Lyme Caxton Missal

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Page from the missal showing God the Father enthroned Lyme Caxton Missal.jpg
Page from the missal showing God the Father enthroned

The Lyme Caxton Missal is an incunable or early printed book containing the liturgy of the Mass according to the Sarum Rite, published in 1487 by William Caxton. The copy at Lyme Park, Cheshire, England, is the only nearly complete surviving copy of its earliest known edition. It is held in the library of the house and is on display to visitors.

Incunable book, pamphlet, or broadside that was printed before the year 1501 in Europe

An incunable, or sometimes incunabulum, is a book, pamphlet, or broadside printed in Europe before the year 1501. Incunabula are not manuscripts, which are documents written by hand. As of 2014, there are about 30,000 distinct known incunable editions extant, but the probable number of surviving copies in Germany alone is estimated at around 125,000.

Liturgy is the customary public worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activity reflecting praise, thanksgiving, supplication or repentance. It forms a basis for establishing a relationship with a divine agency, as well as with other participants in the liturgy.

Mass (liturgy) type of worship service within many Christian denomination

Mass is the main eucharistic liturgical service in many forms of Western Christianity. The term Mass is commonly used in the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches, as well as in some Lutheran, Methodist, Western Rite Orthodox, and Old Catholic churches.

Contents

Contents

This missal contains the liturgy for the Mass according to the Sarum Rite (or Sarum Use) and is known as a Sarum Missal. This was the most popular version of the Mass used in England before the Reformation. This copy of the missal is from the earliest known printed edition of a Sarum Missal. It is printed throughout in two colours, red and black, and is the first book to carry Caxton's printer's device. [1] The missal is printed in ink on paper, with a leather binding, and it measures 34 by 24 cm. [2] It was famous at the time it was printed because it was one of the first books printed in two colours. [3] The missal contains 243 of its original 266 leaves and includes two full-page woodcuts coloured by hand; one depicts the Crucifixion of Jesus and the other God the Father enthroned. It was re-bound in the 19th century, but some fragments of the original 15th century binding survive. [4] Later markings have been added to the book by hand. These include a translation of the marriage service in English alongside the original Latin version, [1] obituaries relating to the deaths of members of the Legh family, and prayers to St Thomas. [4] In places the missal has been "censored" by hand, including the crossing out of the name of St Thomas Becket and of prayers for the Pope. [1]

Missal liturgical book

A missal is a liturgical book containing all instructions and texts necessary for the celebration of Mass throughout the year.

English Reformation 16th-century separation of the Church of England from the Pope of Rome

The English Reformation was a series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church. These events were, in part, associated with the wider European Protestant Reformation, a religious and political movement that affected the practice of Christianity across western and central Europe. Causes included the decline of feudalism and the rise of nationalism, the rise of the common law, the invention of the printing press and increased circulation of the Bible, and the transmission of new knowledge and ideas among scholars, the upper and middle classes and readers in general. However, the various phases of the English Reformation, which also covered Wales and Ireland, were largely driven by changes in government policy, to which public opinion gradually accommodated itself.

Printers mark symbol used as a trademark by printers

A printer's mark, device, emblem or insignia was a symbol used as a trademark by early printers starting in the 15th century.

History

Inside the book Lyme Park 2016 073.jpg
Inside the book

The book was published by William Caxton in 1487 and printed for him in Paris by Guillaume Maynal. This is the first known instance of an English publisher contracting out work to a foreign printer. [4] This copy of the missal has been in the northwest of England since at least 1508. [1] Another copy of this edition is said to have been in the shrine of Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey, but this has not survived. [2] The book was in the possession of the Legh family, when in 1549, during the reign of Edward VI, it was banned. [5] It was "hidden away" in Lyme Park for many years, [3] and rediscovered in 1874 by William Brenchley Rye, a scholar from the British Museum, when he was visiting the house. [4] It was then displayed in a glass case "for scholars and family visitors to admire". [6] When the Legh family left the house in 1946, it remained in their possession, and was held for safe-keeping in the John Rylands Library in Manchester. [4] It is "one of only two Caxtons in the world which has remained in the ownership of a single family for 500 years". [1] It is also the only near-complete copy of this edition of the missal to survive; there are fragments only of another copy that is held in Durham University. [4]

William Caxton 15th-century English merchant, diplomat, writer and printer

William Caxton was an English merchant, diplomat, and writer. He is thought to be the first person to introduce a printing press into England, in 1476, and as a printer was the first English retailer of printed books.

Shrine holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity

A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated. A shrine at which votive offerings are made is called an altar.

Edward the Confessor 11th-century Anglo-Saxon King of England and saint

Edward the Confessor, also known as Saint Edward the Confessor, was among the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066.

Present day

The missal was purchased in 2008 by the National Trust at a cost of £465,000, with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, The Art Fund, and other organisations. [1] It is on display in the library of Lyme Park. Associated with it is an interactive digital display. With this the visitor can "turn the pages" of the book, using touch-screen technology, and also listen to passages from the book being sung. [3]

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty Conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust, is an independent charity and membership organisation for environmental and heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

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Roman Missal Book used for Catholic Liturgy

The Roman Missal is the liturgical book that contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of the Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.

The Mass of Saint Paul VI is the most commonly used form of the Mass in use today within the Catholic Church. It was first promulgated, after the Second Vatican Council (1962–65), by Pope Paul VI in 1969 and published in the 1970 edition of the Roman Missal, and was revised by Pope John Paul II in 2000. As thus revised, it "is and continues to be the normal Form – the Forma ordinaria" of the Roman Rite Mass, as intended for use in most contexts.

