DUL Add.MS. 1950/2 DUL Add.MS. 1950/B/1/Saints' lives (fragment)
Held by: Durham University Library: Additional Manuscripts

Single leaf from a volume of lives of saints, written in Italy (perhaps Rome) late 11th / early 12th century, cut down and re-used as a binding cover in the early modern period.

Digitised: https://n2t.durham.ac.uk/ark:/32150/t1m08612n67s.html

Physical description of manuscript
Support

Parchment

Extent: 1 f
Size: 415 mm x 215 mm

Condition of manuscriptVarious holes, stains, creases and rubbing of the text, one repair. Originally a large and impressive manuscript, with this leaf being rather cut down and subsequently reused as a book cover (possible 16th century title “... readidsti”).
Layout

Written in 2 columns, 33 lines

Decoration

Interlace initial A coloured with light and dark blue

Manuscript history
Creation

Written in Italy, Rome?, late 11th or early 12th century.

Provenance

Bought at Sotheby's auction 7 July 2015, acc no Misc.2014/15:104, 16 July 2015.

Manuscript contents
Modern title: Saints' lives
Date: late 11th or early 12th century
Language: Latin

Single leaf from a volume of lives of saints, featuring parts of the lives of Saints Margaret and Adrian, with the end of the live of St Margaret, from “quando ingressa est beata margarita in carcerem” to “secula seculorum amen”, and the beginning of a life of St Hadrian or Adrian with a rubric “incipit vita et textus epistolarum Adriani primi pape antique Rome”. This text of the Life of St Margaret appears to be variant from previously known versions. The calendar order is curious as Margaret's feast day was 13 July but her text comes before that of Adrian (feast day 8 July).


Digitised material for Durham University Library Fragments: Add.MS 1950/2 - Saints' lives leaf
https://n2t.durham.ac.uk/ark:/32150/t1m08612n67s.html
Index terms