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Manuscript Description
USA, San Marino, CA, Henry E. Huntington Library MS HM 28561
 
MS Appellation:B (Waldron)
Title:Trevisa, trans of Polychronicon
Author:Trevisa's translation of Higden
Contents:Trevisa's translation of Higden's Polychronicon (version A); Of the Begynnyng of the World and the Rewmes Bitwixe; Dialogus inter Clericum et Militem; Defensio Curatorum.
Language:English
Date Range:1450-1475. Dutschke says 'towards the middle and end of the fifteenth century' (2.686).
Scribal Hands:
Examples of the hand. Click on the link above for full details and images of individual letter forms.
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Examples of the hand. Click on the link above for full details and images of individual letter forms.
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Examples of the hand. Click on the link above for full details and images of individual letter forms.
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Examples of the hand. Click on the link above for full details and images of individual letter forms.
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Material:Parchment
No of Folios:i (contemporary parchment) + 337
Pagination:Modern pencil in upper outer corners recto.
Quiring:8s
Signatures:Signatures lower right corner of leaves in first half of each quire, lower case letters plus roman numerals beginning cross for first quire and then a, b, c, etc., original and mostly not cropped.
Catchwords:By the scribe, at a bit right of centre under right column, no embellishment.
Page Size:380 x 277
Frame:4 x vertical enclosing 2 columns, 4 x horizontal enclosing top and bottom lines, ruled in lead (brownish, thick); pricking occasionally visible outer edges as well as top and bottom.
Writing Space:264 x 176
Marginal Headings:By the scribes in same black as text, larger and bolder script, textura whereas text script is anglicana but using secretary g (scribes 1 and 3), or secretary (scribes 2 and 4).
Table of Contents:Index of content, ff24-40v, by main scribe and follows introduction so original.
Borders:Decoration varies a great deal. Some 2-line gold initials on blue and red grounds completed with bar borders and foliage patterns in blue, orange, pink, green and gold (eg f12), and others incomplete (eg f103v) where plain red and blue ground and some gold dots in left margin perhaps meant to be part of sprays never added (as in the completed initial on f57); or on f27r where only the gold was put onto ground around initial and bar border but no colours added, or f26v where just the gesso painted on for the gold.
Illuminated Initials:Some 2-line gold initials on blue and red grounds. Incomplete decoration on others as on f27r where only the gold was put onto ground around initial.
Paragraph Marks:Up to f138 some parts also have plain red paraphs.
Other Names (not owners):Arms of first owner described by Dutschke 2.686 from borders of ff1 and 88; pentrials of names: Welby Willm (15th c), f255; 'John Hornywold the son off Richard Hornywold' (15th c) on back pastedown; 'George Hornby' (16th c) on f.i and notes on family on verso of this leaf; Wyllyam barray (16th c) will dated 30th year of reign of Henry VIII; 'John Harry' (16th c) on f164; Robert Smith (1500), on back pastedown; 'this boke longyth to Rycharde Welby gentyllman' on back pastedown; Willliam Cecil, Baron Burghley (1520-98) owned and wrote notes in the MS, after which it is called the 'Burghley Polychronicon'.
Miscellaneous Info:Four hands as identified by Dutschke, 2.686: 1. ff1-78a, line 5 and then back and forth with second until f123 which he writes entirely but then doesn't appear again: anglicana formata with some secretary. 2. ff78-122v back and forth with first, then solely ff123v-319v secretary. 3. ff320-325 (art. 9), late anglicana formata with some secretary forms. 4. ff326-337v (art. 10), secretary.
Further Information:Dutschke 2.683-687. Ronald Waldron, John Trevisa's Translation of the Polychronicon of Ranulph Higden, Book VI, Middle English Texts 35 (2004), pp. xxix-xxx.
Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York, King's Manor, York YO1 7EP