Late 15th-century manuscript of 'The oryginale cronykil of Scotland', or 'Original Chronicle', of Andrew Wyntoun.

Item

Identifier: Adv.MS.19.2.3

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Manuscript produced in Scotland containing 'The oryginale cronykil of Scotland', or Original Chronicle, of Andrew Wyntoun. The work is a vernacular history of Scotland and the world in the form of a metrical poem. This work is divided into 9 Books with chapters.

In Amours' edition of Wyntoun's work, this manuscript is referred to as E1, or the First Edinburgh Manuscript. Scholars have generally dated it to the end of the 15th century. Amours, Laing, and Borland suggest dates of circa 1480 for the production of the work.

The manuscript is written by a variety of contemporary hands, one of which has been identified as belonging to John Asloan, scribe of the Asloan manuscript. Van Buuren-Veenenbos notes that eleven folios in the manuscript are in Asloan's hand. The watermarks and ruling on the leaves attributed to Asloan differ from the rest of the manuscript.

The manuscript is not complete, and Amours notes that the following sections are missing: one folio containing book II, 540-601; one folio containing book V, 3490-3554; one folio containing book VIII, 4260-4330; and about twenty folios towards the end containing book IX, 1089-1978, and book IX, 2523 to the end of the chronicle.

The beginning of each chapter and book is introduced with a rubric in red and occasionally a red initial. Where a space has been left and there is no initial the guide letters are visible.

There is a scribal header which runs in the upper left corner of each verso side with an 'L' for 'Liber', 'C' for 'caput' and numbering in Arabic numerals.

There are frequent marginal annotations, pen drawings, and pentrials throughout the manuscript in a variety of 16th-century hands. The drawings are predominantly of horses and unicorns. There are infrequent maniculae. There are later inscriptions signed with the initials 'AFJ'. These are possibly of the 19th century. They relate to the physical condition and order of the manuscript and are possibly connected to F.J. Amours, the editor of one of the printed editions of the work.

On folio 450v within the section for the year 1401 is an inscription in Scots, possibly of the early 17th century, which relates to the appearance of a comet in 1577 along with a penwork drawing of a comet.

Each folio has been lined on the recto and verso sides, except for the Asloan insertions.

Alphabetical quire signatures are occasionally visible in the lower margin of the recto sides in the form of lower-case letters and Roman numerals, later changing to upper-case letters with Roman numerals.

Dates

Creation: Late 15th century.

Creator

Wyntoun, Andrew (Prior of St Serf's, Lochleven) (Person)
Sibbald, Robert, Sir (Physician and Geographer) (Former owner, Person)
Asloan, John (Notary Public) (Person)
Macfarlan, Andro, of Arrochar (Former owner, Person)

Language of Materials

The manuscript is written in Older Scots, with infrequent marginal annotations in Latin, and an inscription in Greek on folio 429v.

Conditions Governing Access

Normal access conditions apply.

Conditions Governing Use

Normal reproduction conditions apply, subject to any copyright restrictions.

Extent

1 Volumes

Additional Description

Arrangement

i + 455 + ii folios.

Collation as recorded by Catherine Borland: a¹¹ (wants 1), bc¹², d¹¹ (wants 7), e-m¹², n¹¹ (wants 11), o¹² (12 reversed), p¹², q¹¹ (wants 6), r¹⁰, st¹² (3 much mutilated), vx¹², y¹³, z-K¹², L¹⁰ (wants 1 and 11), M¹², N¹⁰, OP¹² (here a loss of circa 13 leaves) Q⁸ (wanting at the end circa 9 or 10 leaves).

Custodial History

Marginal inscriptions throughout indicate that the manuscript had many owners in the 16th century. Some of these inscriptions read:

Folio 39r: 'Johnne Fetler pertenand to this buik'. Inscriptions for John Fetler are repeated throughout the manuscript.

Folio 93r: 'Quham soevir dois on me luik I am the laird of Makfarlane's buik, finis per me David Maxwell'.

Folio 199v: 'Jacobus...' and 'David...'.

Folio 213r: 'This buik perteins to ane honorable man Andra Makfarlane off Arraquhar ... with my hand Johnne Achinnes[?]'.

Folio 244r: 'Andro Makfarlen of Arroquhar me possidet. In my defence god me defend'. This is probably Andrew Macfarlan, 12th baron of Arrochar and chief of Clan Macfarlane, ca. 1496-ca. 1544.

Folio 448r: Memorandum 'To ane honourable man Syr Niniane[?] Dalyell erat de Glasquhuen'.

Folio 423v: 'Hic liber est meus McKawlay cognomine dictus Portnella erat natus, Matheus pac erat vocatus.'

