Physical description

Form:

Codex

Paper of a single stock throughout.

Watermark: very difficult to see but resembles what Churchill calls ""Seven Provinces"": a lion clutching some small sticks encircled by a belt, topped with a crown, with an initial below. This watermark has the initial G imposed on VH (as in Churchill 109) at the bottom of the watermark. This watermark is not a perfect match with Churchill 109 (dated 1656) as the crown is slightly different, and the sword not as angular, and Churchill has a countermark (though part of a countermark seems to be visible on p.369 of this manuscript). The watermark is similar to Heawood 3141 (dated ""shortly after 1685"") and Heawood 3145 (no date). Identical to the watermark in NLS MS 6499.

4o in 8s, with missing leaves (though no stubs visible) from first and last gathering: i7 ii-xxiii8 xiv7

Four margins, most done with a ruler (though see p.3 for an exception). Marginal biblical references, usually in the outer margin (not near the gutter). Biblical passages are sometimes written twice as large as surrounding text. Top half of p.194 crossed out with a note beneath it: ""(by inadvertency in turning over 2 leaves together this comes to be scraped out)"". Many of the versos contain headings indicating the book and chapter of the Bible (rarely also the verse) that Halkett is meditating upon. Rectos tend only to have a heading to mark a new section. A few changes of pen, but none of the over-tracing, which is apparent in other Halkett volumes. When writing select meditations (in this and some other manuscripts) she tends to draw a line above and below a verse number in the margin that she is quoting exactly, but does not use those lines when she is simply borrowing a phrase or paraphrasing from her biblical source.

The manuscript is written in Anne Halkett's hand throughout.

Hand A (pp.i-iv, 1-372, v): italic.

Contemporary brown calfskinwith double ruling in blind at the borders. Four ridges at the spine, with double blind ruling above and below each one. Simple foliate roll on edges of boards. Scraps of paper glued onto the spine in Halkett's hand: ""[Be]gun 21/ May 88/ Ended 17/ of March/ 1689/90"". On a second scrap beneath the first ridge: ""Moses/and /S[amu]e[ll]"". Library's name stamped in gilt in upper left corner of upper cover, and ""MS. 6498"" stamped in gilt at base of spine..

211x167x33mm

i-iv, 1-372, v pp. Pages 1-370 paginated by Halkett. Pages i-iv, 371-372, and v paginated in pencil.

Good, but some small holes in and scratches on binding. Worm hole in lower left upper cover which has bored through the first half of volume close to gutter (does not affect any text).

Provenance

The manuscript remained in the library at Pitfirrane House, seat of the Halkett family, until it was purchased by the National Library of Scotland in 1951-52 (though it was borrowed from Pitfirrane on two occasions).

This manuscript, and the 13 others, were still in the hands of the family in 1870, the date of a note in NLS MS 6412, fol.213 in the correspondence of Admiral Sir Peter Halkett, Bart. (succ. 1837). He lists the 7 volumes which are missing, lists most of the extant volumes as currently with John Gough Nichols (his edition of Anne Halkett's autobiography was published in 1875), and asks at the end of the list if the unbound volumes listed by Cooper in 1701 exist (National Library of Scotland Catalogue of Manuscripts,V, 6).

The National Library of Scotland acquired the Halkett manuscripts in 1951-52.