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Manuscript Description
Tokyo, Takamiya Collection MS 24
 
MS Appellation:olim Chatsworth, Duke of Devonshire; Ds, Devonshire (Manly and Rickert)
Title:Canterbury Tales
Author:Chaucer
Contents:Canterbury Tales, ff1-274; Lydgate's Life of St Margaret, ff275-282
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.
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Dialect:Hooked g scribe : Standardised/Kent
Material:Parchment
No of Folios: i+ 282 + 4 (last of four matches marbled)
Pagination:Modern pencil in upper outer corners
Quiring:1-35(8), 36(2)
Catchwords:By scribe in ink of text
Page Size:372 x 262
Frame:2 x vertical, 4 x horizontal enclosing top and bottom lines, ruled within in purple ink.
Writing Space:243 x 75
Incipits and Explicits:Rubric in spaces left for them between lines of text
Running Titles:In large elongated gothic initials with alternating blue with red penwork and gold with purple.
Borders:4-sided band border on f1 in gold, pink, blue, rose, green. Similar but not so luxurious borders to begin tales.
Historiated Initials:Within the 12-line initial on f1 is a wealthy-looking man seated and reflective.
Illuminated Initials:26 6-12-line decorative initials; blue, red, gold, pink, green and white highlighting
Paragraph Marks:Rubric and first lines of folios also touched in red
Flourished Initials:Large pen-flourished initials with cadels (strapwork) introduce prologues and links in CT.
Other Names (not owners):On f274v a shield with the arms of Knyvet, identified by Manly and Rickert as those of Sir Edmund Knyvet (d. 1546) of Norfolk. They trace the progress of the manuscript to other Norfolk families, the Walopoles and Skarlets. Thence to le Strange (on f181v Hamon le Strange), Spelman, Mason, the Duke of Roxburgh and thereafter to the Duke of Devonshire. Sold in 1974 to the House of El Dieff, New York. Purchased by Takamiya.
Further Information:Manly and Rickert I: 117-121. Seymour II: 237-241. Takamiya list in Marrow et al., The Medieval Book.
Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York, King's Manor, York YO1 7EP