Folio i, verso: 'Johne Aerskine'.

The volume was in the possession of Sir Robert Sibbald, and was bought at the sale of his goods by the Library of the Faculty of Advocates in April 1723. There are ownership inscriptions for the Library on the inner of the front board and folio 1r.

The previous shelfmark assigned to the manuscript by the Library of the Faculty of Advocates is present on folio 1r, 'A.7.1', since superseded.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Presented, 1925, by the Faculty of Advocates to the nation on the foundation of the National Library of Scotland.

Bibliography

Amours, F. J. (ed.) 'The Original Chronicle of Andrew of Wyntoun Printed on Parallel Pages from the Cottonian and Wemyss MSS., with the Variants of Other Texts' 6 Volumes (Edinburgh and London, 1903-1914).
'Bibliotheca Sibbaldiana: or, a catalogue of valuable books: consisting of divinity, civil and ecclesiastical history, medicine, natural history, philosophy, mathematicks, belles letters, etc. with a curious collection of historical and other manuscripts. Being the Library fo the late Learned and Ingenious Sir Robert Sibbald of Kipps, Doctor of Medicine. To be Sold by Way of Auction, on Tuesday the 5th of February 1723...' (Edinburgh, 1722), page 136, number 21.
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 385-389. NLS Reference: FR.198a/2.
Briquet, C. M. 'Les Filigranes. Dictionnaire historique des marques de papier des leur apparition vers 1282 jusqu'en 1600', 4 Volumes (Leipzig, 1923).
Craigie, W. A. 'The St. Andrews MS of Wyntoun's Chronicle', in 'Anglia – Zeitschrift für englische Philologie', Volume 20 (1898), pages 363-380, especially 368.
Craigie, W. A. 'Wyntoun'’s "Original Chronicle"', in 'The Scottish Review', Volume XXX (1897), pages 33-54.
Cunningham, I. C. 'The Asloan Manuscript', in A. A. MacDonald et al., (eds.) 'The Renaissance in Scotland: Studies in Literature, Religion, History and Culture Offered to John Durkan' (Leiden, 1994), pages 107-135, especially 130-131.
Edington, C. 'Andrew Wyntoun', entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Available online: https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/30164
'English Literature: An Exhibition of Manuscripts and of First and other Early Editions' (Edinburgh, 1962), page 3, number 10.
'Folio Catalogue of Manuscripts: Poetry' (Unpublished manuscript, Edinburgh [18??]), folio 16. NLS Reference: FR.190.
Laing, D. (ed.) 'The Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland by Androw of Wyntoun' 3 Volumes (Edinburgh, 1872-1879).
Macpherson, D. 'Đe orygynale cronykil of Scotland, be Androw of Wyntoun, Priowr of Sanct Serfis Ynche in Loch Leven. Now first published, with notes, a glossary...' 2 Volumes (Edinburgh and London, 1795).
'Scottish Exhibition of National History, Art and Industry, Glasgow (1911): Palace of History Catalogue of Exhibits' (Glasgow, Edinburgh, and London, 1911), page 464, number 15.
'Summary Catalogue of the Advocates' Manuscripts' (Edinburgh, 1971), page 61, number 743; page 108, number 1394.
Van Buuren-Veenenbos, C. C. 'John Asloan, an Edinburgh Scribe', in 'English Studies', Volume XLVII, Number 5 (October, 1966), pages 365-372, especially 371.
Verweij, S. 'The Literary Culture of Early Modern Scotland: Manuscript Production and Transmission, 1560-162' (Oxford, 2016), page 127.

Physical Description

Paper. The binding is of the 16th century, and is of brown leather covering oak boards. The front and back boards are blind-tooled with large central panel designs featuring floral and lozenge patterns. On the front board there are the remains of a metal clasp, partly gone. The spine has raised bands and a gold-tooled title which reads ‘WYNTOWN'S CRONYKIL'. The turn-ins, cords, channeling, and pegging are visible on the insides of the boards. The volume was repaired at some point and was rebacked, although much of the original back is still retained.

The paper of the manuscript has several watermarks. Visible on folio 1: A heraldic shield of three fleur-de-lis and a gothic letter 'C', similar to Briquet numbers 1724 (Troyes, 1458) or 1725 (Paris, 1464). Visible on folio 2: A unicorn, which does not appear to be in Briquet. Visible on folio 421: A gothic letter 'P', similar to Briquet number 8544 (Châlons-sur-Marne, 1464). Visible on folios 423 and 447: A hand with a clover, similar to Briquet number 11427 (unidentified). Visible on folios 330 and 444: A six-pointed star and crown, which does not appear to be in Briquet. At some point, probably in the 16th century, some of the folios of the volume were repaired and mounted on paper.