Hard-coded id of currently selected item: . JSON version of its record is available from Blacklight on e.g. ??
Metadata associated with selected item should appear here...
Royal MS 13 D IX
- Record Id:
- 040-002106881
- Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:
- 032-002105724
- MDARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100000000338.0x000024
- LARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100165176225.0x000001
- SLARK:
- Format:
- ISAD(G)
- Reference (shelfmark):
- Royal MS 13 D IX
- Title:
-
The Sanctilogium or Speculum legendarum by Gui de Châtres, abbot of St Denis
- Scope & Content:
-
This manuscript contains a copy of the collection of saints’ lives known as the Sanctilogium or Speculum legendarum, that Gui de Châtres, abbot of the Benedictine abbey of Saint-Denis (1326-1342), compiled around 1320 by extending Usuard’s Martyrologium with materials from the Legenda aurea of Jacobus de Voragine and the Speculum historiale of Vincent of Beauvais. Gui organised it according to the liturgical year for usage at his monastery. The work consists of twelve books with materials for feast days of saints organised by month, with a thirteenth book with additional saints lives, and a fourteenth book with feasts of the temporal cycle. Gui separated the sanctoral and temporal cycles in the Legenda aurea and Speculum historiale in order to create a work that was more practical for liturgical use. This copy of the Sanctilogium was perhaps produced at the Benedictine abbey of St Albans, but certainly donated by its abbot John Whethamstede (1420-40 and 1452-64) to Redbourn Priory, a nearby situated daughter house of St Albans.
Contents:
ff. 2r-3r: Prologue, 'Incipit prologus Guidonis abbatis in sanctiloguum sive in speculum legendarum'.
ff. 3r-28v: Book 1 (beginning of the Sanctoral cycle), January, 'Incipit sanctilogium Guidonis abbatis: kalendas ianuarij. Ex martirologio'.
ff. 28v-41v: Book 2, February,‘Incipit liber secundus kalendas februarij. Ex martirologio’.
ff. 41v-57v: Book 3, March, ‘Incipit liber .iij.o kalendas .Martij. Ex martirologio’.
ff. 57v-72r: Book 4, April, ’Incipit liber quartus kalendas aprilis. Ex martirologio’.
ff. 72r-90r: Book 5, May, ‘Incipit liber quintus kalendas maij. Ex martirologio’.
ff. 90r-116v: Book 6, June, ‘Incipit liber sextus kalendas junii ex martirologio’.
ff. 116v-140v: Book 7, July, ‘Incipit liber septimus kalendas iulii Ex martirologio’.
ff. 140v-185v: Book 8, August, ‘Incipit liber viijus kalendas augusti. Ex martirologio’.
ff. 186r-212r: Book 9, September, ‘Incipit liber novis kalendas septembris ex martirologio’.
ff. 212r-239v: Book 10, October, ‘Incipit liber decimus kalendas octobris. Ex martiologio’
ff. 239v-278v: Book 11, November, ‘Incipit liber undecimus kalendas novembris ex martirologio’.
ff. 278v-302r: Book 12, December, ‘Incipit liber duodecimus kalendas decembris Ex martirologio’.
ff. 302r-305r: An alphabetical index of saints for the Sanctilogium, ‘Incipit tabula secundum ordinem alphabeti pro .xij. libris precedentibus’.
ff. 305r-305v: A table of contents for Book 13 (Additions to the Sanctoral cycle), ‘Incipit tabula pro .xiij.o libro sequenti’.
ff. 305v-341r: Book 13, ‘Incipit liber .xiijus.’
f. 342r: Table of contents for Book 14 (Temporal cycle), ‘Incipit tabula pro .xiiijo. libro sequenti’.
ff. 342r-343v: Chapter 1, ‘De adventu domini’.
ff. 343v-344r: Chapter 2, ‘De septuagesima’.
f. 344r: Chapter 3, ‘De sexagesima'.
