Durham University Library Archives & Special Collections Catalogue
Bernard of Montmirat, Decretals; Durandus, Breviarium. A composite volume of three contemporary parts: (A) f.1-92; (B) f.93-108; (C) f.109-212. (A) and (B) are southern European, (C) northern, distinguished by parchment, script type and secondary initials. The principal initial in each case is, however, in the same style, suggesting the three parts were together at an early date when these were done by a northern European hand.
Parchment
Modern pencil foliation runs: 1-165, 165*-177, 177*-212.
Standard Tuckett binding, mid 19th century full brown calf over thick wooden boards (Charles Tuckett, binder to the British Museum, rebound many Durham manuscripts in the 19th century)
Inscription: “[*?*]ra abbatis super decretales assignatus communi armariolo Dunelm”, early 15th century
Pressmark: “Pa 9 G”, early 15th century, f.1r upper margin. “Pa 9i G”, 15/16th century, f.1r, outer margin, top.
Parchment
I-II12, III-IV10, V-VIII12
Text-block: 285 x 170 mm. 77 lines (space, 4 mm; height of minims, 1.5+ mm) in two columns (width: 84 mm).
Written in Textualis rotunda, varying in compression and angularity. Number of scribes uncertain
Incipit of (a) plus Books II, III and V therein are headed by red and blue capitals, 4-6 lines high, simply flourished in red. The space reserved for the initial for Bk IV (72r) remained unfilled. The incipit to (b) and subsections within (a) and (b) are headed by 2-line-high initials, alternately blue then red, simply embellished.
Written in Southern France or Italy, 14th century
Breaking off imperfect in the section De summa excommunicationis.
Parchment
IX10, X6
Text-block: 286 x 162 mm. 70 lines (space, 4 mm; height of minims, 2 mm) in two columns (width: 72 mm).
Written in Textualis libraria, of southern European type. One scribe, with corrections and retracing of letters by a second.
(c) is headed by blue and red capital, 7 lines high, flourished in red; (d) is headed by a 2-line high penwork capital plus a very large (extending 15+ lines) red paraph.
Written in Southern France or Italy, 14th century
Parchment
XI10, XII12, XIII11 (=12 with 10 cancelled), XIV12, XV10, XVI12 (6 and 7, f.168 & 169, are half-sheets glued together at the joint), XVII12 (=14 lacks 2 and 3 between 175 and 176), XVIII-XIX12, XX3 (=4 with 4 cancelled)
Text-block: 270-285 x 145 mm. 51-52 lines (space, 5 mm; height of minims, 2 mm) in two columns (width: 68 mm).
Written in Textualis libraria. Rubrics in the same script. Number of scribes uncertain; possibly one.
The start of the text and the incipits of Books IV and V (f.168r, and f.172r) are headed by a red and blue capital, 7 lines high, filled with vine motifs, and flourished in both colours. The first is accompanied by red and blue penwork waterfalls extending the length of the margin. The incipits of Books I, II and III, and each section within the text are headed by a blue capital, 2 lines high, flourished in red, then vice versa. The principal initials here are identical in style to the letters that were supplied for (A) (a) incipit and Books I-III and IV, and for (B) (c), all of which were probably added by the same northern European hand. The secondary initials in (A) and (B), typical for southern Europe, are quite distinct in style from those in (C).
Standard Tuckett binding, mid 19th century full brown calf over thick wooden boards (Charles Tuckett, binder to the British Museum, rebound many Durham manuscripts in the 19th century)
Written in England, 13/14th century.