The Production and Use of English Manuscripts 1060 to 1220

Takako Kato, Hollie Morgan and Elaine Treharne

Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, 111, pp. 7-8, 55-56

Relic Lists, Manumissions, Agreement of Confraternity

Date: s. xi2

Summary:

Two leaves of a composite manuscript which were once blank leaves in CCCC 140. They contain two Bath: Relics (p. 7), s. xi2; five Bath: Manumissions (p. 8) issued under Abbot Ælfsige of Bath (d. 1087); and an agreement of Bath: Confraternity with other houses (pp. 55-56), s. xi2. The last seven words of the agreement were added later, s. xi2 (Ker 1957, p. 48).

Manuscript Items:

1. Item: p. 7/1-21

   Title (B.16.2.4): Bath: Relics

   Incipit: Ðis is se haligdom þe ælsige abbod ˥ þa gebroðra þe mid him wæron fundon on þam scrinon þa þa heom | tweonode hwæt haligdomes hi hæfdon

   Explicit: De capillis mariae magdlenae

   Text Language: English and Latin

   Date: s. xi2

   Hand: Hand 1

   Bibliography:

   Hunt 1893, p. lxxv

   Ker 1957, p. 48, art. 7

2. Item: p. 7/22-29

   Title (B.16.2.4.1.EM): Bath: Relics [second part]

   Incipit: Ðis is se haligdom þe ƿulƿine on reádingon gef into þam mynstre on baðon

   Explicit: De sanctaemargarete virgine

   Text Language: English and Latin

   Date: s.xi2

   Hand: Hand 1

   Bibliography:

   Hunt 1893, p. lxxv

   Ker 1957, p. 48, art. 7

3. Item: p. 8/1-7

   Title (B.16.2.3.1.1.EM): Bath: Manumissions

   Incipit: Her sƿutelað on þisse cristes bec þᵗ leofenoð ægel | noðes

   Explicit: ˥ on ealre þære | burhware on baðon crist hine ablende þe þis æfre | aƿende

   Hand: Hand 2

   Bibliography:

   Earle 1888, p. 268

   Hunt 1893, p. lxxvi

   Ker 1957, p. 48, art. 8

4. Item: p. 8/8-10

   Title (B.16.2.3.1.2.EM): Bath: Manumissions

   Incipit: Her sƿutelað on þisse cristes bec þᵗ ægelsige æt linncume hæfð | geboht

   Explicit: ˥ æt eallon hirede | to ecean freote.

   Hand: Hand 2

   Bibliography:

   Earle 1888, p. 268

   Hunt 1893, p. lxxvii

   Ker 1957, p. 48, art. 8

5. Item: p. 8/11-13

   Title (B.16.2.3.1.3.EM): Bath: Manumissions

   Incipit: Her sƿutelað on þisse cristes bec þᵗ ægelsige byttices sunu hæfð ge | boht hildesige

   Explicit: mid syxtigon penegon to ecean freote.

   Hand: Hand 2

   Bibliography:

   Earle 1888, p. 268

   Hunt 1893, p. lxxvii

   Ker 1957, p. 48, art. 8

6. Item: p. 8/14-18

   Title (B.16.2.3.1.4.EM): Bath: Manumissions

   Incipit: Her sƿutelað on þisse cristes bec þᵗ godƿig se bucca hæfð ge | boht leofgife

   Explicit: crist hine a | blende þe þis æfre aƿende.

   Hand: Hand 2

   Bibliography:

   Earle 1888, p. 268

   Hunt 1893, p. lxxvii

   Ker 1957, p. 48, art. 8

7. Item: p. 8/19-21

   Title (B.16.2.3.1.5.EM): Bath: Manumissions

   Incipit: Her sƿutelað on þisse cristes bec þᵗ ælsige aƀƀ hæfð gefreod godƿine bace æt | stantune

   Explicit: ˥ ƿulƿiges æt prisctune ˥ ælfrices cermes

   Hand: Hand 3

   Bibliography:

   Earle 1888, p. 269

   Hunt 1893, p. lxxvii

   Ker 1957, p. 48, art. 8

8. Item: pp. 55-56

   Title (B.16.2.2): Bath: Confraternity with other houses

   Incipit: On drihtnes naman hælendes cristes . is þᵗ ƿulstan ƀ

   Explicit: Ðis syndon þara gebroðra naman on baðan. þᵗ is ærest| ælfige aƀƀ. ˥ ælfric. leofƿig. ˥ hieðeƿulf. ælfƿig . ˥ ægelmær. | eadƿig . ˥ godƿine . ægelƿine . ˥ osƿold. ælmær. ˥ þeodƿold. eadric. ægelmær . sæƿulf. þured. ægelric. ˥ Hærleƿine ˥ Godric | munuc on mældmes byrig ealsƿa ure an ˥ ealsƿa ƿulƿerd | pices broðor ontantune.

   Hand: Hand 4 and Hand 1

   Note: 'An agreement of confraternity between the prior of Worcester and the abbots of Evesham, Chertsey, Bath, Pershore, Winchcombe and Gloucester.' The last seven words were added later (Ker 1957, p. 48, art. 9).

