Book of Hours (BL Add. MS 36684 & Morgan MS M.754)

Three monks singing before a coffin, f. 83r.

Colloquial name(s): Book of Hours, use of St Omer

Official name(s): British Library, Additional MS 36684 and Pierpoint Morgan Library, MS M.754

Date: c. 1320 (source) or between 1320 and 1329 (source)

Origin: Saint-Omer or Therouanne, N. France (source) or Saint-Omer, France (source)

Online facsimile available via: British Library Digitised Manuscripts (first half) and Morgan Library & Museum online collection of Medieval & Renaissance Manuscripts or CORSAIR (second half)

The first half of this manuscript is held at the British Library and consists of a calendar (ff. 1v-13v), an imperfect copy of the Hours of the Virgin (ff. 14r-59v), the seven Penitential Psalms and Litany (ff. 60r-75v), Hymns and Prayers (ff. 75v-82v), the Office of the Dead (ff. 83r-124v), Prayers and Psalms (ff. 125r-155v) (source). The second half is held at the Pierpoint Morgan Library and consists of a fragment of the Book of Hours (ff. 1r-114r) and the life of St Margaret (ff. 114r-132v) (source).

The half in the British Library is illustrated with 24 bas-de-page calendar miniatures in colours-and-gold, 10 historiated initials in colours-and-gold, one framed miniature in colours-and-gold and full or partial bar borders on nearly every page (source). The half in the Pierpoint Morgan Library is illustrated with 3 miniatures, 26 historiated initials and numerous historiated borders (source).

The manuscript can be dated c. 1320 as it contains prayer attributed to Pope John XXIII (r. 1316-34) which is dated to 1318 in the rubric "En lan del incanation que Ihesus soffri passion mil iii.ccc. et xviii. ans fist ceste orison pape iehans et tant de fois que on le dira ccc. iours de pardons on aura" found on f. 78r (source).

Basic descriptions of the illustrations are provided by the British Library and the Pierpoint Morgan Library with the facsimiles.