Dated and Datable English Manuscript Borders c.1395-1499

Apart from illustrations, borders are the most important - and most frequent - element of decoration in late medieval English manuscripts. Borders alter in style at a quicker chronological pace than the work of scribes, and systematic analysis and comparison allow a researcher more accuracy in dating a manuscript than other means. At the same time, a sense of the hierarchy of borders is advantageous to the scholar who is seeking to understand the medieval response to a given text. Yet up until now borders have received little detailed study, this work offers a presentation of a century of English manuscripts, illustrated with 50 key images.