Penn in Hand: Selected Manuscripts

Cooke, Robert, -1592.

Genelogies of the Erles of Lecestre and Chester [manuscript].

[England, circa 1572-1573]

20 leaves : paper ; 219 x 165 mm. bound to 223 x 170 mm.

Genealogy of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, tracing his descent from the earls of Leicester and Chester, beginning with individuals of the 11th and 12th centuries, and providing the heraldic devices of the principal members of these families. Although the genealogy may have been compiled in association with Robert Dudley's appointment as lieutenant of the Order of the Garter in 1572 or the birth of his illegitimate son in 1574, Robert Dudley is mentioned in the introduction but does not appear within the genealogy, as noted in a late 16th- or early 17th-century hand (f. 18r).

Ms. codex.

Title from opening rubric (f. 1v); a faded spine title in ink refers to the Earle of Leycestre and another faded title on the upper cover refers to the Earls of Leycester and Chester with a later addition specifically naming John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, father of Robert Dudley.

A copy of Barbara McGeoch's 1974 MA thesis, including an edition of the manuscript, is shelved with the manuscript.

Collation: Paper, 20; 1¹ 2⁵⁺¹ 3⁸ 4⁴⁺¹; modern foliation in pencil, [1-20], lower right recto.

Layout: Written in 25 long lines, ruled in lead; double vertical and single horizontal bounding lines in pale red ink.

Script: Written in a hybrid secretary script, probably in the hand of Robert Cooke, Clarenceux King of Arms (by comparison to MS King's 396, British Library; Megan Cook, Colby College)

Decoration: Miniature of two knights bearing shields with the emblems of Leicester and Chester (f. 2r); 25 small and 2 large (f. 14v, f. 17v) heraldic shields of the descendants of the earls of Leicester and Chester; and an illuminated border throughout formed by the family tree that passes through the heraldic shields and roundels with the names of principal family members, painted in a naturalistic style with leaves resembling elm and oak foliage.

Watermark: Briquet Lettre B 8077-8079 (1566-1580).

Binding: Contemporary stiff vellum with five cords sewn through and visible on spine and one cord now gone at tail of spine; holes for two missing ties on fore-edge of covers.

Origin: Written in England, circa 1572-1573.

UPenn Ms. Codex 1070

Rare Book & Manuscript Library University of Pennsylvania Ms. Codex 1070