Psalter (British Library, Stowe 2)
Encyclopedia
Psalter
A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the later medieval emergence of the book of hours, psalters were the books most widely owned by wealthy lay persons and were...
from the first half of the 11th century. The text includes the Gallican version of the Psalms, followed by the Canticle
Canticle
A canticle is a hymn taken from the Bible. The term is often expanded to include ancient non-biblical hymns such as the Te Deum and certain psalms used liturgically.-Roman Catholic Church:From the Old Testament, the Roman Breviary takes seven canticles for use at Lauds, as follows:*...
s with an interlinear Old English
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
gloss. The Psalter forms part of the Stowe manuscripts
Stowe manuscripts
The Stowe manuscripts are a collection of about 2000 Anglo-Saxon and later medieval manuscripts, nearly all now in the British Library. The manuscripts date from 1154 to the end of the 14th century....
in the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
.
Description
This Psalter is closely related to another British LibraryBritish Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
, Cotton MS. Tiberius C. VI., or the Tiberius Psalter. Both Psalters have identical prayers added to the end of each psalm. The Psalters also each have large initial "B" at the beginning of Psalm 1
Psalm 1
Psalm 1 is the first Psalm in the Bible. It has been dated to early in King David’s reign and is believed to have been divinely inspired by God. The righteous person is one who takes care to know the laws of God and so has good judgment and avoids bad company. The result is the ability to...
which closely resemble each other. The Anglo-Saxon glosses appear to have been written at the same time as the Latin text.
There are 180 extent vellum
Vellum
Vellum is mammal skin prepared for writing or printing on, to produce single pages, scrolls, codices or books. It is generally smooth and durable, although there are great variations depending on preparation, the quality of the skin and the type of animal used...
folios. The folios are 220 by 180 mm, with the text being written in an area of 225 by 120 mm. In its current binding there are two vellum flyleaves that are not counted in the foliation of the manuscript. Two folios at the end of the Canticles have been cut away. The manuscript was rebound during the 17th century in tooled leather.
The text is written in English half-uncials
Uncial
Uncial is a majuscule script commonly used from the 3rd to 8th centuries AD by Latin and Greek scribes. Uncial letters are written in either Greek, Latin, or Gothic.-Development:...
, while the titles of the Psalms are written in rustic capitals
Rustic capitals
Rustic capitals is an ancient Roman calligraphic script. As the term is negatively connotated supposing an opposition to the more 'civilized' form of the Roman square capitals Bernhard Bischoff prefers to call the script canonized capitals.Rustic capitals are similar to Roman square capitals, but...
. The large decorated letter "B" at the beginning of Psalm 1 (folio 1r), and smaller decorated initials at the beginning of Psalm 51
Psalm 51
Psalm 51 , traditionally referred to as the Miserere, its Latin incipit, is one of the Penitential Psalms. It begins: Have mercy on me, O God....
(folio 56r) and Psalm 100 (folio 111v), are the only major decorations in the manuscript. Other divisions in the text are marked by smaller colored initials. There are occasional marginal ritual directions and antiphons added in a 15th century hand. There are also a few added marginal decorations.
The manuscript was probably created at the abbey of New Minster
New Minster, Winchester
The New Minster, Winchester was a royal Benedictine abbey founded in 901 in Winchester in the English county of Hampshire.Alfred the Great had intended to build the monastery, but only got around to buying the land. His son, Edward the Elder, finished the project according to Alfred's wishes, with...
, in Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
. There are three other manuscripts from New Minster that were written by the scribe of this manuscript. The manuscript is signed on folio 9 recto "Kateryn Rudston" in a 16th century hand. It belonged to Sir Henry Spelman
Henry Spelman
Sir Henry Spelman was an English antiquary, noted for his detailed collections of medieval records, in particular of church councils.-Life:...
, who signed it on folios 1 recto and 180 verso. An edition of the text was published by Spelman's son. It was sold by Walter Clavell in 1742. The manuscript was later owned by Thomas Astle
Thomas Astle
Thomas Astle was an English antiquary and palaeographer.-Life:Astle was born on 22 December 1735 at Yoxall on the borders of Needwood Forest in Staffordshire, the son of Daniel Astle, keeper of the forest...
, who called it King Alfred's Psalter.
And included a facsimile of folio 1 verso in his Origin and Progress of Writing. It was owned by the Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos
Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos
Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos KG, PC , styled Earl Temple from 1784 to 1813 and known as The Marquess of Buckingham from 1813 to 1822, was a British landowner and politician.-Background:Born Richard Temple-Nugent-Grenville, he was the eldest son...
and kept at Stowe House
Stowe House
Stowe House is a Grade I listed country house located in Stowe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is the home of Stowe School, an independent school. The gardens , a significant example of the English Landscape Garden style, along with part of the Park, passed into the ownership of The National Trust...
. It contains his press mark inside the front cover. In 1849 it was sold by the his son
Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos
Richard Plantagenet Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos KG, GCH, PC, FSA , styled Earl Temple between 1813 and 1822 and Marquess of Chandos between 1822 and 1839, was a British Tory politician...
, along with the rest of the manuscripts from Stowe House to Bertram Ashburnham, 4th Earl of Ashburnham. In 1883, the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
purchased this manuscript, along with 1084 other manuscripts from the Stowe collection, from the 5th Earl of Ashburnham.
Gallery
Image:PsalterBLStowe2Fol1rInitB.jpg|Folio 1 recto. Initial "B" (Beatus) for Psalm 1.
Image:PsalterBLStowe2Folio111vInitialD.jpg
Image:PsalterBLStowe2Folio56rInitialQ.jpg
Further reading
- Astle, T., Origin and Progress of Writing, p. 86, and plate xix. no. 6, London, T. Payne and Son, 1784.
- Catalogue of the Stowe Manuscripts in the British Museum, 2 vols (London: British Museum, 1895-1896), I, no. 2.
- Gneuss, Helmut, Handlist of Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A List of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies, 241 (Tempe: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2001), no. 499.
- Ker, N. R. , Catalogue of Manuscripts containing Anglo-Saxon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1957), no. 271.
- O'Conor, Charles, Bibliotheca Ms. Stowensis: A Descriptive Catalogue of the Manuscripts in the Stowe Library, 2 vols (Buckingham: Seeley, 1818-1819), II, 27-34.
- Pulsiano, Phillip, Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts in Microfiche Facsimile, Volume 2: Psalters I, Medieval & Renaissance Texts & Studies, 137 (Binghamton, NY: Medieval & Renaissance Texts & Studies, 1994), pp. 65-68.
- Spelman, J., Psalterium Davidis Latino-Saxonicum vetus, a Johanne Spelmanno D. Hen. fil. editum, e vetustissimo exemplari MS. in bibliotheca ipsius Henrici, et cum tribus aliis non minus vetustis collatum, (London, 1640)
- Temple, Elzbieta , Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts 900-1066, Survey of Manuscripts Illuminated in the British Isles, 2 (London: Harvey Miller, 1976), no. 99, p. 64, pl. 296 [with additional bibliography].
See also
- Stowe manuscriptsStowe manuscriptsThe Stowe manuscripts are a collection of about 2000 Anglo-Saxon and later medieval manuscripts, nearly all now in the British Library. The manuscripts date from 1154 to the end of the 14th century....