MS. Don. b. 5

Provenance and Acquisition

Written and illuminated in England, 14th century; the original calendar includes the feast of St. Anne, while that of the Visitation is added, and both are absent from the Sanctorale; those of St. Winifred, St. Chad, and St. David are absent; Pächt & Alexander suggest a date of c. 1370–80, van Dijk suggests c. 1385.

Probably at Adderbury, Oxfordshire, in the late 14th century, when the dedication of St. Mary's church was added to the calendar: 'Dedicatio ecclesie Sancte Marie de Eadb(er)b(ur)y' (1 Dec.). It is likely that, as a surname, Abberbury is a variant spelling of Eadburbury, and that it is therefore perhaps relevant that Sir Richard Abberbury, chamberlain to Queen Anne, was granted the manor of Carswell, in Buckland (cf. below), in 1383 (see William Page, P. H. Ditchfield, and John Hautenville Cope, eds., The Victoria County History of Berkshire (5 vols., London, 1924), IV, pp. 91, 456).

Probably at St. Mary's church, Buckland, Berkshire, in the 15th century, when its dedication was added to the calendar: 'Dedicatio ecclesie de Bucland' (4 July), and other additions were made to the calendar, including obits and records of gifts to the church, of William Nowell(?), Richard Holcot (d. 1465, according to a tablet still in the church) of Buckland, and John Pyrle (these and other entries are summarised in Hewlett et al., 1885). For St. Mary's, Buckland, and Richard Holcot, see Page et al., op. cit., IV, pp. 457–60): (i) 'Wylliam [N?]owell [ ... ...]a de bukland ab iconomis ecclesie que dedit vnam vac[... ...]la | dominicali etiam xiiijd annuali in perpetuum' (12 Jan.). (ii) 'obitus Ricardi holcot perpetuo tenenda in(?) ecclesia de bukland \ab iconomis ecclesie/ et ecciam rotule domincali | annuatam(??) in perpetuum xijd et clerico per pulsacionis p(ost?) aue(?) et seruicia pulsato | [...] xiiijd qu[...] dedit [...] s ac condicione et prouide[..] xijd | vicarius legere et orat[..]e [..] in(?) rotulam predictam' (15 Jan.). (iii) 'Obitus iohannis pyrle [or 'pyrk'?] semper tenend' per yconomis de bokland que dedit vnam vaccam ecclesie predicte | sunt(?) predict' condicio' et unam de a[nn?...] xiii qu[...]t custodi[...] pred[...] [...]a(n)ti vicari[.] | ecclesie predicte viii [... ... ...] [dedit?] ecclesia[m?]' (12 May). (iv) 'the day of ye frary chirke' (20 Nov.), i.e. of the Bonhommes of Buckland, according to van Dijk.

Feasts of Thomas Becket were crossed out at the Reformation (fols. 32v-33r, 268r, 369r).

Sir Robert Throckmorton, 3rd Bt. (1662–1721), or 4th Bt. (1702–91), of Buckland House, with his armorial bookplate (c. 1725), with his name below his motto: 'VIRTVS SOLA NOBILITAS'; the manor of Buckland belonged to the Throckmorton family from 1690–1910, and the present manuscript is listed in three Buckland library catalogues, as follows: MS. Eng. misc. b. 13, at fol. 91r ('Missale M.S. Illumin'd'); undated (but after 1781, see fol. 100r), giving the shelfmark as press B, 2nd shelf from the bottom. MS. Eng. misc. b. 13, fol. 6r ('Missale M.S. Illum:'); c.1788, giving its location as the 3rd from the bottom ('second shelf') in press 'D'. MS. Eng. misc. b. 12, fols. 35r and 65r ('Missale MS.'); 1796, where its location is again given as 'D. 3.'.

? Sir William Throckmorton; sold in 1909, according to the 1932 Sotheby's description (see below).

John Meade Falkner (1858–1932) (on whom see DNB), honorary librarian to the Dean and Chapter of Durham Cathedral, honorary reader in palaeography at Durham University, author of Moonfleet and other novels, and tutor to the sons of Sir Andrew Noble, including Sir John Noble (cf. below); sold at Sotheby's 12 Dec. 1932 and two following days, lot 293, bought by Quaritch for £220; with their pencilled number '11' within a box at the bottom left-hand corner of fol. i recto.

Presented to the Bodleian by Sir John Noble, Bt., in memory of Meade Falkener, in 1933.