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...

Burney MS 339

Record Id:

040-002237250

Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:

032-002236305

MDARK:

ark:/81055/vdc_100000001311.0x000183

LARK:

SLARK:

Format:

ISAD(G)

Reference (shelfmark):

Burney MS 339

Title:

Middle Dutch Book of Hours

Scope & Content:

This Middle Dutch Book of Hours mostly contains standard texts such as the Hours of the Eternal Wisdom, Hours of the Virgin Mary, Seven Penitential Psalms, and a number of common prayers to Christ, the Virgin Mary and God. The manuscript's penwork decoration suggests that it was produced in North Holland, perhaps Haarlem, in the last quarter of the fifteenth century.

Contents:

ff. 1r-1v: The Mass of St Gregory (5 prayers), without an introduction, begins: ‘O here ihesu criste ic aenbede di inden cruce hanghende ende een doernen croen in dinen hovet draghende [etc.]’.

ff. 3r-11v: A Calendar [includes St Boniface, St Jerome of Noordwijk, St Pontianus of Spoleto, St Suitbert of Kaiserwerdt].

ff. 12r-20r: The Seven Penitential Psalms, ‘[rubric: ] Die seven psalm [prayer:] Here in dijnre verbolgentheit en straf mi niet ende in dinen toorne en beresp mi niet [etc.]’.

ff. 20v-27v: A litany of saints, followed by prayers and Collects to Christ, beginning ‘Here ontferm di onser Criste ontferm di onser Here ontferm di onser [etc.]’ [includes St Boniface, St Lebuinus, St Pontianus of Spoleto, St Willibrord].

ff. 28r-48r: The Hours of the Eternal Wisdom, ‘[rubric:] Die ewighe wijsheit getide [prayer:] Mine siele hevet di begeert inder nacht ende in minen geest inden innersten mijns herten so heb ic vroe gewaket totti [etc.]’.

ff. 48r-51r: Two prayers to be read before Communion, ‘[rubric:] Dit gebet les alstu ten heiligen sacrament wilste gaen [prayer:] O overste priester ende ghewaer biscop here ihesu Christe die di selven offerste gode dinen vader [etc.]’.

ff. 51r-51v: A prayer to be read after Communion, ‘[rubric:] Dit gebet les alstu dat heilige sacrament ontfangen hebste [prayer:] O here ihesu criste hoe sal ic arme sondige mensche die niet en bin dan een spise der wormen di ymmermeer te vollen dancken mogen vander duerbair gaven die du mi huden gegheven hebste [etc.]’.

ff. 52r-82v: The Hours of the Virgin Mary, ‘[rubric:] Hier begint onser liever vrouwen getide in duutsch [prayer:] Here du selste opdoen mijne lippen . Ende mijn mont sel voirtkundigen dijn lof [etc.]’.

ff. 82v-83v: Three prayers to the Virgin Mary, attributed to Mechtild of Hackeborn (Liber specialis gratiae I,47) ‘[rubric:] Dit sijn mechteldis drie gebeden tot onser liever vrouwen die onse lieve vrouwe haer leerde [prayer:] O gloriose moeder ende maget coninginne der hemelen ende der aerde . Gelikerwijs als god die vader nae groetheit sijnre almachticheit . dijn siel verheven heeft bi hem in sijn hoghe trone so dattu naest hem die alre machtichste biste in hemelrijc ende in aertrijc [etc.]’.

ff. 84r-84v: A prayer to the Virgin Mary, ‘[rubric:] Een suverlic gebet tot onser liever vrouwe [prayer:] Gegruet si di overscone ioncvrouwe gloriose coninginne ende magria [etc.]’.

ff. 85r-86r: Prayers about the Passion with indulgences attributed to Pope John XII, ‘[underlined:] Soe wie dese navolgende gebeden leest in gewide plaetsen . verdient so menige dach oflaets als dair menich mensce leit begraven . Gelijc te rome in sinte pieters kerc aftert hoge outaer staet gescreven . ende oec te parijs in veel kerken . Ende heeft gegeven die . xij. paeus iohannes [rubric:] : Gebet : [prayer:] Weest gegruet alle gelovige sielen . dien hore lichaemen hier ende overal in cristo rusten ende inden gemulle [etc.]’.

f. 86v: A prayer to God, imperfect at the end: ‘[S]alich sidi alle heilige gods die verdient hebst medegeselle te werden der hemelser crachten ende te gebruken die glori der ewiger claerheit [etc.]’.

