Durham University Library Archives & Special Collections Catalogue
Manuscript codex now made up from three sections; (B) matches (A), the oldest section, in size, but (C), which was inserted between (Bi) and (Bii) (Bii were the blank endleaves of (B)), is a little narrower and may have been taller. One 14th/15th century hand was responsible for annotations in (A) and (Bi), and for additions in (C) on f.185; the first entry in the booklist dated 1497 (item 11), added in (Bii), identifies “iste presens liber” in reference to the main contents of (A), describing it as a bequest that can be no earlier than 1442.
Parchment
Foliated i-ii, 3-191
(A: f.3-159) 18-198, 206 wants 6 (blank ?) after f.159; (B: f.160-177 and 186-189) 218, 228 wants 5 after f.171, with the remains of a turned-back stub and a modern paper guard before f.171, 238 wants 2, with another such stub and paper guard before f.176; (C: f.178-185) are four consecutive bifolia inserted at the centre of quire 23, ruled and written to be read as now bound but previously folded both horizontally and vertically; not for a roll but a booklet.
Pricking in the inner margins of (A); none visible in outer margins, presumably trimmed away. Written space 234 x 138-140 mm; (B), 253 x 180-185 mm; (C), up to 310 x 194 mm. Ruled in sharp blackish brown, or, (B) and (C) brown; in (A) with three verticals in the margins, one 5 mm inside the inner column, a second 5 mm outside the outer column, and a third 56 mm outside the outer column. 2 columns; (A) 50 lines, the first above the top ruled line; (B) 37 lines, but over-written to approximately 50 lines in one item; (C) approximately 72 lines.
Written: (A) in a small proto gothic bookhand, expertly, by one hand; (B) in anglicana of documentary type, expertly, by one hand, or, (added start of 15th century), anglicana formata with secretary final s and sometimes single compartment a, proficiently, by one hand; (C) in early anglicana, currently, by at least two hands, or, item (9*), anglicana formata, proficiently, by one hand.
(A) rubrics, by main or similar hand, not executed f.46-85 (i.e. almost all of item 1(b-c)) and at other points, through lack of the marginal guides in soft brown. Large paraphs, alternately red and blue, some with marginal rats-tail extensions in both colours, fill most vertical spaces that separate the supplementary paragraphs in the main hand from the main text. Initials: (i) to original supplementary paragraphs, 1-line, alternately red and blue; (ii) to chapters, 2-line, alternately red and blue with infilling and flourishing in the other colour, largely set out from the text-block through the spaces left for them being much narrower than high; (iii) to books, between 4- and 9-line, red and blue with infilling and flourishing of both colours; (iv) to first two chapters (f.3r), a line of tall narrow lombards alternately in red and blue, the first ending with spiral penwork line-filler in red and blue, both with an initial I in red and blue, and a similar I to the third chapter, extending more than the full height of the text, embellished in the left margin with pairs of shell-shaped leaves washed with green and a little pinkish brown, and a rats-tail extension in red and blue across the lower margin. Human heads with various head gear, in ink, 13th century, in the margins of f.11v, 12v, 16r; a marginal sketch in soft brown of the Egyptian god Ammon, below a note to the text, f.20v.
(Bi) items (3), (5): marginal or included rubrics, by main hand, but not on f.160-161v/a, 163-169, 174v/b-175v/a or 176/b-177. Ink paraphs and adjacent capitals lined with red, f.160r. Red paraphs, f.170-174 and 175v-177r. (Bii) item (10): initial capitals lined with red.
(C) item (6): circles of diagram in red, connected by lines in green, red, blue or brownish yellow. (C) item (9): line initials lined with red.
Marks on f.188v-189v, as of seven bands and, on the central vertical axis, two holes, as from the pins of strap-and-pin fastenings. Previously, see Binding report of 1972 inside back cover, “sewn on three cords, two slips broken”; “binding brown sheep flesh side out with blind roll round boards”, a sample piece of which, end of 18th century, is stuck inside the back cover; a red lettering piece, presumably from the spine, now stuck to f.189v, with the wording “Collectanea Biblica”. Rebound by S. M. Cockerell, see report inside back cover, and bill dated March 1972 stuck to f.191: four bands; oak boards; red niger morocco spine; two fastenings, by rings on double white leather plaited thongs pegged into back board, to round capstans in leading edge of front board. “1238” tooled at the tail of the spine, probably a date from the previous binding, but no evidence for it has yet been found in the manuscript.
Written (A) in northern France, early 13th century; (B) and (C) in England, 13th/14th century.
“?P.6.” or “.G.”, 14th century, at the centre of the very foot of f.3, with traces along the lower edge of an inscription now cropped off.