   Bibliography:

   Hunt 1893, pp. 3-4

   Ker 1957, p. 48, art. 9

Physical Description:

Object Description:

Form: Codex

Support: Rather thick, yellowish and smooth or suede-like surfaces (Budny 1997, p. 577). In good condition.

Extent:

c. 304 mm x 211 mm (dimensions of pp. 7-8, 55-56 - size of leaves)

c. 242 mm x 174 mm (dimensions of pp. 7-8, 55-56 - size of written space)

Foliation and/or Pagination: Pagination of manuscript: pp. 1-58. Pagination is in Parkerian red crayon.

Condition: pp. 7-8 does not share the large stain which extends across the lower half of pp. 3-6 and 9-10, which contain some fifteenth-century script and which joined the manuscript after surrounding pages acquired holes and rust marks from the metal fittings of an earlier binding, so must have been added later. The two leaves are partly damaged by stains and cockling. p. 8 has six erased lines which probably contained two more manumissions. The initial H of the second line and the words 'ablende þe þis' are legible. Vigorous erasure of a manumission resulted in a hole.

Layout description:

Pricked for 27 long lines. The pricks for ruling suggest that the two leaves originally belonged to the same quire, perhaps Quire 10 of CCCC 140, which now only has four leaves.

Hand description:

Number of hands: 4

Summary: According to the C11 project, the relic lists on p. 7 were written by the same scribe, between 1075 and 1087. Each is a set of relics donated by named individuals so, presumably, these entries were written at different times, as the relics were donated.

The first four manumissions on p. 8 and the last seven words of p. 56 are in the same hand, s. xi2, as CCCC 140, fols 71-72v and part of fol. 1r. The horned c is characteristic of this hand. They are dateable to Abbot Ælsige’s abbacy. They have a large format, but pp. 7-8 is one folio inserted into Quire 1 of CCCC 111, linked to pp. 5-6 with a stub under both singletons. It is possible to detect, underneath the loose stitching, the original sewing stations, which ought to tally with those from CCCC 140.

Another hand wrote the fifth manumission.

One main hand wrote the agreement, pp. 55-56, but the last seven words were added later, as mentioned above.

Hand: 1
• Scope: major
• Scribe: Ker 35 Art. 7
• Script: English Vernacular Minuscule
• Description: Scribe at p. 7, list of relics, Items 1 and 2.
• Summary of the characteristics of the hand: An angular hand.
• a is drawn like u, with a relatively flat top created by a second stroke.
• Horned c.
• Distinctive p with a rounded and curled bowl that does not quite close.
• This scribe uses high s with an almost curled shoulder and also a low form of the graph.
• Abbreviations: The abbreviation for 'drihten' is comprised of 'driht' with a line through the h. The abbreviation mark is like s on its side.
• Punctuation: Punctuation includes low flat hyphens at the line end; and a punctus slightly above the line.
• Correcting technique: Correction is by erasure, subpunctus and interlinear correction.

Hand: 2
• Scope: major
• Scribe: Ker 35 Art. 8
• Script: English Vernacular Minuscule
• Description: Scribe at p. 8, manumissions, Items 3 and 4, 5, and 6. For the description of the hand, see the main hand in CCCC 140.

Hand: 3
• Scope: major
• Scribe: Ker 35 art 8
• Script: English Vernacular Minuscule
• Description: Scribe at p. 8, the fifth manumission, Item 7.
Smaller script than the hand who copied four other manumissions. Brown ink. Short and straight descenders. The ascenders are wedged. Cross-strokes with downward serifs.

