CLOSED TODAY

Tickets

Manuscripts

Canterbury tales : [manuscript]

Image not available

Description
The Ellesmere Chaucer is a beautiful and elaborately decorated manuscript of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Created between 1400 and 1410, it contains what is believed to be a portrait of Chaucer as well as miniature paintings of twenty-two of the fictional pilgrims who tell stories in order to enliven the journey from London to Canterbury. The manuscript is in excellent condition partly because it was undisturbed for about three centuries in the library of Sir Thomas Egerton (later Baron Ellesmere) and his family. See Digital Scriptorium for full description.
Type
Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Production date
between 1400 and 1410.
Call number
mssEL 26 C 9
Creator
Chaucer, Geoffrey (-1400)(Opens in new tab)
Provenance
Purchased with the Bridgewater library from John Francis Granville Scroop Egerton, 3rd Earl of Ellesmere, through the ageny of George D. Smith and Sotheby's of London, 1917. The poem on ff. ii verso-iv (art. 1) appears to have been written to honor the de Vere family, earls of Oxford; its inclusion in this manuscript may suggest an early association with John de Vere (1408-61/62), 12th Earl of Oxford, who after his father's death in 1417 became ward of the Duke of Exeter and in 1426 of the Duke of Bedford; both men were kinsmen of Chaucer's son, Thomas. One of the executors of the will of John de Vere (1442-1512/13), 13th Earl of Oxford, was Sir Robert Drury of Hawsted in Suffolk, 17 miles northeast of Castle Hedingham, the family seat of the de Veres. On f. i verso, s. XVI2/4, "Robertus drury miles [space], William drury miles, Robertus drury miles, domina Jarmin, domina Jarningam, dommina Alington," referring to Sir Robert Drury (mentioned above as executor; speaker of the House of Commons in 1495 and a member of Henry VIII's Council), to his sons William and Robert, and to his 3 daughters: Anna, married first to George Waldegrave, and after his death in 1528 to Sir Thomas Jermyn; Bridget, married to Sir John Jernyngham (Jernegan, of Somerleyton); Ursula (d. 1521), married to Sir Giles Alington. Among the legatees of the 13th Earl of Oxford's will were the elder Robert Drury's sons-in-law, George Waldegrave and Sir Giles Alington. On f. ii, the names "Domina Jernegan" and "Domina Jernegan, Domina Alington" are repeated; on f. i verso, "Edwarde Waldegrave" (uncle, d. 1500, or son, b. 1514, of George Waldegrave). On ff. i verso and iv verso, s. XV or XVIin, several times, the name and once the phrase, "Margery seynt John ys a shrew" (George Waldegrave had a niece, d. 1536, and a great-niece, d. 1562, by that name). On f. i verso, s. XVI, "Thomas Calthorpp of" (a Thomas Calthorpe, d. 1559, was great-nephew of the elder Sir Robert Drury's first wife, Anna, daughter of Sir William Calthorpe of Norwich). On f. ii, the initials "HD" and on f. 147v, "Henricus Drury Miles" (possibly the son of William Drury). On f. 130, s. XVI, "...per me henricum Payne" followed by a paraph, possibly referring to the Henry Payne of Nowton, near Hawsted, a member of Lincoln's Inn, d. 1568; his will shows that he had purchased lands from the Drurys; he had witnessed Sir William Drury's will in 1557 and had had a legacy from him; in his own will, he bequeathed to Sir Giles Alington, grandson of Ursula Drury and her husband Giles Alington, "the beste geldyng he will choise of eny that I haue And also my Chaucer written in vellum and illumyned with golde." On f. ii, s. XVI, "per me Thomam Badbeye," brother-in-law of Sir Ambrose Jermyn (son of the Sir