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Cotton MS Nero E I/1
- Record Id:
- 041-001102743
- Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:
- 032-001101582
- MDARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100000001630.0x000255
- LARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100060435266.0x000001
- SLARK:
- Format:
- ISAD(G)
- Reference (shelfmark):
- Cotton MS Nero E I/1
- Title:
- ‘Cotton-Corpus legendary’, volume 1, part 1
- Scope & Content:
-
These folios contain the first part of the first volume of the earliest surviving, substantial legendary from England. Together with Cotton Nero E I/2, ff. 1-165, 166-80, 187-188 and Cambridge, Corpus Christi College MS 9, pp. 61-458, these folios originally formed two volumes with 150 texts covering the liturgical year. These were copied in 2nd half of the 11th century, apart from ff. 53v–54v, which were copied in the 2nd quarter of the 12th century. The works in these folios include:
ff. 3r–23v: Byrhtferth of Ramsey, Vita sancti Oswaldi archiepiscopi (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 6374);
ff. 24r–34v: Byrhtferth of Ramsey, Vita sancti Ecgwini episcopi (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 2432, imperfect);
ff. 35r–52v: Lantfred of Winchester, Translatio et miracula sancti Swithuni episcopi (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 7944–45);
ff. 52v–53r hymn for St Swithun;
ff. 53v–54v: Vita sancti Andree apostoli (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 430, imperfect), added in the 2nd quarter of the 12th century;
ff. 55r–v: list of contents;
ff. 55v–61r: Passio sancte Martine virginis (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no.5588);
ff. 61v–70r: Ps.-Amphilochius, Vita et miraculis sancti Basilii episcopi translated by Euphemius (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 1023);
ff. 70r–74r: Passio sancte Genouefe virginis (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 3336);
ff. 74r–75r: Passio sancti Theogenis martyris (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 8107);
ff. 75r–77v: Passio sancti Luciani martyris (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 5010);
ff. 77v–85v: Passio sanctorum Iuliani, Basilisse et sociorum (compare Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 4529, 4532);
ff. 85v–87v: Venantius Fortunatus, Vita sancti Hilarii Pictavensis episcopi, book I (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 3885);
ff. 87v–88v: Ps.-Hilary of Poitiers, Epistola ad Abram filiam suam (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 3887a);
ff. 88v–89v: Passio sancti Felicis Tubzacensis episcopi (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 2894);
ff. 89v–90r: Passio sancti Felicis presbiteri (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 2885);
ff. 90r–92v: Passio sancti Marcelli pape et sociorum (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 5235a);
ff. 92v–93r: Passio sancti Marcelli martyris (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 5253);
ff. 93r–97v: Vita vel visio sancti Fursei (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 3210);
ff. 97v–98v: Vita sancti Sulpicii Pii episcopi (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 7928);
ff. 98v–102r: Warnaharius, Passio sanctorum Speusippi, Eleusippi et Meleusippi (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 7829);
ff. 102r–114r: Passio sancti Sebastiani martyris (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 7543);
ff. 114r–116v: Ps.-Ambrose, Passio sancte Agnetis virginis (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 156);
ff. 116v–117v: Passio sancti Fructuosi episcopi (compare Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 3200, 3196);
ff. 117v–119r: Passio sancti Patrocli martyris (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 6520);
ff. 119r–121v: Passio sancti Vincentii (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 8628, 8631, 8634);
ff. 121v–124v: Passio sancti Potiti (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 6908);
ff. 124v–125r: Passio sancti Ascle martyris (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 722);
ff. 125r–127v: Passio sancti Babyli et trium puerorum (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 891);
ff. 127v–130r: Passio sancti Polycarpi martyris (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 6870);
ff. 130r–136v: Passio sanctorum Leuci, Thyrsi, Callinici et sociorum (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 8280);
ff. 136v–142r: Cogitosus, Vita sancte Brigide virginis (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 1457);
ff. 142r–v: Augustine of Hippo, Sermo ccclxx;
ff. 142v–143r: Ambrose of Milan, Expositio evangelii secundum Lucam, ii.58–62;
ff. 143r–144r: a homily on the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary;
ff. 144r–148r: Passio sancti Tryphonis martyris (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 8338);
ff. 148r–149v: Passio sancte Agathe virginis et martyris (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 133);
ff. 149v–153r: Baudemund, Vita sancti Amandi Traiectensis episcopi (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 332);
ff. 153r–154v: Passio sancti Valentini martyris (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 8460);
ff. 154v–157r: Passio sancte Iuliane virginis et martyris (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 4523m);
ff. 157r–160r: ? Eutychian, Actus Theophili qui Christum negavit et recuperavit translated by Paul the Deacon (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 8121);
ff. 160r–162r: Venantius Fortunatus, Vita sancti Albini Andegauensis episcopi (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 234);
ff. 162r–165r: Passio sanctarum Perpetue et Felicitatis (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 6633);
ff. 165r–166v: Passio sanctorum quadraginta militum (sancti Sebasteni) (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 7537);
ff. 166v–169v: Paul the Deacon, Vita sancti Gregorii magni (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 3639);
ff. 169v–173v: Patrick, Confessio (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 6492);
ff. 173v–174v: Patrick, Epistola ad Coroticum (Confessio, book II; Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 6493);
ff. 175r–179r: Passio sancte Theodosie virginis (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 8090);
ff. 179r–184v: Sophronius of Jerusalem, Vita sancte Marie Egyptiace (translated by Paul the Deacon) (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 5415);
ff. 185r–196r: Felix, Vita sancti Guthlaci anachorite (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 3723);
ff. 196r–202r: Paulinus, Vita sancti Ambrosii episcopi (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 377);
ff. 202r–203v: Passio sancti Eleutherii et Anthie (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 2451a);
ff. 203v–205v: Passio sancti Georgii martyris (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 3374);
ff. 205v–206v: Passio sancti Marci evangeliste (compare Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 5276);
ff. 206v–207v: Ps.-Ambrose, Passio sancti Gervasii et Protasii (Ps.-Ambrose, epistola II) (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 3514);
ff. 207v–208r: Passio sancti Iacobi apostoli (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 4093);
ff. 208r–v: Vita sancti Philippi apostoli (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, no. 6815).
