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

MS. Bodl. 345

Summary Catalogue no.: 2411

Contents

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: ii + 121 fols.
Dimensions (leaf): 325 × 227 mm.

Layout

2 cols., 47–48 lines, column space 235 × 75 mm.

Decoration

Fine penwork initials. (Pächt and Alexander iii. 1315, pl. CXIX)

Coloured initials, rubrics.

History

Origin: Before 1170 (1164 × 1170?) ; French, Paris (?)

Provenance and Acquisition

Fol. iii verso ‘S.T.’, i.e. Sanctus Thomas, indicating the gift to Christ Church, Canterbury, by Thomas Becket (d. 1170). Presumably made for him in France during his exile 1164–1170.

Christ Church, Canterbury: identifiable as no. 808 in Prior Eastry's catalogue (before 1331) (James, Ancient Libraries, p. 83). Christ Church marginal marking (four dots) passim (MLGB3).

Christ Church, Canterbury: identifiable as no. 193 in the list of books repaired in 1508 (James, Ancient Libraries, p. 159).

Given by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob Colfe in 1616.

Record Sources

Description adapted (2018) from the following sources with additional reference to published literature as cited:
A. G. Watson, Catalogue of Dated and Datable Manuscripts c.435–1600 in Oxford Libraries (Oxford, 1984), no. 77 [physical description, origin, provenance]
Otto Pächt and J. J. G. Alexander, Illuminated Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, III (1973), no. 1315 [decoration]
Summary Catalogue (1922) [contents, provenance, acquisition]

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (1 image from 35mm slides)

Bibliography

Last Substantive Revision

2018-11-12: Revised to incorporate all information in Watson, Pächt and Alexander, and SC.