton and Livia Visser-Fuchs, Richard III’s Books: Ideals and Reality in the Life and Library of a Medieval Prince (Stroud, Gloucestershire, Sutton, 1997), p. 31.
Susan Powell, 'Lady Margaret Beaufort and her Books', The Library, Sixth Series, 20 (1998), 197-240 (pp. 201, 203).
Maurits Smeyers, Flemish Miniatures from the 8th to the mid-16th Century: The Medieval World on Parchment (Turnhout: Brepols, 1999), pp. 188, 189, 205, 228, pls 17, 18 on p. 189, 44.
Kathleen Scott, 'The Illustration and Decoration of the Register of the Fraternity of the Holy Trinity at Luton Church, 1475-1546', in The English Medieval Book: Studies in Memory of Jeremy Griffiths, ed. by A. S. G. Edwards, Vincent Gillespie and Ralph Hanna (London: British Library, 2000), pp. 155-83 (p. 181 n. 31).
Nicholas Perkins, Hoccleve's Regiment of Princes: Counsel and Constraint (Cambridge: Brewer, 2001), pp. 155, 156.
Janet Backhouse, catalogue entry, in Gothic: Art for England 1400-1547, ed. by Richard Marks and Paul Williamson (London: V & A Publications, 2003), no. 223 [exhibition catalogue].
Scot McKendrick, Flemish Illuminated Manuscripts 1400-1550 (London: British Library, 2003), pl. 1 [part 2, f. 11v].
Nigel J. Morgan, ‘Scheerre , Herman (fl. c.1388, c.1422)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/61987, accessed 8 July 2010]
The Cambridge Illuminations: Ten Centuries of Book Production in the Medieval West, ed. by Paul Binski and Stella Panayotova (London: Harvey Miller, 2005), p. 379.
Elizabeth Morrison, Beasts: Factual & Fantastic (Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2007), p. 46.
Janet Backhouse, 'Patronage and Commemoration in the Beaufort Hours', in Tributes to Lucy Freeman Sandler: Studies in Illuminated Manuscripts, ed. by Kathryn A. Smith and Carol H. Krinsky (London: Harvey Miller, 2007), pp. 331-44.
Kathleen L. Scott, Tradition and Innovation in Later Medieval English Manuscripts (London: British Library, 2007), p. 166, n. 265.
Henry VIII: Man and Monarch, ed. by Susan Doran (London: British Library, 2009), no. 2 [exhibition catalogue].
A Catalogue of Western Book Illumination in the Fitzwilliam Museum and the Cambridge Colleges, ed. by Nigel Morgan and Stella Panayotova, Part one, vol. II: The Meuse Region, Southern Netherlands (London: Harvey Miller, 2009), p. 62.
Scot, McKendrick, John Lowden, and Kathleen Doyle, Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination (London: British Library, 2011), no. 25.
David Van Edwards, 'Portrait of a Husband and Wife', Lute News, 127 (October 2018), pp. 2-7 and 34-35.
- Material Type:
- Archives and Manuscripts
- Legal Status:
- Not Public Record(s)