Inscription: “Iste liber legatur ecclesie collegio de derlyngton per Magistrum Ricardum Witton' primum decanum ibidem Et decanus habebit usum intociens indeget reparacionem decanus reparabit sumptibus suis propriis”, end of 14th century, f.177r, transcribed after examination under ultra-violet light by N. R. Ker in 1949, see his letter pasted to f.ii; Richard Wytton, vicar in 1428, and from 1439 first dean, of Darlington collegiate church, obtained in 1442 a papal licence for absence to study, see VCH Durham, II, 125; D. S. Boutflower, Fasti Dunelmenses, Surtees Society 139 (1926), 145-6. f.160-77 (B1) and 186-88 (B2) have a distinct vertical fold which suggests that they were kept so before binding herein, with (C) f.178-85 interposed, by or for Richard Witton?
“Conyers” [a south Durham family], 16th/17th century, f.154r. “Anthonie Branson”, 16th/17th century, f.76v. “Thos Mascall”, 17th/18th century, f.101r. “T. Hopper Nov. 18. 1788”, in pencil, f.40v; armorial bookplate of Thomas Hopper [18th century], inside front cover, presumably transferred from previous pastedown or flyleaves; on the Hopper family of Shincliffe, Crook Hall, etc., Co. Durham, see VCH Durham, III, 172-3, but without mention of Thomas. Belonged in 1949 to Captain T. F. Powell of Sharow Hall, Ripon, and sold for him at Sotheby's, 27 March 1950, lot 24, see copy of letter to him by N. R. Ker pasted to f.ii, and relevant cutting from sale-catalogue pasted to f.i. Belonged in 1969 to H. F. Smith of Knighton Grange Road, Leicester, see address-label inside front cover, and letter to him by A. I. Doyle following examination of his books, pasted to f.iv; presented by him to Durham University Library in May 1988.
Corrections. Short marginal supplies as PL by same hand as the longer additions over left-leaning plummet wording, as for chapter rubrics and corrections within the columns, which are subpuncted and interlined; for other marginal notes and (f.134r-v) incidentia, see e.g. f.44v, 109v-110r; guide wording for the rubrics beginning “R”, to distinguish them.
Additions. Some additiones added, by same text-hand as corrections, first quarter 13th century, in the margins, e.g. four lines near end of Gen. cap.1, f.3rb, and Num. xiv, f.38v, where there is also a substantial passage, “Inpossibile est quod per annum naturalem .iiii. dies ibi fuerint ... in multis locis necessaria est”, keyed in to the text, though not in PL 198, 1226/32; similarly at Judith viii the added text of an additio differs considerably from PL 198, 1487. Substantial additions, with names of authorities (Origen, Rabanus, Augustinus, Gregorius), in a small cursive script, mid-late 13th century, on soft brown ruling in the margins, cropped at head and fore-edges, e.g. f.22r-24v and 28v. Some early marginalia erased. Some running-titles, giving biblical books, added in soft brown, 14th century (?); a few repeated in ink. Chapter-numbers in roman added in ink in the margins, later 14th century, f. 3r-45r.
Annotation. Original rubrics in margins and early nota signs and pointers. Lengthier marginal notes: (i) in a small 13th century cursive script; (ii) in a larger late 14th century anglicana, like that of items (3)-(5) and (7); (iii) in a current 16th/17th century secretary, f.3r-11v, 122v, all in Latin save one on f.11r; some giving book name and chapter numbers (from Bible); the name “Conyers”, f.154r, is perhaps in the same ink.
Genesis - Deuteronomy. PL 198, 1053-1260. Stegmüller 6543-8, not listing this copy (or Durham Cathedral MS B.II.36). Lacks the opening dedicatory letter; the prologue ends “tertia suauior” (PL 1053/up3) followed by Add. 2; Exodus cap. ii begins with an extra passage “In cronicis eusebii ...”. The early 15th century additiones here forming part of the original text were written within the regular text space, on lines about a third the width of the main columns and separated from the main text by a vertical space; the last appears to be Genesis lxiv (PL 198, 1100).
Untitled "historia Iosue". No other copy has been traced. Like (1c) its nature is similar to that of (1a) and (1d). The substance duplicates the first portion of (1c).
The one copy recorded at Stegmüller 10829 (Paris, Bib. Mazarine 314, 13th century), is longer, extending to II Esdras.
Tobit - Acts of the Apostles. PL 198, 1431-1722. Stegmüller 6556-65. The few original additiones, written as in (a), appear to start with one in Daniel vii, “Duraturum subaudi id est donec iudiciarie potestates ab apostolis exerceantur”, not in PL 198, 1454-5; the last appears to be Gospels clxxv (PL 198, 1032). The rubrics of 2 Maccabees ii - Gospels xlvi include a continuous chapter-numeration, i-lxxxvi, f.114v-123r; Acts xxii, xxiv and lvi are similarly numbered xxv, xxviij and lxiiij respectively, f.143r and 148r.
