Durham University Library Archives & Special Collections Catalogue
Manuscript codex made up of two distinct books, bound together in the17th or 18th century.
Part 1. Hugh of St Cher, Postills on Song of Songs, Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus, written in France before 1266. The notes of content on f.1v and 2r, plus the relevant Cloister catalogue entries, record that commentaries, [Hugh of St Cher] In Iob, In Proverbia Salomonis and In Ecclesiasten originally preceded the first surviving item.
Part 2. Lamentations, glossed, written in France early 13th century, Produced separately from but matching DCL MS A.III.20, this volume was evidently joined to that one by the 14th century (indicated by 1392 and 1416 catalogue entries); however, it had been separated from it again before the latter suffered its severe fire and water damage. The date at which the present volume was joined to A.III.21 part 1 is unclear, but the presence of its own ex libris on f.91r in Rud’s hand hints that it may have been only around the time he was compiling his catalogue.
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). Stains from the turnovers, and rust-ringed holes from the metal fixtures, of a lost earlier binding (of part 1) on f.1-2 and 90.
Parchment: modest quality (deteriorating from quire VII), thin, prominent follicle marks, some flaws. Arranged FH, HF. A tab was formerly attached to f.40.
Medieval endpapers foliated as f.1-2; error in foliation, f.110 repeated as f.110*.
medieval flyleaves (f.1-2) now glued to the modern flyleaf; original structure uncertain, possibly a bifolium. I3 (f.3-5; the acephalus remains of a quire that was probably originally irregular (with one or more blank leaves at the end cancelled); the leaves are now glued to the modern flyleaf), II-VI10, VII12, VIII10, IX8, X5 (probably 6 with leaf 6, a blank, cancelled or lost)
Text-block: 263 x 166 mm. Two columns (width: 78 mm). Lines: 70 (space, 4 mm; height of minims, 1.5 mm). Pricking: knife, generally survives in all three outer margins. Ruling: lead and ink. Single verticals flank both columns (two in total at the intercolumnar space); the top three and the bottom three horizontals are invariably extended into the outer margin (but not into the inner one); the middle three horizontals (35-37) were generally but not invariably extended into the outer margin (but not into the inner one).
Written in Textualis libraria, regular, compressed, by one scribe.
None. The spaces reserved at the start of (b) and (c) for enlarged initials, 12 and 8 lines high respectively, remained unfilled.
Written in France ?, mid 13th century (before 1266).
Inscription: “¶Liber sancti Cuthberti ex dono Bertrami de middle[-lost area-]oris Dunelms’. ¶Iob, ¶Parabole salomonis, ¶Ecclesiastes, ¶Cantican canticorum, ¶Sapientie, ¶Ecclesiasticus.”, f.1v, top; late 13th century (Bernard of Middleton, monk of Durham c. 1213/1218-1266, prior 1244-58.
Pressmark and contents: “2i C Postille super Iob et super libros salomonis f”, start of 15th century, f.2r. To which Thomas Swalwell added, 15th/16th century: “super prouerbia salomonis, ecclesiasten, sapientiam. Item super [ecclesiasten – deleted] cantica canticorum. Item super ecclesiasticum”.
Recorded in the Cloister catalogue.
Acephalus: begins within chapter 5, in the commentary on Cantica canticorum 4.13. Lemmata underlined in red. Running heading: “Cant’” plus chapter number
Chapters marked by a small paraph within the text-block and a roman numeral in the margin. Lemmata underlined in red. Occasional subsequent annotation. Running heading: “sa-pi”.
Divided by paraphs and marginal numbering into 51 chapters, themselves subdivided into numbered parts. Some marginalia, including distinctiones, copied as part of the original transcription. Occasional subsequent annotation. Running heading: “Ecca’-sticus”
Parchment: stout. Noticeable H/F distinction. Arranged: FH, HF. Minor water damage to the bottom of the lower margin.
I-VI8
Text-block: 215 x 146 mm (biblical text and 
gloss 
invariably below top line). The columns vary in number (1-3) and width from one page to the next.
Lines: the biblical text is written every other line up to a maximum of 21 (space, 5+ mm; height of minims, 5+ mm), the gloss every line up to a maximum of 43 (height of minims, 2+ mm).
Pricking: knife. Preserved in upper and lower margins. Prickings were supplied for four pairs of verticals (flanking and subdividing the text-block) and for one further vertical in the outer margin. Pricked only in the outer margins for the horizontals.
Ruling: lead with some ink. Planned for third phase /complex glossed book design – i.e. a solid text-block composed of the scriptural text written every other line in a column that varies in width from page to page, the gloss, written on every line, being integrated within and around it. Double verticals (guided by prickings) flank the text-block area as a whole; further pairs of verticals were inserted within the text-block to create columns as required (these were intermittently guided by the prickings in the lower margins, sometimes positioned independently of them); a single vertical (guided by prickings) in the outer margin. The horizontals irregularly overrun the verticals.
Written in France, early 13th century.
Catalogi veteres librorum Ecclesiae cathedralis
dunelm. Catalogues of the library of Durham cathedral, at
various periods, from the conquest to the dissolution, including
catalogues of the library of the abbey of Hulne, and of the mss.
,
Surtees Society 7, (London: J.B. Nichols and Son, [1838]).
Stegmüller, F., Repertorium biblicum medii aevi , (Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 1950-1961)