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...

Cotton MS Nero C VII, ff 29–79

Record Id:

041-001102681

Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:

032-001101582

MDARK:

ark:/81055/vdc_100000001630.0x000228

LARK:

SLARK:

ark:/81055/vdc_100056824822.0x000003

Format:

ISAD(G)

Reference (shelfmark):

Cotton MS Nero C VII, ff 29–79

Title:

Passionale (Lives of Saints), imperfect

Scope & Content:

This part consists of a Passionale (Lives of Saints) written in the Benedictine cathedral priory of Christ Church, Canterbury and which covered the liturgical year. It was originally bound with Harley MS 315 (ff. 1r-39r) and Harley MS 624 (ff. 84r-143v).

This volume formed part of a Passionale in 7 volumes, other fragments of which are Canterbury, Cathedral Library, MSS. Lit. E. 42 and Lit. E. 42A, part I and Maidstone, Centre for Kentish Studies, S/Rm Fae. 2 (see Gameson, The Manuscripts of Early Norman England, no. 194).

Contents:

f. 29r: Fragment of the Passio Sancti Irenei Episcopi (Passion of St Irenaeus).

ff. 29v-40v: Felix of Crowland (fl. 740), Vita S. Guthlaci (Life of St Guthlac of Crowland).

ff. 40v-41v: Vita Sancte Godeberte Virginis (Life of St Godeberthe).

ff. 41v-42v: Miracula Sancte Godeberte Virginis (Miracle of St Godeberthe).

ff. 42v-44r: Vita Sancti Frontonii Abbati (Life of St Frontonius).

ff. 44r-46r: Vita Sanctorum Euletherii et Anthie (Life of St Euletherius and St Anthia).

ff. 46r-v: Epistola de Vita et Passione Sancti Elphegi (Epistle of the Life and Passion of St Ælfheah of Canterbury).

ff. 46v-58r: Vita et Passio Sancti Elphegi (Life and Passion of St Ælfheah of Canterbury).

ff. 58r-60r: Vita Sancti Ursmari (Life of St Ursmar), imperfect.

ff. 60v-72v:Vita et Passio Sancti Bonifatii (Life and Passion of St Boniface).

f. 72v: Incipit of the translation of St Ælfheah of Canterbury, several leaves are missing afterwards.

f. 73r: Passio Sancte Simphorose (Life of St Simphorosa), imperfect at the beginning.

ff. 73v-78r: Adelard of Ghent, Epistola Adelardi ad Elfegum Archiepiscopum de Vita Sancti Dunstani (Adelard of Ghent's letter to Ælfheah of Canterbury on the life of St Dunstan), followed by an account of the deposition of St Dunstan's relics by Adelard of Ghent (ff. 73v-74r) and twelve lectiones (ff. 74r-78r).

ff. 78v-79v: Vita Sancti Anselmi (Life of St Anselm) in verses, beginning: 'Tange Syon citharam sub amene carmine vocis'.

Decoration:

Large initials in colours and gold with foliate decoration, many also zoomorphic or inhabited with faces (heads, men, animals, and/ or hybrids) (ff. 29v, 42v, 60v). Large historiated initial 'P' for 'principium' with foliate decoration and a portrait of St Ælfheah of Canterbury surrounded by two angels (f. 46v). Historiated initial 'Q' for 'quia' with St Dunstan playing his harp (f. 73v).

Initials in yellow with penwork decoration in red, green and blue with faces or with zoomorphic details (ff. 41v, 46r, 58r). Initials with foliate decoration in green, yellow, blue, or red, some with reserved white lines (ff. 44r, 73v).

Simple initial in red, blue, green and yellow. Rubrics in red.

Collection Area:

Western Manuscripts

Project / Collection:

Cotton Collection
England and France 700-1200 Project

Hierarchy Record Ids:

032-001101582
040-001102678
041-001102681

Is part of:

Cotton MS : Cotton Manuscripts
Cotton MS Nero C VII : William of St Albans, Passio Sanctorum Albani et Amphibali; Vita Sancti Augustini Cantuariensis; A Passionale (imperfect);…

Cotton MS Nero C VII, ff 29–79 : Passionale (Lives of Saints), imperfect

Hierarchy:

032-001101582[0639]/040-001102678[0003]/041-001102681

Container:

View / search within Archive / Collection: Cotton MS

Record Type (Level):

Item

Extent:

Part of Cotton MS Nero C VII

Digitised Content:

Languages:

Latin

Scripts:

Latin

Start Date:

1100

End Date:

1199

Date Range:

12th century

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:

Dimensions: 340 x 240 mm (text space: 300 x 200 mm, in 2 columns).

Script: Protogothic.

Custodial History:

Origin: Canterbury, Southeastern England.

Provenance:

The Benedictine cathedral priory of Christ Church, Canterbury: cited in its catalogue as no. 362 (see Ker, Medieval Libraries of Great Britain (1964), p. 36); verses 'de Sancto Anselmo' (ff. 78v-79v); typical Canterbury-Dover script (see Sharpe and Willoughby, Medieval Libraries of Great Britain (2015) «http://mlgb3.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/mlgb/book/1244/?search_term=Cotton%20Nero%20C.vii&page_size=500» [accessed 15 September 2016]).

John Dee (b. 1527; d. 1608), mathematician and astrologer: cited in his library catalogue, (see Robert and Watson, John's Dee Library Catalogue (1990), no. 125), acquired from him by d'Ewes (see Tite, The Early Records (2003)).

Sir Simonds d'Ewes (b.1602, d. 1650), 1st baronet, diarist, antiquary, and friend of Sir Robert Cotton: see Watson, The Library of Sir Simonds d'Ewes (1966), p. 23; ? his handwriting for added catchwords (e. g., f. 29v, 35v).

Material Type:

Archives and Manuscripts

Legal Status:

Not Public Record(s)

Names:

Felix, Monk of Crowland, fl 8th century,
see also http://isni.org/isni/0000000055311237,
see also http://viaf.org/viaf/40185083

Subjects:

Hagiography
Liturgy

Places:

Canterbury, England

Related Archive Descriptions:

Harley MS 624, ff 84-143v