Durham University Library Archives & Special Collections Catalogue
Composite manuscript codex comprising three parts: (A) Peter of Poitiers, Compendium historiae; (B) Isidore, Etymologiae; (C) Isidore, Sententiae; Smaragdus, Diadema monachorum; etc all written in England. Brought together by early 14th century (contents list of that date on f.iiv which includes items from each part).
Modern ink foliation of the main body of the book runs (duplicating 101), supplemented by a subsequent pencil ‘i’ on the medieval frontleaf. A parchment tab, inscribed “18”, is glued to f.63.
Standard Tuckett binding, mid 19th century full brown calf over thick wooden boards (Charles Tuckett, binder to the British Museum, rebound many Durham manuscripts in the 19th century). Rust-stained holes in f.i and 1, towards the fore-edge, top and middle, from metal clasp fixtures on an earlier binding.
Recorded in the 1395 Cloister Catalogue.
Parchment: stout. Arranged HF, HF.
I6 (former pastedown, f.i, is now glued at the gutter to f.1).
Written area: 310-350 x 180-190 mm. Two columns (width, generally 75-80 mm but occasionally up to 105 mm), sometimes subdivided vertically into two. Lines: up to 52 (space, 7 mm; height of minims, 2.5 mm). Pricking: awl. Pricked in both side margins. Prickings survive in all four margins. Ruling: ink. Designed for integrated diagrams throughout. Single verticals flank both text columns. The first three horizontals are generally extended; other horizontals are intermittently suppressed or extended to accommodate diagrams.
Written in Textualis semi-quadrata, by one scribe.
Integral genealogical tables throughout, done in red and brown plus occasionally blue, the small circles for the personal names all drawn with a compass. The schema of the disposition of tribes and levites appears on f.2v, the schematic representation of Jerusalem on f.5r. The preface is headed by a 5-line-high red and brown penwork initial; subsections within the text are headed by 2-line-high plain initials, alternately blue then red.
Written in England, 12th/13th century.
Pressmark: .A. 14th/15th century, f.1r, top left.
Added at the top of f.6v, 12th/13th century: four alphabets - Runic, Old English, Latin, and Greek.
Parchment: low quality with pronounced H/F contrast; H sides yellow and follicle-marked; numerous flaws, holes and irregularities (a long tear across f.11 was sewn up prior to writing; a long thin hole within the text-block of f.18 was just left and written around); propensity to curl. Arranged: HF, FH.
I-VI8, VII10
Written area: variable, generally growing larger from one quire to the next: quire I, approximately 310 x 168 mm; quire II, approximately 310 x 188 mm; quire III, approximately 315 x 194 mm; quire IV, approximately 320 x 195 mm; quire V, approximately 340 x 190 mm; quire VI, approximately 335 x 195 mm; quire VII, approximately 345 x 190 mm. Two columns (width variable, 80-108 mm), except the tabulation on f.27v-29v which is arranged in three columns. In quires IV-VII the lower edge of the text-block is often misaligned with the top edge and slants downwards. Lines: variable 51-77 (space, 6-7 mm; height of minims, 1-2 mm): quire I, typically 56; quire II, 61; quire III, 56; quire IV, 54; quire V, 68; quire VI, 70; quire VII, 77. The Ages of the World tabulation (f.27v-29v) has 29 lines (space 13-14 mm; height of minims, 1.5 mm). Pricking: generally awl (there are two sets of prickings for the horizontals in quire I, one done by a knife the other by an awl). Pricking for the horizontals was done in both side margins. Prickings generally survive in all four margins. Ruling: lead and ink. Double verticals at the outer edge of both columns, single verticals at their inner edge (two in total in the intercolumnar space); there is sometimes an extra vertical in the outer margin (e.g. f.26r-30r). The first two or three and the last two or three horizontals were extended. The angle of the horizontals often changes during the course of the page, meaning that the bottom lines slant downwards from left to right in relation to the top ones.
Written in Textualis libraria. Probably almost all by a single scribe, who also supplied the rubrics.
