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Manuscript Description
London, British Library, Harley MS 6041
 
Title:Piers Plowman
Author:Langland
Contents:Piers Plowman, AC splice/hybrid
Language:English and Latin
Scribal Hands:
Examples of the hand. Click on the link above for full details and images of individual letter forms.
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Material:Paper
No of Folios:2 new paper flyleaves + text block folios 1-102 + 2 new paper flyleaves
Pagination:Modern arabic ink foliation in upper outer corners recto, 1-102
Quiring:12s
Signatures:Signatures on lower outer corners of first 6 leaves of quires are just the roman numbers i to vi, no letters, but some have 'fo' or 'p' after them.
Catchwords:By the scribe in lower margin of last folio verso each quire, near lower edge of page and several words running up to right frame line.
Page Size:224 x 144 mm
Frame:Square above top line and below bottom line, ruled within, with pricking on outer edges (unusual for paper), brownish-purplish plummet or in black ink (various quires).
Writing Space:180 x 110 mm
Incipits and Explicits:Text ends on f102v with 4 lines at top of page ending 'Amen' with a sign as part of the 'N' of 'Amen' and then below as if there for key to rubricator is written in same date of script but not main scribe's, 'Explicit Pere p' where the 'Explicit' in lighter ink and 'Pere p' in darker; after them another word written in very pale brown ink, possibly several words but only first few letters legible, beginning 'Synþele' or Synrele' or something like that.
Marginal Headings:By the scribe in spaces left for them, black ink of text but written in bastard anglicana or attempt at textura.
Title by Scribe:'Peorse plowmanne' in later script added to top margin of f1, possibly 16th century.
Paragraph Marks:Some red paraphs in left margins, some descenders in last lines are decorated by extending to a drawing of a hand or of a leaf (eg f2 or f21r)
Flourished Initials:On f1 plain red 3-line initial with coat of arms tucked into left side, now blackened out so cannot see arms; other passus begin with 3-line red initials with odd geometric black flourishing forming square cells around the letter with dot in middle of each cell; crude foliage-like patterns inside letters. Latin lines begin with plain 1-line red initials and are written in attempt at textura, perhaps bastard anglicana would better describe.
Other Names (not owners):Just coats of arms.
Miscellaneous Info:Other quartered coats of arms in MS, eg f1v; f2v where black and white with upper left and lower right being solid black, upper right and lower left solid white, and in the white quarters three 'bugs' which are ???ermine tails???; f3v where black and white with upper left and lower right being solid black, upper right and lower left solid white, with a red crescent in upper right quadrant, its opening facing upwards so cup-like; f4v where black and white with upper left and lower right being solid black, upper right and lower left solid white, red upside-down crenelation running across the middle of the two upper quadrants; f5v where black and white with upper left and lower right being solid black, upper right and lower left solid white, with a white oblique band through the black parts, upper left down to lower right (illegitimate?)'so all of the relatives of a family that owned the MS?
Further Information:Harley catalogue. On the first flyleaf at back, recto, a modern ink note by librarian (or BL) noting 'The mutilations of this MS at ff. 23, 24, 26, 27, 35 are of ancient date' then an illegible signature and the date '7 Feb 1867'.
Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York, King's Manor, York YO1 7EP