MS. Hamilton 55
Summary Catalogue no.: 24485
Composite theological collection; A, B Germany, 15th century (partly 1420–1 at Erfurt)
Physical Description
Collation
Binding
Medieval chained binding. Sewn on three bands, with wood boards covered in brown leather, parchment pastedowns, the chain attached at the middle of the upper edge of the 'front' board, with the remains of two clasps at the fore-edge for strap-and-pin fastenings (lost) fastening to the 'back' board; the spine renewed, re-using the 19th-century leather title-piece lettered in gilt ‘55.’
Accompanying Material
The pastedowns are made from a 15th century document, turned sideways, mentioning various personal and place-names, including [...]esa, wife of John of Alde of Pforzheim(?) (pforczhei’), doctor, and John of Eikendorf(?), priest.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
Three early stages are evident: (i) parts A and B were presumably written separately, (ii) they were put together and given a continuous foliation, (iii) two groups of quires were lost before binding.
Erfurt (Francisans) (?): Erfurt is mentioned on fols. 147r and 165v. The volume was accepted as an Erfurt Carthusian book by Lehmann, Mittelalterliche Bibliothekskataloge, II, pp. 231, 239, but it lacks the usual ownership inscription, shelfmark, etc., and is not identifiable in the late 15th-century catalogue, and was rejected by Kraemer. The added Franciscan letters on fols. 54v-55r perhaps suggest that it belonged to the Erfurt Fransicans (dedicated to St John the Baptist: cf. fols. 153r-158v); there was also a Franciscan convent at Gelnhausen (fol. 158v).
Not identifiable in the catalogue of the 1836 sale of Friedrich Gottlieb Julius von Bülow, 1760-?1831.
Sir William Hamilton, 1788–1856
Presented to the Bodleian Library by his sons and received in 1857.
MS. Hamilton 55 – Part A (fols. 1–60)
Contents
Language(s): Latin
Shortened sermons on the Lord’s Prayer as related to the Gospels in Lent
Three forms of documents added by three different hands on pages originally left blank, all relating to the affairs of Franciscan convents, the third dated 1444 and referring to Theodoric [Schenk of Erbach], archbishop of Mainz [1434–1459]:
Several friars are named, including Conrad de Wetterspach of Mainz and H. Lapicide(?) of Frankfurt; given at Frankfurt, 17 September 1444
Physical Description
Layout
Verticals (only) ruled in plummet, written in a single column of about 36 lines. Written space c. 165–70 × 105–10 mm.
Hand(s)
Gothic cursive
Decoration
No decoration or rubrication
History
MS. Hamilton 55 – Part B (fols. 61–170)
Contents
Language(s): Latin
Followed by rubric: ‘Sequitur secundus philosophus’
Four short theological pieces, the second dated 1421
Apparently not listed in the table of contents.
Listed in the table of contents at this point, but now missing, are ‘Passio in wlgari Extendit manum suam’ and ‘Notabilia de passione Christi ...’
Starting imperfect (fols. 207–253 inclusive in the medieval foliation are missing). This seems to be the ‘Passio francisci O uos omnes qui transitis’ listed in the table of contents.
Physical Description
Layout
Fols. 61r-136v, 163r-165v frame-ruled in ink, sometimes verticals only; fols. 137r-161r apparently not ruled. Written in a single column of about 42 lines. Written space variable, mostly c. 165–70 × 105 mm.
Hand(s)
Gothic cursive.
Decoration
Some plain red initials.
Spaces for many others left blank.
History
Additional Information
Record Sources
Digital Images
Digital Bodleian (full digital facsimile)
Bibliography
Online resources:
Printed descriptions:
Abbreviations
View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.
Last Substantive Revision
2021-02-10: Revised description for Polonsky German digitization project.