Thomas Jermyn who had married Anna Drury). On ff. 64 and v recto and verso (= first back flyleaf), the name of John Hedgeman; on f. 175, the name occurs in a longer inscription, much faded, but which may read "John Hedgeman of Hawkedoun in the Countie of Suff. ? neyther squier nor knight But a knave"; Hawkedon is near the Drury seat at Hawsted and some 20 miles east of Castle Hedingham. The remaining sixteenth century ownership marks are without known connection to the de Vere or Drury families. On ff. ii verso, iii and vii verso (= third back flyleaf; erased), s. XV1, a motto, "de meuz en meuz" (de mieux en mieux?), perhaps that of the Paston family, although it seems unlikely that the book could have belonged to them at that date. On ff. ii, 229v, both times upside down, "Rycher Challes." On ff. 48, 108, "...Eilliam Sayer." On f. 48, "John Neue de oxenborowe in comt. norff. salutem percipe quod et cetera," "Rog?se Smith [?]," and a note about Thomas, Duke of Norfolk (d. 1572). On f. 54, "Thome R?dell?nold Gregorye Nycholas Arnold." On f. 169v, "Willem?te detho [?]." On f. vi (= second back flyleaf), "Thomas Newman yeve these with my hartie comendacions ?." On f. vi verso (= second back flyleaf), "...Edmond Bedingfelde esquier ? at Wightoun ?." The sixteenth century notes in the same hand beside the figure of the Miller (f. 34v), "Robin with the Bagpype," and the figure of the Nun's Priest (f. 179), "Robert Nytipole" (nitty = full of nits; pole, variant spelling of poll = head) may be intended as teasing gibes at an owner or owner's friend (but see Manly and Rickert, 1:155). On ff. iv verso and v (= first back flyleaf) are verses (arts. 2, 3, 29, 30) signed R.N. or R. North; on ff. ii and iv verso, the note, "1 Durum 5 Pati 68 R. North," giving the date 1568 and the motto "Durum pati" of Roger North (1530/31-1600), 2nd Lord North. For further speculation on the identities of these individuals, see Manly and Rickert, 1:152-59. On f. ii, the pressmark "Q.3" in the hand of John Egerton (1579-1649), 1st Earl of Bridgewater, corrected by John Egerton (1622-86), 2nd Earl of Bridgewater to "Q.3/3." The manuscript was housed at that time at Ashridge, in Hertfordshire, formerly the college of the "Boni Homines" whose lands and buildings had been acquired in 1604 by the first Earl's father, Sir Thomas Egerton, Baron Ellesmere and Viscount Brackley. The Ashridge location was mistakenly understood as Ashridge origin by Todd, Illustrations , and mentioned by A. Egerton in her introduction to the facsimile. The Bridgewater library descended through the Egerton family to George Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Marquis of Stafford (afterward 1st Duke of Sutherland); from 1803 to 1833 the present manuscript was known as the "Stafford Chaucer." His younger son, Francis Egerton, created Earl of Ellesmere in 1846, inherited the library.
Restrictions
NOT AVAILABLE. Does not circulate. Use digital reproductions in the Huntington Digital Library or print facsimile: RB 497893 or RB 497894.
Dimensions
284 x 394 mm
Associated people
Bridgewater, John Egerton, (-1649,)
Bridgewater, John Egerton, (1623-1686,)
Bridgewater, John Egerton, (1646-1701,)
Bridgewater, Scroop Egerton, (1681-1745,)
Bridgewater, Francis Egerton, (1736-1803,)
Ellesmere, Thomas Egerton, (1540?-1617,)
Ellesmere, Francis Charles Granville Egerton, (1847-1914,)
Oxford, John de Vere, (1408-1462,)
Pinkhurst, Adam, (active 1410,)
Sutherland, George Granville Leveson-Gower, (1758-1833,)
Associated organization
Henry E. Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
Find out more
View in the Library catalog(Opens in new tab)

