Manuscript Description Alnwick, Northumberland, Alnwick Castle, Collection of the Duke of Northumberland MS 455 | |
| MS Appellation: | Northumberland, Nl (Manly and Rickert) |
| Title: | Canterbury Tales |
| Author: | Chaucer |
| Contents: | Canterbury Tales + unique Tale of Beryn |
| Language: | English |
| Date Range: | 1450-1475 |
| Scribal Hands: | Examples of the hand. Click on the link above for full details and images of individual letter forms.                 |
| Dialect: | LP : 6040; County : Essex |
| Material: | Parchment |
| No of Folios: | 2 thick newish paper flyleaves + 287 parchment textblock + 2 newish paper flyleaves |
| Pagination: | Modern pencil in lower margin of each folio to the left of the right-hand margin line. |
| Quiring: | 8 |
| Signatures: | No medieval signatures survive, but modern ones have been added in pencil in the lower outer corner of every folio; upper case letter plus roman for i-iv and arabic for 5-8; begins with Aiij on f1, continues to Z8 on f173 then double upper case letters beginning AAi on f174. |
| Catchwords: | By the scribe in the ink of the text on last leaf verso of quire; text runs up to right margin line in lower margin at extreme lower edge; many partially cropped; those not cropped have sleigh beneath with concave left side and concave right with loop back which crosses the lower bar of sleigh. |
| Page Size: | 308 x 198 |
| Frame: | Square of fine brown crayon or plummet; top line of text may be completely above the frame or the frame may be used as the boundary for the top of minims; bottom line of text is sometimes below the bottom line of the frame. |
| Writing Space: | 220 x 100-110 |
| Marginal Headings: | Rubric headings with rope-design line-fillers. |
| Paragraph Marks: | No space between stanzas; red and blue alternating paraphs mark beginning of stanzas and also precede marginal glosses of authorities in Melibeus. Gloss may be red or black. |
| Flourished Initials: | 2-4-line blue lombard initials with red pen-work. |
| Other Names (not owners): | f56 'John Hucchun' upside down and 'John pasmore' in 15th-16th century hands.'Thomas Hucchyns' on f71. These names in various spellings recur on many folios. Other names include 'Roberte' on f74; 'Nery Blade' on f102 in 16th-17th century hand; merchant's marks involving 'T' and 'H' on f103 and 'S' and 'R' on f105; 'George bobocome' on f107; 'John povle' on 115; on f119v 'Joffinbynell' and 'John Collyns monograms of 'A' and 'AL' on f120; and of Thomas Hucchyns on ff120, 127, 129v, 134, 136v etc; 'William huchyns / John Huchyns / Rychard huchyns / Samuell huchyns' on f151v all by one hand; 'Wyllyam War[ ] / Roger de wo[ ] / John C[ir?]mond(?) / harry brygh[ ] / John dane' on f161v; notes on the process of a bill signed 'Per me george Webber' by a 16th century hand on f162; other names include Wyllian Warde, John holomore, Richard Court[ ], John Willis hu[ ], Chingseuff, Rycharde webber, Thomas Wylkley; 'Liber thome hucc[ ]' and several elaborate monograms and his scribal mark on f233; many more repetitions of the names on other folios. |
| Further Information: | Manly and Rickert I: 387-395. |