Decoration: Initials in gold (ff. 3r-34v), red, and green (ff. 43v-63v). Headings in gold, red, and black.
- Collection Area:
- Western Manuscripts
- Project / Collection:
- Cotton Collection
- Hierarchy Record Ids:
- 032-001101582
040-001102742
041-001102743 - Is part of:
- Cotton MS : Cotton Manuscripts
Cotton MS Nero E I : ‘Cotton-Corpus legendary’, volume 1 and volume 2 (imperfect); ‘Wulfstan Cartulary’/‘Nero-Middleton…
Cotton MS Nero E I/1 : ‘Cotton-Corpus legendary’, volume 1, part 1 - Hierarchy:
- 032-001101582[0655]/040-001102742[0001]/041-001102743
- Container:
- View / search within Archive / Collection: Cotton MS
- Record Type (Level):
- Item
- Extent:
-
1 parchment codex
- Digitised Content:
- https://iiif.bl.uk/uv/#?manifest=https://bl.digirati.io/iiif/ark:/81055/vdc_100060435266.0x000001
- Thumbnail:
-
- Languages:
- English, Old
Latin - Scripts:
- Latin
- Start Date:
- 1050
- End Date:
- 1149
- Date Range:
- 2nd half of the 11th century-2nd quarter of the 12th century
- Era:
- CE
- Access:
-
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- User Conditions:
- Letter of introduction required to view this manuscript
- Physical Characteristics:
-
Condition: outer edges of leaves damaged by fire in 1731.
Materials: parchment and ink.
Dimensions: binding: 415 × 315 mm (folio: 400 x 265 mm; text space: 320 x 235 mm).
Foliation: ff. 208 (where ff. 1-2 are early modern endleaves, + 3 unfoliated modern paper flyleaves at the beginning and at the end).
Binding: British Museum/ British Library in-house, rebound in 1852.
- Custodial History:
-
Origin: Worcester Cathedral: the main hand also wrote a charter pertaining to Worcester of 1058 (Additional Charter 19801) and some of the other hands have also been linked to other manuscripts associated with Worcester (see Ker, Catalogue (1957), p. 41).
Provenance:
John Joscelyn (b. 1529, d. 1603), Old English scholar and Church of England clergyman: annotated (see Ker, Catalogue (1957), p. 41).
Sir Robert Bruce Cotton (b. 1571, d. 1631), 1st baronet, antiquary and politician: number 219 in his catalogue of 1621 (Harley 6018). Cotton’s collection was augmented by his son, Sir Thomas Cotton (b. 1594, d. 1662), 2nd baronet, and his grandson, Sir John Cotton. Sir John Cotton (b. 1621, d. 1702), 3rd baronet: bequeathed the entire Cotton collection of books and manuscripts to trustees ‘for Publick Use and Advantage’, 12 and 13 William III, c. 7. Formed one of the foundation collections of the British Museum in 1753.
- Former Internal References:
- Cotton MS Nero E I, part I
- Information About Copies:
- Full digital coverage available for this manuscript: see Digitised Manuscripts at http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts.
- Publications:
-
Bibliotheca Hagiographica Antiquae et Mediae Aetatis, Subsidia Hagiographica, 6, 2 vols (Brussels, 1898–1901; repr. 1992), various.
Gameson, Richard, The Manuscripts of Early Norman England (c. 1066-1130) (Oxford: British Academy, 1999), no. 397.
Gneuss, Helmut, and Michael Lapidge, Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2014), no. 344.
Hartzell, K. D., Catalogue of Manuscripts Written or Owned in England up to 1200 containing Music (Woodbridge: Boydell, 2006), no. 139.
Jackson, Peter and Michael Lapidge, ‘The contents of the Cotton-Corpus legendary’, in Holy Men and Holy Women: Old English Prose Saints’ Lives and Their Contexts, ed. by Paul E. Szarmach (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1996), pp. 131–46.
Ker, N. R., Catalogue of Manuscripts containing Anglo-Saxon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1957; repr. 1990), no. 29.
Ker, N. R. (ed.), Medieval Libraries of Great Britain: A List of Surviving Books, 2nd edn (London: Royal Historical Society, 1964), p. 207.
Love, R. ed. and trans., Three Eleventh-Century Saints' Lives (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996), pp. xviii-xxiii.
[Planta, J.], A Catalogue of the Manuscripts in the Cottonian Library, Deposited in the British Museum (London, 1802), pp. 239-41.
Tite, Colin, The Early Records of Sir Robert Cotton's Library: Formation, Cataloguing, Use (London: British Library, 2003), pp. 138-39.
- Material Type:
- Archives and Manuscripts
- Legal Status:
- Not Public Record(s)