Taymouth Hours

The Taymouth Hours is now held by the British Library Department of Manuscripts in the Yates Thompson collection. Most pages have a bas-de-page illustration, often accompanied by a caption in Anglo-Norman French or Latin. A few have bilingual captions that include Middle English. During this period in medieval England, Anglo-Norman would have been the language most commonly spoken by affluent and royal families. The illustrations include both sacred and secular scenes. Picture-narratives of the stories of Bevis of Hampton (ff. 8v–12) and Guy of Warwick (ff. 12v–17) appear at the beginning of the text, while below the Matins of the Hours of the Virgin (ff. 60v–67v) are fifteen scenes depicting a tale of a damsel captured by a wild man.

• Name — Taymouth Hours • Also Known As — Yates Thompson MS 13 • Language S — Anglo-Norman French and Latin • Date — 1325–1335 • Type — Book of Hours • Location — British Library

There have been numerous attempts to identify the book's patron and original intended owner. It has been speculated that the patron and destinee was Isabella of France, wife of Edward II, or that the book may have been made for one of their daughters, Joan of the Tower. Other scholars have speculated that Philippa of Hainault, wife of Edward III, son of Isabella and Edward II, was the original intended owner. Illustrations of a crowned woman are featured on four different pages of the book (ff. 7r, 18r, 118v, and 139r), serving as the initial indication of a royal patron and/or recipient. The quality of illustrations and impressive materials such as gold leaf also point to an aristocratic patronage. The Taymouth Hours is one of two English books of hours made between 1240 and 1350 with links to royal patronage; thus it exemplifies a higher level of craftsmanship compared to other books of hours assumed to have been owned by affluent, secular individuals. The most puzzling piece of the question of patronage and intended ownership is the inclusion of two illustrations that depict crowned women kneeling in prayer, each with a male companion: one of the men is bare-headed while the other wears a crown.

Previous scholarship has traditionally hypothesised that Isabella of France was the patron due, in part, to evidence of or arguments for her ownership and patronage of various other illuminated manuscripts. The proposed dating of the book falls within Isabella's reign as Queen of England.

Kathryn Smith makes the case that Philippa of Hainault, wife of Edward III, was the patron of the Taymouth Hours, instead. She argues that Philippa had the book made sometime c. 1331 not for herself, but rather as a "betrothal gift" for her sister-in-law, Eleanor of Woodstock. In 1331, while still living at the English court, Eleanor was betrothed to Reginald II, Duke of Guelders. Smith's hypothesis derives, in part, from her analysis of Philippa's relationship to Eleanor prior to her marriage to Reginald. Philippa had been Eleanor's guardian since 1328. Eleanor's betrothal and marriage were arranged beginning in 1330 by her brother, Edward III, in an effort to advance his political connections to the Low Countries; the union also may have been aided by Philippa's mother, Jeanne de Valois (also known as Joan of Valois), wife of William I, Count of Hainaut. Eleanor and Reginald were wed in May of 1332. Smith also builds her hypothesis on analyses of the "portraits" in the manuscript, especially the crowned and wimpled woman wearing a translucent veil and the uncrowned man portrayed at Matins of the Holy Spirit (fol. 18r), figures which, Smith hypothesises, were intended to represent Eleanor of Woodstock and Reginald II of Guelders; and the crowned, wimpled woman and crowned man shown in the 'bas-de-page' at Matins of the Cross (fol. 118v); Smith suggests that these figures were meant to represent Philippa of Hainault and Edward III. One of Smith's main textual sources is an entry in Philippa's Wardrobe Book of the Household from October 1331, which records a payment to the artist Richard of Oxford. The entry notes Philippa's payment for two Books of Hours. Smith proposes that the Taymouth Hours might have been one of these books, and that this dated entry supports the theory that Philippa commissioned the Taymouth Hours as a "betrothal gift" for Eleanor. While Smith argues that the manuscript was intended for Eleanor, she maintains that it is "unknown" whether Eleanor "actually took possession of" it.

Books of hours were Christian devotional collections, usually containing psalms, prayers, and illustrations. They resembled Psalters in form and function, but were condensed and personalised. The purpose of these books were to provide private owners with prayer materials, which could be read and recited during certain times of the day, month, season, and liturgical year. Many of the patrons of books of hours held secular positions in society, and therefore had a need for individual prayer books to practice their faith at home. As is the case of the Taymouth Hours, books of hours were customised to fit the aesthetic desires of the patron. English books of hours have also been referred to by the term 'primers', taken from the Middle English word for books of hours. This second name is exclusive to books of hours made in England, and has been exemplified in examples of books of hours, simpler, less ornate prayer collections, and children's religious literature. Typical of many other book of hours of the time period, the Taymouth hours contains a calendar, illustrations of the zodiac, the Latin offices, the Penitential Psalms, Gradual Psalms, the Litany of Saints, and the Office of the Dead.