| Collection | GB 0231 University of Aberdeen, Special Collections |
| Level | Fonds |
| Ref No | MS 134 |
| Title | The Myrroure of oure Lady |
| Date | Late 15th century |
| Extent | 0.03 linear metres |
| Creator Name | Written by Robert Tailour. Tailour was not a brother of Syon monastery but was possibly a layman or clergyman connected with Syon. |
| Custodial History | The manuscript was brought from the Cape of Good Hope in April 1828: this is the earliest record of any mediaeval manuscripts in South Africa and probably the earliest in the whole Southern Hemisphere. |
| Source | Robertson; William (1804-1879); minister of the Dutch Reformed Church, South Africa. William Robertson was born in Moray in around 1804 and educated at King’s College, Aberdeen, graduating MA in 1828. He was ordained in Edinburgh in 1831 and became a minister of the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa. He served in the parishes of Clanwilliam, Swellendam and Cape Town, and was Moderator of the Synod in 1842 and 1852. He graduated DD from King’s College in 1840, though it was awarded to him at the Cape of Good Hope. His influence was strongly felt in the church and he was a popular minister and moderator. The district of Robertson near Cape Town is named after him. He died in South Africa in 1879. |
| Description | The Myrroure of oure Lady (first half), late 15th century. It is a devotional work written for the Bridgettine sisters of Syon in Isleworth, Middlesex. The three sections justify divine service and advise on preparation for it, and provide a translation and explanation of all the elements of daily and weekly services as well as some feast day offices. The translations contain Biblical material, which is amongst the earliest permitted translations into the vernacular in England. |
| Accruals | None expected. |
| Access Status | Open |
| Access Conditions | The records are available subject to the signed acceptance of the Department's access conditions. |
| Copyright | Subject to the condition of the original, copies may be supplied for private research use only on receipt of a signed undertaking to comply with current copyright legislation. Permission to make any published use of material from the collection must be sought in advance from the University Archivist and, where appropriate, from the copyright owner. Where possible, assistance will be given in identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material. |
| Language | English |
| Physical Description | No physical conditions affecting use of collection. |
| Related Material | The second half of this manuscript is in the Bodleian Library. |
| Publication Note | Henry Hargreaves: 'The Mirror of Our Lady', Aberdeen University Review XLII, pp.267 - 280 (1968). |
| Finding Aids | Neil R. Ker, 'Medieval Manuscripts in British Libraries', Vol. II, Abbotsford to Keele, (Oxford 1977). |