Cotton MS Domitian A II, ff 8–130

Contents:

ff. 8r-21v: Battle Chronicle known as the 'Short Chronicle’, beginning: ‘Quoniam de situ et institucione loci nostri ecclesie scilicet beati Martini de Bello aliquanta iam memorie commendata ad posterorum monimentum nobis in promptu habentur’, ending: ‘Pro mortuis, abbas nichil cum aliis dabit’.

ff. 22r-130v: Liber de Situ ecclesie Belli known as the ‘Long Chronicle’, beginning: ‘Anno ab incarnatione Domini mlxvi dux Normannorum nobilissimus Willelmus cum manu valida pugnatorum in Angliam transnavigauit’.

Decoration:

A full-page historiated, zoomorphic initial 'A' depicting King William I of England (r. 1066-1087), crowned and sitting on a throne, holding a sceptre in his left hand, on top of which sits a bird, the initial comprising foliage outlined in white on an ochre, red and green background (f. 22r).

2 inhabited initials: An 8-line inhabited initial Q in blue ornamented with white on a brown background, comprising a centaur playing the bagpipes, ornamented in brown and yellow/gold, and accompanied by a robed lady, bent backwards with her arms in the air, and a hooded figure with the legs and tail of a lion, playing a stringed instrument, both ornamented in brown and yellow/gold (f. 8r); a 6-line inhabited initial Q in brown ornamented with white on a blue and white background, comprising a centaur drawing a bow (the arrow is absent), ornamented in brown (f. 8v); Large initials in red, green and light blue; capitals in red, light blue and green.

Several arabesque initials in light blue, green, red and purple (ff. 27r, 57r, 69v, 109v).

Display capitals in red, light blue, purple and green (f. 22r); Large initials in light blue, green, red, purple and occasionally ochre (ff. 79r, 80v), sometimes ornamented with a contrast colour (e.g. ff. 32r, 33r, 35r, 64r). Rubric in red.