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Manuscript Description
Oxford, Wadham College MS 13
 
Title:Confessio Amantis
Author:Gower
Contents:Confessio Amantis, C Version (1-442) and Traitie (442v-446v)
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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Examples of the hand. Click on the link above for full details and images of individual letter forms.
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Dialect:Hand 1; LP No 581; County Derbys Hand 2; County NE Staffs/Derbys (cf LP 581): LALME places dialect in northwest Midlands, see also owners/notes relating to Cheshire.
Material:Paper
No of Folios:1 paper flyleaf blank + 2 flyleaves of which first is parchment, second paper both written all over + 1-446 + 2 paper flyleaves blank
Pagination:Modern foliation in upper outer corners recto, pencil.
Quiring:Mapstone's collation: i six leaves (iii, 1-5) 2-118 12 10 (86-95) 13-178 18 10 (136-45) 19-248 25 seven leaves (194-200) 26-368 37 8 (wants 4, after f. 291) 388 398 (wants 4, after fol. 306) 40-548 5510 (431-40) 56 six leaves (441-6, incomplete)
Signatures:No signatures
Catchwords:Several words, near bottom of page running into gutter, preceded by red paraph, each scribe did his own.
Page Size:290 x 205
Frame:Rectangle not extending to margins, not ruled within; some pricking survives; drawn in fine grey lines or invisible so possibly drypoint.
Writing Space:210 x c. 75 in single column
Marginal Headings:Some glosses eg 'Versus' in rubric in margin and 'Amans' and 'Confessor' in margins preceded by rubric paraphs (but text of these in black); some rubric rhyme markings. On f iii verso bottom: This boke made yAnd' fynished yn the xii yere of kyng Rychard the Second And the yere of our lorde god M CCC xcii. Compiled & made by Jhon gower he dedycated ubi unto þe mighti prynce henry erle of darby wch after was kyng of england called harry þe fowrthe
Running Titles:Rubric running titles; running titles backwards to usual, the number on verso and 'Liber' on recto; so number is ordinal with superscript 'o' after it.
Title by Scribe:Usual conclusion but no additional title to identify.
Paragraph Marks:Rubric paraphs before glosses and catchwords.
Flourished Initials:On f1, 8-line red and black incised initial with foliage against black ground inside letter, black and red ground with white showing through to create a third 'colour', scroll extending from this with 'Dedwod Iohn' on it, and elaborate sprays in black, red into outer margin; 2-line plain red initials.
Other Names (not owners):From Mapstone: f163v margin 16th c 'by the hande of Thomas Massy; 257 bottom 'Edward
f283v bottom '...mstr John Bryght
f368 margin 'Thomas Dean . . . this boke'parchment flyleaf and f iii at front written with names of sheriffs of Chester and also names of Roger Sefton, priest (ii verso), William Troutbeck (iii v), Ellyen Troutbecke. Also Peter Hawes, Thomas Massy. John del Dedwode Chester records after 1431, probably father of John Dedwod for whom book made. The Troutbecks and Dedwodes were major land owners around Chester 1430s and mayors, sheriffs etc.
Further Information:Mapstone description. Mapstone wrote description of this MS in 1982, unpublished, kept with the MS in Wadham; some details taken from her description.
Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York, King's Manor, York YO1 7EP