Abundant 13th and 14th century notes in grey or soft brown plummet, not readily legible. f.158r-v contains a sequence of short sections, numbered in arabic 25-40 and altered to 26-41; a few appear to start “Queritur”, as do some of the similar sections on f.157v. f.159r has a list of headings, each beginning “De”, numbered in arabic [1]-41; 1-6 are “De deo” in various aspects (?), 13-19 similarly “De anima”.
Alexander prior of the Augustinian house of Canons Ashby (Northants.) occurs 1185-1198; R. W. Hunt, TRHS 4th series xix (1936), 20, 28-9. Stegmüller 1114 ("Argumenta bibliorum ad Lethardum"; recording only the York copy); Walther, Carmina, 1291 (recording two other English copies); York Minster XVI.Q.14 (start of 13th century), Durham and Exeter Coll. Oxford 23 (start of 13th century) have this version in 704 lines, ed. G. Dinkova-Bruun, Opera Poetica CCCM 188A (2004): she shows it is much verbally indebted to Laurence of Durham, Hypognosticon.
Walther, Carmina, 15567; Stegmüller 2756, recording a Vatican copy, covering only 4 Kings, Isaiah and Esther and ending “te Deum cernam” (here f.168ra/13). The defective portion printed C. Blume & G. M. Dreves, Analecta Hymnica Medii Aevi xxxi (Leipzig, 1898), 45-6, here occupies f.168ra/21-b/26. 7 lines left blank at the head of f.166rb. 24 remaining lines of f.169rb left blank.
Not recorded in Stegmüller, Hauréau, Little or DBMM. Between the sections for the Old and the New Testaments, and separated from each by a blank line, are 27 lines of verse, “(versus sibille) Iudicii signum tellus sudore madescit E celo rex aduenit ... Decidet e celis ignis et sulfuris amnis”, f.173v-174r; Walther, Carmina 9907. Added below the explicit is an erased four-line note, perhaps in the same hand as item (11). f.177v blank.
Incomplete. Stegmüller 6778, listing many manuscripts, but not this or Durham Cathedral Library MS B.II.33, in which there are three further paragraphs. The text is interspersed along a continuous diagrammatic line with branching pedigrees, Adam and Eve -- Herodus Agrippa, Herodias and Christus puer, to f.184v, where the text ends; on f.185r the pedigrees continue to Caiaphas, Christus passus, Tiberius cesar and Poncius pilatus, with some circles in each of the four lines left blank.
Added, end of 14th century, by annotator (ii) of item (1). Not recorded in Walther.
Added, end of 14th century, by annotator (ii) of item (1) (4 lines). Not recorded in Walther.
Extract, added, end of 14th century; cf. PG 94, 1155, in a different Latin translation.
This manuscript is not noted in the Checklist of prose and verse summaries of the Trinubium legend appendix to Salome and the kin of Jesus
14 lines. Beginning with line 1, Walther, Carmina, 8228 (two manuscripts, both 12th century); beginning with line 2, see (9c*). Interlinear glosses by the original hand, mostly erased.
Referred to in (9a*).
23 lines. Walther, 19420; cf. (9a*). Inter linear and marginal glosses by the original hand.
Versus, 13 lines
List of epistles and gospels de tempore, de sanctis and de commune sanctorum. This follows both Sarum and York uses, but specifying “Dominica prima post octavam Pentecostes”, like most of the manuscripts collated for the edition of the York Missal (SS 59-60), not “post festum Trinitatis”, as customary for Sarum. f.188v blank, except a 15th century jotting “euagelica hestorius clxxvij”.
Book-list, evidently, from the erased inscription, perhaps in the same hand, f.177r, relating to Darlington collegiate church.
Dinkova-Bruun, G., ed. Alexandri Essebiensis Opera omnia. Pars 2 : Opera poetica 
Corpus Christianorum, 188 (Brepols, Turnhout, 2004)
Mews, Constant J. and Ijäs, Antti, edd., Salome and the kin of Jesus. The treatises of Maurice of Kirkham and Herbert of Bosham (Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Toronto, Ontario, 2024)
Stegmüller, Friedrich, Repertorium biblicum medii aevi , (Madrid: 1950-1980)
Walther, H., Carmina medii aevi posterioris latina 1. Initia carminum ac versuum medii aevi posterioris latinorum: alphabetisches Verzeichnis der Versanfänge mittellateinischer Dichtungen (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1959-69)
Willoughby, James, ed., The libraries of collegiate churches , Corpus of British Medieval Library Catalogues 15 (London: British Library, 2013)