Tridentine Mass Type of mass in the Roman Catholic Church

The Tridentine Mass, also known as Traditional Latin Mass, or Usus Antiquior, is the Roman Rite Mass which appears in typical editions of the Roman Missal published from 1570 to 1962. The most widely used Mass liturgy in the world from its issuance in 1570 until the introduction of the Mass of Paul VI in 1969, it is celebrated in ecclesiastical Latin.

Lyme Park Grade I listed historic house museum in Cheshire East, United Kingdom

Lyme Park is a large estate located south of Disley, Cheshire. The estate is managed by the National Trust and consists of a mansion house surrounded by formal gardens, in a deer park in the Peak District National Park. The house is the largest in Cheshire, and is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.

Baron Newton

Baron Newton, of Newton-in-Makerfield in the County Palatine of Lancaster, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1892 for the Conservative politician William Legh, who had earlier represented Lancashire South and Cheshire East in the House of Commons. Both his son, the second Baron, and his great-grandson, the fourth Baron, were Conservative government ministers. As of 2017 the title is held by the latter's eldest son, the fifth Baron, who succeeded in 1992.

Anglican Use particular liturgical rite of the Roman Catholic Church

The Anglican Use is an officially approved form of liturgy used by former members of the Anglican Communion who joined the Catholic Church while wishing to maintain the treasures of the Anglican tradition.

Mozarabic Rite liturgical rite of the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Church in Spain and Portugal

The Mozarabic Rite, also called the Visigothic Rite or the Hispanic Rite, is a liturgical rite of the Latin Church once used generally in the Iberian Peninsula (Hispania), in what is now Spain and Portugal. While the liturgy is often called 'Mozarabic' after the Christian communities that lived under Muslim rulers in Al-Andalus that preserved its use, the rite itself developed before and during the Visigothic period. After experiencing a period of decline during the Reconquista, when it was superseded by the Roman Rite in the Christian states of Iberia as part of a wider programme of liturgical standardization within the Catholic Church, efforts were taken in the 16th century to revive the rite and ensure its continued presence in the city of Toledo, where it is still performed today.

The Use of Sarum, also known as the Sarum Rite or Use of Salisbury, is a variant ("use") of the Roman Rite widely used for the ordering of Christian public worship, including the Mass and the Divine Office. It was established by Saint Osmund, Bishop of Salisbury, and Richard Poore in the 11th century and was originally the local form used in the Cathedral and Diocese of Salisbury, England.

Diocese of Salisbury Church of England diocese in the south of England

The Diocese of Salisbury is a Church of England diocese in the south of England, within the ecclesiastical Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers most of Dorset, and most of Wiltshire. The diocese is led by the Bishop of Salisbury and the diocesan synod. The bishop's seat is at Salisbury Cathedral.

The Book of Divine Worship (BDW) was an adaptation of the American Book of Common Prayer (BCP) by the Roman Catholic Church. It was used primarily by former members of the Episcopal Church within Anglican Use parishes of the Pastoral Provision and the Personal Ordinariates. It has been replaced by a new book to be used worldwide, titled Divine Worship: The Missal.

The Use of York, was a variant of the Roman Rite practised in part of northern England, prior to the reign of Henry VIII. During Henry's reign the Use of York was suppressed in favour of the Sarum rite, followed by the Book of Common Prayer. "Use" denotes the special liturgical customs which prevailed in a particular diocese or group of dioceses; it is one of the medieval English Uses, together with the Use of Sarum.

Pre-Tridentine Mass

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Latin liturgical rites category of Catholic rites

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Liturgical book Christian prayer book

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Bank Hall

Bank Hall is a Jacobean mansion in Bretherton, Lancashire, England. It is a Grade II* listed building and is at the centre of a private estate, surrounded by parkland. The hall was built on the site of an older house in 1608 by the Banastres who were lords of the manor. The hall was extended during the 18th and 19th centuries. Extensions were built for George Anthony Legh Keck in 1832–1833, to the design of the architect George Webster.

Leghs of Lyme

The Leghs of Lyme were a gentry family seated at Lyme Park in Cheshire, England, from 1398 until 1946, when the stately home and its surrounding parkland were donated by the 3rd Lord Newton to The National Trust.

Bowstones

The Bowstones are a pair of Anglian cross shafts in Cheshire, England. Situated beside the old ridgeway between Disley and Macclesfield overlooking Lyme Park, the Cheshire Plain, the city of Manchester and the hills of the Peak District, they are a scheduled monument.

Order of Mass is an outline of a Mass celebration, describing how and in what order liturgical texts and rituals are employed to constitute a Mass.

<i>Divine Worship: The Missal</i> missal for Anglican Use Catholics

Divine Worship: The Missal (DW:™️) is the liturgical book containing the instructions and texts for the celebration of Mass by the former Anglicans within the Roman Catholic Church in the three personal ordinariates of Great Britain, United States and Canada, and Australia. The rite contained in this missal is a variant of the Roman Rite eucharistic liturgy. It was approved for use beginning on the first Sunday of Advent, November 29, 2015.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 National Trust saves unique Caxton book for the nation, National Trust, archived from the original on 7 September 2008, retrieved 22 January 2010
  2. 1 2 Missale ad Usum Sarum (Sarum Missal), The Art Fund , retrieved 22 January 2010
  3. 1 2 3 The Lyme Caxton Missal, National Trust , retrieved 22 January 2010
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Turning the pages of history, Heritage Lottery Fund, archived from the original on 27 September 2011, retrieved 23 January 2010
  5. ↑ National Trust Saves Unique Caxton Book For The Nation, Culture24 , retrieved 22 January 2010
  6. ↑ Haile, Deborah (3 September 2008), "Lyme library set for restoration", Manchester Evening News , M.E.N. Media, retrieved 22 January 2010
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