ff. 87r-88r: A prayer to the Virgin Mary, begins: ‘God gruet u goedertieren maria . een benkende [sic] dageraet een morgensterre . een snelle aerne [etc.]’.

ff. 88r-88v: A prayer to God, the Father, ‘[rubric:] Een suverlic gebet tot gode den vader [prayer:] O almachtige ewige hemelsche vader die mit dinen eengeboren sone ihesu cristo ende mitten heiligen geeste een onversciden god biste dire inden persoenen ende een inden wesen [etc.]’.

ff. 88v-89v: A Paternoster and Ave ‘[rubric:] Dat pater noster ende ave maria mit een suverlike Glose [prayer:] Vader onse hoech inder sceppinge . soet inder minnen . rijc inder erfnissen [etc.]’.

f. 89v: A prayer to Christ for remission of sins, ‘[rubric:] gebet [prayer:] O alre minnentlicste here ihesu criste Ick bidde di wil mi arme sundige mensche aensien mitten ogen dijnre bermherticheit mitten welken du ansaechste sinte peter inden hove [etc.]’.

Decoration:

The style of the penwork, according to Jan Peter Gumbert (The Dutch and their Books, 1990, p. 86 n. 57), is that of the 'Brother Meynaert Group', found in prayerbooks produced in Haarlem in the 1480s.

2 large puzzle initials in red and blue, with foliate infill and penwork decoration in red and blue, with touches of green (ff. 12r, 28r). 1 similar initial without penwork decoration (f. 52r). Smaller initials in red or blue with simple reserved designs, 1 (f. 28v) with blue infill and penwork decoration. Small initials alternately plain red or blue.

Collection Area:

Western Manuscripts

Project / Collection:

Burney Manuscripts

Hierarchy Record Ids:

032-002236305
040-002237250

Is part of:

Burney MS : Burney Manuscripts

Burney MS 339 : Middle Dutch Book of Hours

Hierarchy:

032-002236305[0334]/040-002237250

Container:

View / search within Archive / Collection: Burney MS

Record Type (Level):

File

Extent:

Parchment codex

Digitised Content:

Languages:

Dutch, Middle

Scripts:

Latin

Start Date:

1470

End Date:

1480

Date Range:

c 1475 - c 1500

Era:

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: 165 x 110 mm (text space: 85 x 60 mm).

Foliation: ff. 91; f. 90 originally was a parchment flyleaf; f. 91 is a modern paper leaf; 3 parchment stubs between f. 90 and f. 91; 1 between f. 87 and f. 88.

Script: Gothic (littera hybrida).

Binding: Post-1600. British Museum/British Library in-house, Burney’s bookplate gold-stamped on the upper and lower plate, the spine inscribed in gold at the British Museum: ‘HORAE’ (re-bound on 15 June 1982).

Custodial History:

Origin: Netherlands, N. (Haarlem ?).

Provenance:

Charles Burney (b. 1757, d. 1817), D.D., classical scholar: purchased for the British Museum from his son Charles Parr Burney in 1818.

Information About Copies:

Select digital coverage available for this manuscript; see the Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts, https://bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/.

Publications:

Karel de Flou and Edward Gailliard, Beschrijving van Middelnederlandse en andere handschriften die in Engeland bewaard worden, Verslagen en Mededelingen van de Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie voor Taal- en Letterkunde, 3 vols (Ghent: Koninklijke Vlaamsche Academie voor Taal- en Letterkunde, 1895–1897), II (1896), pp. 116-24 (no. 12).

Robert Priebsch, Deutsche Handschriften in England, 2 vols (Erlangen: Junge, 1896–1901), II, pp. 61-62 (no. 84).

Peter Gumbert, The Dutch and Their Books in the Manuscript Age: The Panizzi Lectures, 1989 (London: British Library, 1990), p. 86 n. 57.

Stephanus Gerard Axters, ‘Bibliotheca Dominicana Neerlandica manuscripta: 1224-1500’, Bibliothèque de la Revue d'histoire ecclésiastique, 49 (1970), p. 385.

Material Type:

Archives and Manuscripts

Legal Status:

Not Public Record(s)

Related Material:

Catalogue of Manuscripts in The British Museum, New Series (London: British Museum, 1834-1840), I, part II: The Burney Manuscripts (1840), p. 91:

‘1. Prayers and a Kalendar. Dutch. p. 1.

2. Seven penitential Psalms, Litany and Collects. Dutch. p. 23.

3. Hours of the Eternal Wisdom. Dutch. p. 55.

4. Hours of the Virgin. Dutch. p. 103.

5. Various Prayers. Dutch. p. 173’.