Cambridge. Corpus Christi College, Parker Library MS 251

  • Other Form of the Shelfmark :
    • Cambridge. Corpus Christi College, Parker Library MS 251
    • CCCC MS 251
    • MS 251
    • Parker Library MS 251
  • Held at : Cambridge. Corpus Christi College, Parker Library
  • Languages : Latin
  • Date of Origin :
  • Script :
    • very well written
  • Support Material : Vellum
  • Composition :
    • ff. 103
  • Dimensions :
    • 190 x 280
  • Codicological details :
    • 34 lines to a page
    • ff. i-iv + 1-103 + v-viii
    • a(8) b(8) (wants 8) | c(8)-n(8) .

Contents

Data Source: Parker on the Web

  • Résumé : CCCC MS 251 contains two chronicles: a brief abstracted roll-call of the popes from Gregory IX to 1370, followed by an account of English history from Brutus to the accession of Richard II with an emphasis on events pertinent to the abbey at Bury St Edmunds. Both texts were written c. 1445. Even though the press mark ('E.43') appears to be in error, since manuscripts at Bury St Edmunds were classified by subject matter - the volume, M. R. James argued, should fall under 'C' for Chronica - James had no doubt the manuscript was from Bury on the grounds of the content which, as part of the chronicle material, includes a life of St Edmund. Also recorded in this volume is a note on the round chapel at Bury St Edmunds which also appears in London, College of Arms MS Arundel XXX, which was certainly written for the monks at Bury. The manuscript is decorated with two historiated initials and many illuminated ornamental initials.


    Contenu :


    Langue(s) des textes : latin


    1r-15v - Bury St Edmunds Chronicle || Chronicon Buriense

    Note : (1r) Chronicle of the Popes (to Gregory IX, 1370), extracted from another Chronicle

    incipit : (1r) Petrus fuit primus papa post Iesum Christum quo anno Petrus apud Romam duos ordinauit

    Note : (1r) There is a good blue initial and within it an outline drawing of Peter, throned as Pope, holding keys and book: outside, on L., is St Paul

    rubric : (3r) Explicit de libro quarto

    rubric : (3r) Incipit de libro quinto

    Note : (Capitulum I.)

    incipit : (3r) Hillarius post leonem successit

    rubric : (5v) Explicit de libro iiiito

    rubric : (5v) Incipit de libro vto (sic)

    Note : (Capitulum 2.)

    incipit : (5v) Martinus papa post Iohannem

    rubric : (8v) Explicit de libro sexto

    rubric : (8v) Incipit de libro septimo

    incipit : (8v) Hildebrandus qui et Gregorius viius

    Note : Ends (Capitulum 46)

    explicit : (12v) Gregorius undecimus diaconus cardinalis prius Petrus Rogeri nuncupatus

    Note : ff. 13r-15v blank


    16r-100r - Chronicle of England

    rubric : (16r) Incipit historia de Bruto Rege Britonum cum aliis Regibus Anglie linealiter ab eo descendentibus usque ad Regem Ricardum secundum qui presentem fecit compilari historiam anno. Regni sui quarto decimo

    Note : (16r) The initial has a seated king, crowned and robed, with shield and bannered lance, in the same style as the other figured initial

    incipit : (16r) De Patre istius Bruti historie videntur dissonare. nam Britonum historia dicit istum brutum fuisse filium Siluii

    Note : There are marginal references (not consecutive) to chapters of a work unnamed

    Note : (34r) The account of St Edmund occupies ff. 32r-43v. It has a large coloured initial and begins

    incipit : (34r) Sanctus EdmundusAlkamundi Regis Saxonie et Siware Regine filius anno ab incarnatione domini (bis) dcccxlio

    Note : The last event recorded is Bishop Bateman's attempt on the privileges of St Edmund (1344) and his death, with miraculous signs accompanying. This ends:

    explicit : (42v) cotidie magnifice operatur in suo martire glorioso

    Note : An account of St Edwold follows:

    incipit : (42v) Postquam autem beatissimus rex Edmundus mutauit per triumphum martirii

    Note : Ends f. 100r with accession of Richard II

    explicit : (100r) ac etiam voto communi singulorum in regnum successit Anglorum anno etatis sue undecimo

    Note : ff. 100v-102r blank

    Note : On f. 102v a note on the old round chapel of St Edmund at Bury. This note also occurs in the MS. Arundel xxx at the College of Arms. See my Essays on the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds, C. A. S., p. 188

    incipit : (102v) Anno domini mlo ccmo lxxvo deposita est capella rotunda in cimiterio monachorum in qua corpus Sancti Edmundi primo iacuit ante translacionem suam

    explicit : (102v) ex parte australi ubi nunc est capella Sancti Botulphi et ortus feretrariorum

    Note : (103r) Pensio scolarium. In primis de feretrariis ad festum S. Michaelis iiis vid Item de diuersis fratribus ad fest. S. Andree xxiis Item de celerario pro Abbate Will. xviijd Item pro Will. Rowham xiid ... Item pro priore Joh. Gofford xxd Item de Camerario pro Edo Bokynham xiiiid Item pro henr. de stablys iiiijd Item de manerio de hesete ad fest. purif. xxd ... Item de thoma munchesey xiid Item de sacrista pro Abb. Will. cratfeld iiis iiijd ... Item de magistro cripte xd etc.

    Note : No other proper names occur

Provenance

Data Source: Parker on the Web

  • The book is doubtless from Bury St Edmunds. On f. 1r is the pressmark E. 43.It is not easy to see why this pressmark was given to this book. The letters of the pressmarks of Bury uniformly corresponded to the subjects of the books (e.g. B for Biblia): also, there is another extant volume marked E. 43 (viz. Lambeth MS. 218, Epistolae Alcuini). The proper letter for the present volume is C (=Chronica). A long life of St Edmund is in the text, and there are notes relating to the Abbey at the end.

Notes

Data Source: Parker on the Web

  • Research: The Cronica que liber Regius appellatur is referred to in Flete's History of Westminster Abbey (see MS 287. 3)See the edition by Dr J. Armitage Robinson, Dean of Westminster, 1909, p. 3. (but the passage cited by him is not in the text of this MS.) with the note Cronica Regia ideo dicitur quia Rex Richardus secundus eam scribi fecit a monacho quodam cenobii S. Edmundi de Burye. I think it possible that the present MS. contains a shortened text of this Chronica Regia.

Data source