Manuscript, by John Gibson junior, a canon of Glasgow, of an abridged copy of the 'Black Book of Paisley', a version of the 'Scotichronicon' of Walter Bower.
Scope and Contents
Manuscript produced in Scotland and written by John Gibson junior, a canon of Glasgow. The manuscript is an abridged copy of the 'Black Book of Paisley', a version of the 'Scotichronicon'. The original copy of the 'Black Book of Paisley', from which Gibson made his abridgement, is in the British Library.
The full contents of the manuscript are as follows:
A verse history of the Scots from their origins to the reign of James II. Folios 1r-10r.
Genealogy from Kenneth McAlpin to James IV. Folios 10v-12r.
Folio 12v is blank, but ruled.
Abridgement of the ‘Black Book of Paisley’ in 16 books, each prefixed with an index. Folios 13r-286v.
Abstract of the treaty between the King of Scotland and the King of Norway, headed: ‘Tractatus et c[om]po[sitio] int[er] reges Scocie et Norvagie facta s[upe]r clamio insularu[m]’. Folios 286v-287r.
Description of a good slave, headed: ‘Seneca ad Lucilium, attendite, famuli, ut bene famulemini’.
Colophon and ownership inscriptions. Folio 287v-288v.
On the second paper flyleaf to the front is the following pencil inscription: ‘Catalogued 2 Dec 1834’.
Most folios have been lined recto and verso, although this is not consistent.
Chapter and book headings are given in plain ink in the upper margin and there are frequent scribal marginal annotations.
Guide letters are often visible and spaces have been left for decorated initials, but this has not been completed except for the occasional penflourished initial in plain ink.
Horizontal catchwords: 16v, 32v, 48v, 64v, 80v, 96v (cropped), 112v (cropped), 114v, 160v, 176v, 192v, 208v, 224v, 240v (cropped), 256v (cropped), 272v (cropped).
Quire signatures are present in the form of lower case letters running from ‘b’ to ‘t’, beginning on folio 1r and then found on . The other signatures present on folios 17r, 33r, 49r, 65r, 81r, 97r, 113r, 129r, 145r, 161r, 177r, 193r, 209r, 225r, 241r, 257r, 273r.
Dates
- Creation: 1501
Creator
- Gibson, John, junior (Canon of Glasgow) (Scribe, Person)
- Gibson, John, senior (Rector of Renfrew) (Former owner, Person)
- Laing, John (Rector of Kilpatrick-Juxta ) (Former owner, Person)
- Sinclair, Henry (Bishop of Ross) (Former owner, Person)
- St Clair, William, 14th Baron of Rosslyn (Lord Chief Justice of Scotland) (Former owner, Person)
- Sibbald, Robert, Sir, Knight (physician and Geographer Royal) (Former owner, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Normal access conditions apply.
Conditions Governing Use
Normal reproduction conditions apply, subject to any copyright restrictions.
Extent
1 Volumes ; 21.8cm x 15.9cm x 5.5cm
Language of Materials
Latin
Arrangement
288 folios, as well as three paper flyleaves to the front and three paper flyleaves to the rear.
Collation; a-s¹⁶
There are 18 gatherings in total, each containing 16 leaves, excluding the flyleaves.
Custodial History
Written by John Gibson junior, notary public and chaplain of Glasgow Cathedral, who finished it on the 4th of March 1501 as recorded in the colophon on folio 287v: ‘Quarto Martii huius libri finis extitit a[n]no m[illesim]o [quingentesimo] p[ri]mo per me Joh[anne]m Gibson juniore[m]’.
Its first owner was John Gibson senior, a canon of Glasgow Cathedral, who appears about this time to have been promoted to the Prebend of Renfrew, as is evident in the colophon on folio 288r: ‘Laus om[n]ipotenti deo / ac virginie marie Gloria / Huius opusculi possessor Venera[bilis] et Circumspectus vir Mag[iste]r Joh[ann]es gibson, Canonicus Glasguen[sis] ac Rector de Renfrew / Qui liber extractus est de magno ac nig[r]o libro pasleti / Continens quart[er]nas LXXIX papiri integras ac quaternas XIX ut pa[tet] intuenti / et in qualibet quaterna e[orum] fuit integra’.
For discussions of the identities of John Gibson junior and senior, see Murray and Lawlor.
The next known owner was John Laing, rector of Kilpatrick. Laing’s owernship inscription is on folio 288v and reads: ‘Codex mag[ist]ri Johannis Layng rector de Kilpatrick-juxta etc.’
