Manuscript concerning the offices of a herald.
Scope and Contents
The contents of the manuscript are as follows:
(i) Description of the offices of Constable, Admiral, Marshal, etc. (folio 1).
(ii) ‘A nobile trety belangand the making of heraldis and ye properteis to yis office` (folio 3). It includes (folio 22) a set of rules for tournaments attributed to Philip of France.
(iii) Statutes of the law of arms attributed to Louis III of France (folio 34 verso). This is followed by material on the coronation of emperors and kings, creation of noblemen, conduct in battle, etc.
(iv) An untitled and previously unrecorded copy of ‘The Buckingham Challenge’ written by Sir John Wrythe, Garter King of Arms, for the tournament devised for Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, at the marriage of Catharine of Aragon and Arthur, Prince of Wales, in 1501 (folio 65). The work is described and printed in ‘The Receyt of the Ladie Kateryne’, edited by G Kipling, pages lxii-lxxii and 97-102. This copy was written on leaves which had been trimmed to fit the previous binding, resulting in some loss of letters at the ends of lines.
The original pastedowns, which are free-standing (folios I-II) following the rebinding of the volume, consist of two almost complete consecutive leaves (C3-4) from an unidentified printed book of an apparently philosophical character.
There are some verses, beginning `He yat will spend and loiff God lait and air` (folio iii) and `Yi wyfe hes ye suspek of luf` (folio iv). There are a number of scribblings in the margins, the ex-libris, ?circa 1547, of Peter Thomson, Islay Herald (folio 2 verso), and a note, 1619 by John Inglis, Edinburgh (folio 40).
Dates
- Creation: 1st half of 16th century.
Extent
0.00 Linear metres (II + vi + 69 folios. Octavo.)
Language of Materials
English
Custodial History
Denmilne number 64 (folio i) and device (folio 69). The manuscript was bought by the Advocates’ Library in 1698.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Presented, 1925, by the Faculty of Advocates to the nation on the foundation of the National Library of Scotland.
Existence and Location of Copies
Microfilms available:
Mf.Sec.MSS.13;
Mf.Sec.MSS.27.
Bibliography
‘Receyt of the Ladie Kateryne’, edited by G Kipling (Early English Text Society 296, 1990).
- Title
- National Library of Scotland Catalogue of Manuscripts
- Author
- National Library of Scotland
- Date
- 13 07 2015
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Prepared Using Local Descriptive Rules
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the National Library of Scotland Archives and Manuscripts Division Repository
Archives and Manuscript Division
National Library of Scotland
George IV Bridge
Edinburgh EH1 1EJ
0131 623 3700
manuscripts@nls.uk