Hand: 4
• Scope: major
• Scribe: Ker 35 art 9
• Script: English Vernacular Minuscule
• Description: Scribe at pp. 55-56. Item 8.
This scribe, who can be considered an anchor scribe because of the date (Confraternity Agreement between the prior of Worcester and the abbots of Evesham, Chertsey, Bath, Pershore, Winchcombe and Gloucester, (datable to early in 1077), has a number of useful dating features:
• general aspect is round and upright, regular and relatively well spaced;
• dfuctus is that of a pen held at a low angle to the ruled line; not much thin-thick distinction;
• wedged or even clubbed ascenders (þ with a split ascender), comprised generally of two strokes;
• many descenders are straight, but some curve round to the left at the bottom, and others have flattened feet at the end (p, f, ƿ);
• Caroline forms within the Latin; insular minuscule within the Old English. Graphic distinctions well maintained.
• Summary of the characteristics of the hand:
• a is single compartment and slightly triangular, but rounded. Sometimes caroline too, and with a longish tail when it comes at the line end. Enlarged a, rare but present.
• æ has a high e, often with an elongated tongue.
• d is small and round-backed but the upstroke is at 45º, rather than curved back over the bowl. The upstroke frequently flicks upwards and to the right at the end.
• e has a small bowl in relation to the bow; horned with an extended tongue, especially at the end of the line.
• f is insular with a tongue (midstroke) that is longer than the curled shoulder.
• The downstroke of insular g starts in the middle of the head and curves round into an abundant and rounded closed tail. It has a small attack stroke (like the t, on occasion).
• h has serifs to the right of the downstrokes.
• minims are straight and regular.
• o is generally very round.
• p has flat feet at the end or just one oblique foot to the right.
• r is insular with a straight oblique foot across the descender to the left and to the right.
• Long s, made in two strokes, swooping up and over at the top, and then curving to the left under the line. Final s tends to be low, with a hooked curve over.
• t has an occasional attack stroke from right to left.
• þ is a dramatic graph with straight, wedged ascender.
• ð has a very long upstroke, straight, at 45º, and longer than other ascenders. The crossbar transects the upstroke closer to the top than the bowl, and has two small serifs at either end, the lower pointing upwards, the upper pointing down.
• y is rounded and dotted, curving to the right: both limbs turn over to the right at the top. The tail curves slightly under the preceding letter.
• Many descenders are straight, but some curve round to the left at the bottom, and others have flattened feet at the end (p, f, ƿ).
• Wedged or even clubbed ascenders (þ with a split ascender), comprised generally of two strokes.
• Abbreviations:
• Tironian notae are quite dramatic rising above x-height, with a high cross-stroke and straight descender at 90º going below the line. Occasional minor flourish to right of the descender; occasional flick to the left at the end.
• Abbreviation for þæt is crossed þ, with a pronounced cross-stroke with reverse facing serifs.
• Biscop in line 1; abb' for abbot.
• In Latin, abbreviation mark is slightly curved.
• Punctuation: punctus above line, medially placed. Usually above the base line.
• Ligatures: Does not use st ligature.

Binding Description:

Sent to be rebound between 25th and 31st August, 1748, along with thirteen manuscripts and one printed book. Rebound again in 1937 or 1938 by the Cambridge Binding Guild. Binding is a half-binding of tanned pigskin with green Ingres-type paper sides over millboards. There are triple endpapers at each end (Budny 1997, p. 582). Disbound for the Parker on the Web project, at which point it was examined by Elaine Treharne.

History:

Origin:

A composite manuscript. The two leaves come from CCCC 140, which comes from Bath. Much of this manuscript contains documents from and relating to Bath, including a twelfth-century cartulary from Bath Abbey.

Provenance:

Probably remained in Bath until Parker's ownership.

Acquisition:

Passed as membra disiecta to the keeping of Corpus Christi College by Parker's indenture of 1575.

Additional Information:

Administration Information:

Described by Takako Kato, Hollie Morgan and Elaine Treharne with the assistance of George Younge (2010; 2013).

Surrogates:

EM Project facsimile

Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and Stanford University, Parker Library on the Web (http://parkerweb.stanford.edu/parker/; accessed in 2010)

Bibliography:

Bright, James Wilson, ed., The Gospel of Saint Matthew in West-Saxon (Boston, MA and London: Heath, 1904)

Budny, Mildred, Insular, Anglo-Saxon, and Early Anglo-Norman Manuscript Art at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge: An Illustrated Catalogue, 2 vols (Kalamazoo, Mich.: Medieval Institute Publications Western Michigan University in Association with Research Group on Manuscript Evidence the Parker Library Corpus Christi College Cambridge, 1997), vol. 1

Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and Stanford University, Parker Library on the Web (http://parkerweb.stanford.edu/parker/; accessed in 2010)

Earle, John, A Hand-Book to the Land-Charters and Other Saxonic Documents (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1888)

Gneuss, Helmut, Handlist of Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A List of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100 (Tempe, AZ: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2001), item 44

Grunberg, M., The West-Saxon Gospels: A Study of the Gospels of St. Matthew with Text of the Four Gospels (Amsterdam: Scheltema and Holkema NV, 1967)

Hunt, W., Two Chartularies of the Priory of St. Peter at Bath, vii (London: Harrison and Sons, 1893)

Kemble, John M., and Charles Hardwick, The Gospel According to Saint Matthew in Anglo-Saxon and Northumbrian Versions Synoptically Arranged, with Collations of the Best Manuscripts (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1858)

Ker, N. R., Catalogue of Manuscripts Containing Anglo-Saxon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1957; repr. 1990), item 35

Liuzza, R. M., 'The Texts of the Old English Riddle 30', JEGP, (1988), 1-15

Mason, Emma, St Wulfstan of Worcester (Oxford: Blackwell, 1990), pp. 197-200

Page, R. I., 'New Work on Old English Scratched Glosses', in Studies in English Language and Early Literature in Honour of Paul Christophersen, ed. by P. M. Tilling, Occasional Papers in Linguistics and Language Teaching, 8 (Coleraine: New University of Ulster, 1981)

Scragg, Donald, Alexander Rumble, and Kathryn Powell, C11 Database Project (Manchester Centre for Anglo-Saxon Studies, http://www.arts.manchester.ac.uk/mancass/c11database/; accessed in 2009)