ff. 344r-344v: Chapter 4, 'De quinquagesima'
ff. 344v-345r: Chapter 5, 'De quadragesima.
f. 345r: Chapter 6, De ieiunijs quatuor temp[or]um'.
ff. 345r-347v: Chapter 7, 'De passione domini'.
ff. 347v-349v: Chapter 8, 'De resurreccione domini'.
ff. 349v-350v: Chapter 9, 'De letanijs maiori scilicet et minori'.
ff. 350v-352r: Chapter 10, 'De asscensione domini'.
ff. 352r-354r: Chapter 11, 'De adventu spiritus sancti'.
ff. 354r-355r: Chapter 12, 'De institucione sacramenti altaris'.
ff. 355r-357r: Chapter 13, 'De dedicacione ecclesiae'.
[f. 342v and f. 357v are blank]
Decoration:
1 large historiated blue initial against a gold background with partial (three-sided) border in gold, blue and red (f. 2r): the initial features a man holding a staff and book (representing Gui de Châtres); with two men in colours fighting with swords in the lower margin; 1 large initial in gold against a red and blue background. (f. 3r); 13 large initials in red against a gold background with foliate decoration (acanthus leaves) inside the letter and foliate pen-flourishing in red, blue and gold (ff. 28v, 41v, 57v, 74v [featuring a zoomorphic figure], f. 90r [featuring a zoomorphic figure], ff. 116v, 141r [featuring a zoomorphic figure], f. 186r [featuring a zoomorphic figure], ff. 212r, 239v [featuring a zoomorphic figure], ff. 278v, 305r, 342r). Numerous initials in red and blue with blue and red penwork decoration trhoughout the manuscript.
- Collection Area:
- Western Manuscripts
- Project / Collection:
- Royal Collection
- Hierarchy Record Ids:
- 032-002105724
040-002106881 - Is part of:
- Royal MS 1 A I-20 E X : Royal Manuscripts
Royal MS 13 D IX : The Sanctilogium or Speculum legendarum by Gui de Châtres, abbot of St Denis - Hierarchy:
- 032-002105724[1099]/040-002106881
- Container:
- View / search within Archive / Collection: Royal MS 1 A I-20 E X
- Record Type (Level):
- File
- Extent:
-
Parchment manuscript
- Digitised Content:
- https://iiif.bl.uk/uv/#?manifest=https://bl.digirati.io/iiif/ark:/81055/vdc_100165176225.0x000001
- Thumbnail:
-
- Languages:
- Latin
- Scripts:
- Latin
- Start Date:
- 1350
- End Date:
- 1374
- Date Range:
- 3rd quarter of the 14th century
- Era:
- CE
- Access:
-
Please request the physical items you need using the online collection item request form.
Digitised items can be viewed online by clicking the thumbnail image or digitised content link.
Readers who have registered or renewed their pass since 21 March 2024 can request physical items prior to visiting the Library by completing
this request form.
Please enter the Reference (shelfmark) above on the request form.If your Reader Pass was issued before this date, you will need to visit the Library in London or Yorkshire to renew it before you can request items online. All manuscripts and archives must be consulted at the Library in London.
This catalogue record may describe a collection of items which cannot all be requested together. Please use the hierarchy viewer to navigate to individual items. Some items may be in use or restricted for other reasons. If you would like to check the availability, contact our Reference Services team, quoting the Reference (shelfmark) above.
- User Conditions:
- Letter of introduction required to view this manuscript
- Physical Characteristics:
-
Materials: Parchment.
Dimensions: 400 x 275 (text space: 285 x 185), in 2 columns.
Foliation: ff. 357 (+ 3 unfoliated paper flylleaves + 1 unfoliated parchment flyleaf at the beginning + 1 unfoliated parchment flyleaf + 4 unfoliated paper flyleaves at the end); + 1 parchment stub between f. 341 and 342; The parchment quires and flyleaves have been mounted on paper stubs.