The manuscript subsequently belonged to Henry Sinclair, who probably came into possession of it during his tenure of the deanery of Glasgow, 1550-1560. Onwership inscriptions of Henry Sinclair are on folios 14r and 287v, but have been scored through by the next owner, Sir William Sinclair. Sir William Sinclair’s ownership inscriptions can be found on folios 14r, 62r and 287v.
The manuscript was then in the possession of Sir Robert Sibbald and was bought by the Faculty of Advocates at the sale of his books in 1723, with lot number 23. There is an owernship inscription in the gutter margin of folio 1r which reads: ‘Lib: Bibl: Fac: Jurid: Edinb:’.
The old shelfmark of the item given by the Library of the Faculty of Advocates was W.5.28, although this is no longer present in the volume.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Presented, 1925, by the Faculty of Advocates to the nation on the foundation of the National Library of Scotland.
Bibliography
Borland, C. R. 'Catalogue of Mediaeval Manuscripts in the Library of the Faculty of Advocates at Edinburgh', 4 Volumes. (Unpublished manuscript, Edinburgh, 1906-1908). Volume II, folios 400-401. NLS Reference: FR.196a/2.
Briquet, C. M. 'Les Filigranes. Dictionnaire historique des marques de papier des leur apparition vers 1282 jusqu'en 1600', 4 Volumes (Leipzig, 1923).
Drexler, M. 'The Extant Abridgements of Walter Bower's "Scotichronicon"', The Scottish Historical Review, Volume 61, Number 171, Part 1 (April, 1982), pages 62-67.
Durkan, J. and J. Russell. 'Further Additions (Including Manuscripts) to J. Durkan and A. Ross, "Early Scottish Libraries", at the National Library of Scotland', The Bibliotheck, Volume 12, Number 4 (1985), pages 85-90.
'Folio Catalogue of Manuscripts: Historical' (Unpublished manuscript, Edinburgh [18??]), folio 5. NLS Reference: FR.186.
Harikae, R. 'The Maitland and the Sinclair Families: "The Chronicles of Scotland" and its Early Modern Readers', Textual Cultures, Volume 7, Number 1 (Spring 2012), pages 97-106.
Lawlor, H. J. 'Notes on the Library of the Sinclairs of Rosslyn', Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Volume VIII, Third Series (1897-98), pages 90-120.
Lees, C. J. 'The Abbey of Paisley, From its Foundation till its Dissolution, with Notices of the Subsequent History of the Church, and an Appendix of Illustrative Documents.' (Paisley, 1878).
Murray, D. 'The Black Book of Paisley and Other Manuscripts of the Scotichronicon' (Paisley, 1885).
Skene, W. F. (ed.) 'Johannis de Fordun Chronica Gentis Scotorum', 2 Volumes (Edinburgh, 1871-1872), Volume 1, pages xxiv, number 15.
'Summary Catalogue of the Advocates’ Manuscripts' (Edinburgh, 1971), page 61, number 742.
Tod, M. A. L. 'The Narrative of the Scottish Nation and its Late-Medieval Readers: Non-Textual Reader Scribal Activity in the Mss of Fordun, Bower and their Derivatives' (Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Glasgow, August 2005).
Watt, D. E. R., et al. (eds.) 'Scotichronicon: In Latin and English', Volume 9 (Aberdeen, 1998).
Physical Description
The binding is early 19th-century red morocco. The front and back boards have gold-tooled border and corner designs. The three edges of the boards and the turn-ins are also tooled in gold. The spine has raised bands and is gold-tooled with rectangular and floral designs. The library stamp, shelfmark and title are gold-tooled. The title reads: LIBER NIGER PASLETI’.
The head edge of the leaves is gilt, with the remaining two edges plain. The end papers are marbled and the paper flyleaves are watermarked with a crown design and the dates ‘1813’ and ‘1815’. The paper of the manuscript itself is watermarked with a hand, visible on folios 280 and 281, which most resembles Briquet number 11402 (Revin, 1493).
The volume has been repaired and rebacked at some point, possibly in 1973 at which point it was boxed by HMSO, but much of the 19th-century spine has been retained.
- Title
- National Library of Scotland Catalogue of Manuscripts
- Author
- National Library of Scotland Archives and Manuscripts Division
- Description rules
- International Standard for Archival Description - General
- 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