Manuscript Description London, British Library MS Cotton Vespasian B.XXII | |
| Title: | Admiralty Ordinances |
| Contents: | Notes at front on lunary, a calendar of saints, ides, nones etc., Black Book of the Admiralty, further notes at end on business of the Admiralty, duties of Marshall, fees for scribe, etc. |
| Date Range: | After 1413, ie reign of Henry V |
| Scribal Hands: | Examples of the hand. Click on the link above for full details and images of individual letter forms. |
| Material: | Parchment |
| No of Folios: | 1 heavy paper matches pastedown + 3 paper of same date as binding + 1 original end leaf with stain of covering leather around edges + 3 original flyleaves now numbered 1-3 on which are written short prose texts on the days of the moon + calendar on fols 4-9v + text of Black Book of the Admiralty, fols 10-90 + 4 mostly blank leaves once numbered 91-94 but now crossed through, with longitude and latitude chart crudely drawn on former 94 in 15th-16th c hand + 92 also almost blank and formerly 95 + 93-99 formerly 96-102 with undecorated writing by another scribe, not same as at front + 3 paper flyleaves from time of binding + heavy black page matching pastedown. |
| Pagination: | Modern (19th c?) ink large arabic in upper recto corners, crossed out from f91 onwards and replaced by modern pencil that does not count former ff91-94. |
| Quiring: | 8s |
| Signatures: | Two versions of signatures both medieval in lower right corners recto, one ' across lower margin numbering quires in romans, eg vj on f50, viij on f66; signatures further to right in lower right corner recto of first 4 leaves each quire with romans I through iiij but letters confused showing possible different order or separate production: top of a letter and iii just visible on f12, g ii on f19, g iii on f20, g iiii on f21, a I on f26 to a iiii on f29 (quire numbered iij), h I to h iiii on ff34-37 (quire numbered iiii), top of a letter on f45, e i to e iiii on ff50-53 (quire numbered vi), d iiii on f61 (quire numbered vii), c I to c iiii on ff66-69 (quire numbered viii), b I to b iiii on ff74-77 (quire numbered ix), No further quire numbering. |
| Catchwords: | None |
| Page Size: | 256 x 175 |
| Frame: | 2 x vertical, 4 x horizontal enclosing top and bottom lines, ruled within, fine grey lines. |
| Writing Space: | 158 x 98 |
| Marginal Headings: | Where they exist, eg ff71v-73v, centred in black script by scribe with first initial of line height but written in alternating gold with purple or blue with red flourishing in small box around. |
| Borders: | On f10 full bar border in blue, gold and pink with acanthus leaves, bosses, etc in very professional style. |
| Illuminated Initials: | On f10 an 8-line historiated initial on gold leaf ground, the initial in pink and blue with extensive white highlighting. Many further 3-line blue or pink initials with white highlighting and foliage solid inside in the alternating pink or blue with white highlighting, on gold grounds. |
| Flourished Initials: | Alternating gold with purple penwork and blue with red penwork flourishing which follows shape of letter (always 'I') and has very short almost non-existent extenders and short tendrils. |
| Other Names (not owners): | Robert Cotton has signed his name bottom ff4 and 10. |
| Further Information: | Cotton catalogue. ff94, 94v lists fees to be paid to scribe of the Admiralty: [L]es ffees appurtenauntz au Scribe del Court Dadmiralte [L?]en primez auerra le Scribe pour lentre de chacum plaint iiij d tunc auera Le Scribe pur Lentre de chescun plegge |