The first prefatory letter and Books I-XV are all headed by a 3- to 5-line high initial, red, blue or (uniquely for Book VII) green. Prefatory letter is flourished in red (Book XI (f.33r) has ornamentation in blue, yellow and pink, possibly an early addition or reworking. The spaces left for similar initials heading Books XVI-XXIV remain blank. Up to f.39r and from f.43v-49r (the great majority of Books I-XV) chapters are headed by 2- to 3-line high capitals; these are generally red then blue in alternation (green is used in Books VII and XV only), mainly plain, a minority flourished in the other colour. Spaces reserved for similar initials thereafter remain blank. Up to Book XIV (f.45r) the entries in the capitula lists are headed by 1-line-high plain initials, alternately red then blue; thereafter the spaces reserved for such initials remain blank. On f.47r-49r sentences are headed by 1-line-high capitals, alternately red then green; thereafter the spaces reserved for such letters remain blank. Diagrams of geometrical shapes (f.19v) and of the forms of the sun (f.22r) done in red; two tables of affinity (f.42v, 43r), the execution rudimentary.
Written in England, earlier 13th century.
Pressmark: .A., later 14th century, f.7r, top centre. A. ysidorus ethimologiarum De communi monachorum dunelm' libraria, start of 15th century, f.7r, top.
8 prefatory letters. In 24 books; each book is preceded by a capitula list.
First 26 lines only. f.64v blank.
Parchment: low quality with leaves of varying thickness. Pronounced H/F contrast, with H sides yellow and follicle-marked; flaws and imperfections; edgecuts and small leaves; patches applied to small holes within the text-block of f.68 and 74, to large holes within the text-block of f.103 and 108. Arranged: HF, FH. Generally grubby, stained and worn.
Uncertain, probably I10, II8, III12, IV8, V9 (=10 with leaf 10, blank, after f.110, cancelled or lost), endleaf, f.111, is now glued at the gutter to f.110.
Text-block: 350 x 172 mm. Two columns (width, 82 mm). Lines: 61 (space, 5 mm; height of minims, 2 mm). Pricking: awl. Pricked for the horizontal ruling in both side margins. Prickings survive in all four margins. (There are two sets of prickings for each horizontal ruling in quire I, and two sets for each ruling, horizontal and vertical, in quire II). Ruling: ink. Double verticals flank both columns (three in total in the intercolumnar space). An extra pair of verticals was supplied in the outer margin of f.65r-69v (item (c)). The horizontals extended vary, but are most commonly 1, 2, 4 and 5 at the top, and 51, 52, 54, and 55 at the bottom. Horizontals invariably run across the intercolumnar space and project irregularly into the margins.
Written in Textualis semi-quadrata, variable. Most probably three hands, changing at f.103r and f.110v.
(d) the three books are headed by decorated initials, 14-, 10- and 7-lines high respectively. The letter-shape of the first is red and blue; those of the other two are blue only; all three are adorned with formulaic foliate curls in green and/or yellow and are set against an ochre ground . Some chapters within Book I are headed by 2- to 3-line high plain initials, red or blue; the final chapter of Book II has a pink letter flourished in green, and Book III, ch. 2 has a plain green one; otherwise the spaces reserved for such letters remain blank. Sentences are headed by 1-line-high black ink capitals stroked in red.
(e) all the spaces reserved for initials (7 lines high for the incipit, 2 lines high for other chapters) remained blank. Sentences are headed by 1-line-high black ink capitals stroked in red.
(f) the space (7 lines high) reserved for an initial at the incipit remains blank. Two plain red initials, 2 lines high, were supplied for chapters on f.109v and one on 110v; all other such spaces remain blank. Sentences are headed by 1-line-high black ink capitals stroked in red on f.92r-95r and f.97r-102v only.
(g) is headed by a plain blue initial, 2 lines high; part 2 by a plain red one, 1 line high.
Written in England, 12th/13th century.
Corrections throughout the text by two 13th century hands
Presented as a fourth book of (d). The text breaks off incomplete within chapter 13 on f.92r, col. 1, line 17; the remainder of the column is blank.
Added start of 13th century. De ponderibus medicinalibus and Collige triticeis medicine pondera granis. Then pen trials including proverbial verse Fama boni lente uolat, inuidia retinente | Fama repleta malis pernicibus euolat alis.
Catalogi veteres librorum Ecclesiae cathedralis
dunelm. Catalogues of the library of Durham cathedral, at
various periods, from the conquest to the dissolution, including
catalogues of the library of the abbey of Hulne, and of the mss.
,
Surtees Society 7, (London: J.B. Nichols and Son, [1838]).
Mynors, R.A.B., Durham Cathedral
manuscripts to the end of the twelfth century. Ten plates in
colour and forty-seven in monochrome. With an introduction
[including a list of all known Durham manuscripts before
1200] ,
(Durham: 1939)
Stegmüller, Friedrich, Repertorium biblicum medii aevi , (Madrid: 1950-1980)