You might also be interested in

  • Image not available

    Chaucers Canterbury pilgrims

    Rare Books

    Print shows Geoffrey Chaucer, on the far left, riding a dark horse, and 29 pilgrims departing the Tabard Inn in Southwark for a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. The pilgrims are identified, from left to right, as "Reeve, Chaucer, Clerk of Oxenford, Cook, Miller, Wife of Bath, Merchant, Parson, Man of Law, Plowman, Physician, Franklin, 2 Citizens, Shipman, The Host, Sompnour, Manciple, Pardoner, Monk, Friar, a Citizen, Lady Abbess, Nun, 3 Priests, Squires Yeoman, Knight, [and] Squire."

    642180

  • wHan that Apprill with his shouris sote and the droughte of marche hath p[er]cid þe rote

    wHan that Apprill with his shouris sote and the droughte of marche hath p[er]cid þe rote

    Rare Books

    By Geoffrey Chaucer, whose name appears on [3A]5r. An edition of: Canterbury tales. Title from opening words of text, [A]2r. First words of text, [A]3r: Whanne they were wonne and in the grete see ....

    61667

  • Canterbury Tales

    Canterbury Tales

    Manuscripts

    Official, semi-official, and personal papers of six generations of the Egerton family, particularly those accumulated by Sir Thomas Egerton, 1540?-1617, Baron Ellesmere and Viscount of Brackley, Solicitor-General (1581-1592), Attorney-General (1592-1594), Lord Keeper (1596-1603), and Lord Chancellor (1603-1617); Sir John Egerton, 1st Earl of Bridgewater, 1579-1649, President of the Council of Wales (1631-1649); John Egerton, 2nd Earl of Bridgewater, 1622-1686, Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire (1660-1686); John Egerton, 3rd Earl of Bridgewater, 1646-1701, President of the Board of Trade (1696-1699), First Lord of Admiralty (1699-1701), Speaker of the House of Lords (1697 and 1700); John Scrope Egerton, 1st Duke of Bridgewater, 1681-1745, a Whig courtier under Anne and George I, and Francis, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, 1736-1803

    EL 26/C/9

  • Image not available

    [The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer]

    Rare Books

    Side notes and headings in red. "Besides Burne-Jones's eighty-seven pictures, it contains a full-page woodcut title, fourteen large borders, eighteen borders or frames for the pictures, and twenty-six large initial words. All of these, besides the ornamental initial letters large and small, were designed by Morris himself."--The life of William Morris by J. W. Mackail, v. 2 "The hearty thanks of the editor and printer are due to the Reverend Professor Skeat for kindly allowing the use of his emendations to the Ellesmere ms. of the Canterbury tales, and also of his emended texts of Chaucer's other writings." Printed on vellum. Probably a trial page.

    110171

  • Confessio amantis : [manuscript]

    Confessio amantis : [manuscript]

    Manuscripts

    ff. 1-169v; ff. 170-172v, blank. [John Gower] Confessio Amantis. Incipit: //As forto speke of any sped/ So wiste I me non oþer red. Explicit: Wher restiþ loue and alle pes/ Oure ioie mai ben endeles. English; Latin. Final colophons: Explicit iste liber qui transiat obsecro liber/ Ut sine livore vigeat lectoris in ore/ Qui sedet in scannis celi det ut ista Iohannis/ Perpetuis annis stet pagina grata Britannis/ Derbeie Comiti recolunt quem laude periti/ Vade liber purus sub eo que recumbe futurus. [f. 169v:] Epistola super huius opusculi sui complementum Iohanni Gower a quodam philosopho transmissa. [space] Quam cinxere freta Gower tua carmina leta/ Per loca discreta canit Anglia laude repleta/ Carminis athleta Satirus tibi sive poeta/ Sit laus completa quo gloria stat sine meta. IMEV 2662; second recension with added passages in Books 5 and 7, the revised dedication to Henry, the revised conclusion on the state of England and the 6-line explicit dedicated to Henry; f. 50, a substitute, presents readings from the unrevised first recension. G. C. Macaulay, ed., The English Works of John Gower. EETS es 81-82 (London 1900-01), who prints from this manuscript passages designated by the letter S (for Stafford). See J. H. Fisher, John Gower, Moral Philosopher and Friend of Chaucer (New York 1964) 303-07 for a list and classification of the manuscripts, including EL 26 A 17. Status of text: Defective initially, and then internally at 10 points.

    mssEL 26 A 17

  • Image not available

    Manuscripts

    Manuscripts

    Archival and manuscript portion of the Sanford and Helen Berger collection. In addition to the papers of William Morris and his associates, the collection also includes materials on nineteenth and twentieth century British Pre-Raphaelites, fine Printing and private presses -- Kelmscott Press, (including the Kelmscott Chaucer), and the Doves Press, architects, illustrators, and the Arts & Crafts movement .

    mssMOR 1-611