Collation: 1 singleton (f. 1: originally a flyleaf); 1-1912 (ff. 2-229); 2010 (ff. 230-239); 21-2412 (ff. 240-287); 2514 (ff. 288-301); 26-2812 (ff. 302-337); 294 (ff. 338-341); 3012 (ff. 342-353); 4 singletons (ff. 354-357); quire signatures in roman numerals in the lower margin and catchwords and the note 'Cor' (sc. 'correctus') on the last page of each gathering.
Binding: British Museum/British library in-house; rebound in 1972.
- Custodial History:
-
Origins: England, S. (St Albans?).
Provenance:
The Benedictine abbey of St Albans: Donated by John Whethamstede, abbot of St Albans, to Redbourn Priory, first half of the 15th century: ex dono inscription (f. 1v): 'Hunc librum providit venerabilis / pater dompnus Joh[ann]es Wheth[a]mstede / abbas monasterii s[an]c[t]i Albani sacre theo/logie professor prioratui Redburne et / monachis ibidem cursum capientib[us]/ Quem qui alienaverit anathema sit'; with the title 'Sacrilogiu[m] guidonis abb[at]is sive / speculu[m] legandar[um]' (f. 1v).
The Benedictine priory of Redboun, first half of the 15th century: above-cited inscription.
The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): Westminster inventory number 'no. 846' (f. 3r), included in the inventory of books in the Upper Library at Westminster of 1542; in the select list of works noted by John Bale, c. 1548, no. 92; in the catalogue of 1666, Royal Appendix 71, f. 18r; and in the 1698 catalogue of the library of St James's Palace (see Edward Bernard, Catalogi librorum manuscriptorum Angliae et Hiberniae (Oxford: Sheldonian, 1697), no. 8244).
Presented to the British Museum by George II in 1757 as part of the Old Royal Library.
- Information About Copies:
-
Complete digital coverage available for this manuscript; see Digital Manuscripts, https://bl.uk/manuscripts/.
Select digital coverage available for this manuscript; see the Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts, https://bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/.
- Publications:
-
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), II, p. 111.
Henri Omont, ‘Le Sanctilogium de Gui de Châtres, abbé de Saint-Denys’, Bibliothèque de l'école des chartes, 86:1 (1925), 407-10 (p. 408).
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. 158, 296.
James P. Carley, 'The Royal Library as a Source for Sir Robert Cotton's Collection: A Preliminary List of Acquisitions', The British Library Journal, 18 (1992), 52-73 (p. 55).
The Libraries of King Henry VIII, ed. by J. P. Carley, Corpus of British Medieval Library Catalogues, 7 (London: The British Library, 2000) H2.885, H4.92.
James G. Clark, A Monastic Renaissance at St Albans: Thomas Walsingham and his Circle c. 1350-1440 (Oxford: Clarendon, 2004), pp. 138, 281.
Constant J. Mews and others, ‘Guy of Saint-Denis and the Compilation of Texts about Music in London, British Library, Harl. MS. 281’, Electronic British Library Journal, 6 (2008), 1-34 (p. 14).
Constant J. Mews, ‘Re-structuring the Golden Legend in the Early Fourteenth Century: The Sanctilogium of Guy of Châtres, abbot of Saint-Denis’, Revue Bénédictine, 120:1 (2010), 129-44 (on the text).
Sally Harper, ‘Traces of Lost Late Medieval Offices? The Sanctilogium Angliae, Walliae, Scottiae, et Hiberniae of John of Tynemouth (fl. 1350)’, in Essays on the History of English Music: Sources, Style, Perfomance, Historiography, ed. by Emma Hornby and David Maw (Woodbridge: Boydell, 2010), pp. 1-21 (pp. 6-7).
- Material Type:
- Archives and Manuscripts
- Legal Status:
- Not Public Record(s)