Advanced Search   *   Manuscripts   *   Scribes   *   Authors   *   Letters
Home   *   About the Project   *   Bibliography
Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council
Find What? Search by
Manuscript Description
London, British Library MS Harley 2251
 
MS Appellation:Hl2 (Manly and Rickert)
Title:English Poetry Anthology
Author:Chaucer and Lydgate
Contents:Minor works of Chaucer and Lydgate
Language:English
Date Range:After 1464
Scribal Hands:
Examples of the hand. Click on the link above for full details and images of individual letter forms.
**************

Material:Paper
No of Folios:3 heavy newer paper (probably added on rebinding) + 293 + 4 newer paper matching those at front of volume.
Pagination:Both modern and medieval pagination in upper outer corners; the scribe also numbered folios in each of first two quires.
Quiring:20
Signatures:The signature 'dj' begins on f100; a series of 'f' signatures begin on f140; 'k' begins on f199, 't' on f246; at f261 is 'aii' and 'a' are followed by 'b's; the system may be because the volume consists of separate booklets but the scribe clearly brought them together and inserted the medieval foliation in upper outer corners recto.
Catchwords:By the scribe with same-colour sleigh under, centred below the text on the verso of the last folio of each quire.
Page Size:292 x 210
Frame:Square in drypoint with top line of text above top line of frame; no frame for glosses which are quite extensive in some texts.
Writing Space:200 x 105
Incipits and Explicits:Subtitles appear as marginal notes and explicits sometimes name works or authors, as in 'Explicit quod lidegate Amen' on f188.
Marginal Headings:Marginal glosses by the scribe.
Paragraph Marks:Red before first line of each stanza and each gloss; red underlining for some glosses.
Flourished Initials:2-5-line blue lombard capitals with red pen-work
Other Names (not owners):Shirley: some of the contents clearly copied from Shirley manuscripts; note at the bottom of f227v at the end of 'Procession of Corpus Christi by Lydgate' (f224-f227v), 'Shirley kowde fynde nomore for this copye'.
Further Information:Harley Catalogue; Manly and Rickert I. 241-244; Seymour I. 140-143. Eleanor Hammond.
Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York, King's Manor, York YO1 7EP