A catalogue of Western manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries and selected Oxford colleges

MSS. Bodl. 741-2

Summary Catalogue no.: 2755

Summary Catalogue no.: 2756

Ludolf of Saxony, etc.; England, 1444/5

Physical Description

Hand(s)

Two hands: (1) vol. 1, and vol. 2, fols. 1–301, 338–40, Johannes Chestur (colophon); (2) vol. 2, fols. 302–37.

Decoration

Good penwork borders, initials. (Pächt and Alexander iii. 907)

Coloured borders and initials.

Binding

19th century.

Preserves two pairs of medieval clasps.

History

Origin: 1445 (new style; 1444 old style) ; English

Provenance and Acquisition

Colophon, MS. Bodl. 742, fol. 301, see below.

William Byconyll, -1448: ex libris on fol. 2 of both volumes (see below).

John Birkhede, -1468: ex libris on fol. 2 of both volumes (see below).

Oxford, All Souls College (?): ex libris on fol. 2 of both volumes (see below), but MLGB3 and Pächt and Alexander suggest that the reversionary gift mentioned did not take effect.

Windsor, collegiate chapel of St George; pressmark FP

Presented by the dean and canons of Windsor in 1612.

MS. Bodl. 741

Contents

Language(s): Latin

1. (fol. 1)
Ludolf of Saxony, Vita Christi

Part 1, but here divided after ch. 61 (fol. 189) into two parts.

(fol. 278v)

Two indexes to the whole work, one adapting the book for a course of reading throughout the year, the other a list of chapters.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: 283 + i fols.
Dimensions (leaf): 320 × 218 mm.

Layout

2 cols., 47–49 lines, column space 224 × 65–70 mm.

History

Provenance

Pen trial, 15th century, fol. 284, includes the names of magistri Stalford (or Salford) (?), Baskerfeld, and Dockete.

⟨Liber collegii Animarum Omnium Fidelium defunctorum in Oxonia ex dono Magistri Willelmi Bygonell post decessum magistri Iohannis Byrkehed⟩’ (fol. 2)

MS. Bodl. 742

Contents

Language(s): Latin

1. (fol. 1)
Ludolf of Saxony, Vita Christi,

‘Part 3’ (usually presented as part 2)

(fol. 301)
Colophon: Explicit 3ª pars de vita christi scripta per manus Johannis Chestur Anno domini Mº CCCCº xliiijº Et etiam Anno Regni Regis Henrici Sexti xxiijº xiijº die Februarij

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: iv + 340 fols.
Dimensions (leaf): 325 × 220 mm.

Layout

2 cols., 47–49 lines, column space 220–30 × 65 mm.

History

Provenance

⟨Liber collegii Animarum Omnium Fidelium defunctorum in Oxonia ex dono Magistri Willelmi Bygonell post mortem magistri Iohannis Byrkehed⟩’ (fol. 2)

Additional Information

Record Sources

Description adapted (March 2019) from the following sources:
A. G. Watson, Catalogue of Dated and Datable Manuscripts c.435–1600 in Oxford Libraries (Oxford, 1984), no. 112 [physical description, origin, provenance]
Otto Pächt and J. J. G. Alexander, Illuminated Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, III (1973), no. 907 [decoration]
Summary Catalogue (1922) [contents, acquisition]

Bibliography

Last Substantive Revision

2019-03-25: Revised to incorporate all information in Watson, SC and Pächt and Alexander.