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Manuscript Description
Oxford, Bodleian Library MS Lyell 31
 
MS Appellation:Clumber Gower
Title:Confessio Amantis
Author:Gower
Contents:Confessio Amantis
Language:English and Latin
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:County; Gowerian/colourless
Material:Parchment
No of Folios:iii parchment flyleaves + 1-165 + iii parchment flyleaves
Pagination:Modern pencil in top right corner of the rectos.
Quiring:1(8), 2(missing), 3-8(8), 9(8)(2-7 missing), 10(8) (2 missing), 11-12(8), 13(8) (8 missing), 14-22(8), 23(6) (6 canc).
Signatures:None visible.
Catchwords:Catchwords occur regularly and are positioned in the middle of the lower border straddling the parallel lines which divide the columns.
Page Size:422 x 290
Frame:4 x vertical of which the central pair provide the space between the 2 columns; 4 x horizontal of which each pair encloses first and last lines. Ruled in purple ink within the columns.
Writing Space:302 x 178 in 2 columns
Incipits and Explicits:Explicits in the ink of the text in a textura script with the initial letter 'E' in blue and flourished with red.
Marginal Headings:'Confessor' and 'Amans' occur frequently in the margins in the ink of the text. Other marginal glosses are also in black ink. Red ink is used within the text frame for the Latin explanatory glosses.
Running Titles:On every folio, beginning with 'prologue' and continuing with 'Liber' on the verso and the number of the book on the recto. Titles in black ink with first letter of each word a red or blue capital flourished with either red or violet.
Title by Scribe:'Prologus' on f1.
Borders:Small borders which are made up of sprays of foliage.
Illuminated Initials:Gold on red/purple and blue ground, foliage
Flourished Initials:Large blue initials flourished with red and smaller initials of blue and red flourished with red or violet. Some Lombard capitals remain unflourished.
Other Names (not owners):'Robert Lambert 1660 and William Mander (also 17th century) on f165v. Other 17th century names scribbled throughout the manuscript include: John Birde (f2), Thomas Nakeam (f35), John Navall (f48), William Lame (ff55, 89, 161), William Buttan (f161).
Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York, King's Manor, York YO1 7EP