Henry Bradshaw Society
Encyclopedia
The Henry Bradshaw Society is a British-based learned society "founded in the Year of Our Lord 1890 for the editing of Rare Liturgical Texts".
It is one of four hundred or so national and local learned societies in Great Britain that have issued texts, books and articles especially regarding both religious and secular history. Many were founded in the nineteenth century and constitute a monument to the vigour and energy of Victorian intellectual and cultural life. The majority of these societies have been dependent upon the members' subscriptions to finance their publications, and their spirit is one of generous devotion and loyalty towards the preservation and appreciation of the local or national heritage to which they are variously dedicated.
One of the models for the Henry Bradshaw Society was the Durham-based Surtees Society
, formed in 1834, which in turn received assistance from officers of the Bannatyne Club
. The Surtees Society also influenced the successful Camden Society
, named after the antiquarian William Camden
(1551-1623) and which began publishing in 1838.
The foundation of the Henry Bradshaw Society was also linked, more by overlapping interests than organizational models, to an entity known variously over the years as the Cambridge Camden Society
, the Ecclesiological Society, the St Paul's Ecclesiological Society, and currently once again the Ecclesiological Society. In the 1879 the Ecclesiological Society, after a decade or so of limbo, was re-established in London as the St Paul's Ecclesiological Society, a significant role in this event being was played by Dr John Wickham Legg
(1843-1921), a medical man turned liturgist who in 1888 had published with the Cambridge University Press an edition of the 1535 Breviary of Cardinal Quiñonez,
As to Henry Bradshaw
(1831-1886), after whom the Society was named, he was for a score of years University Librarian at Cambridge, much interested in early printing and in the development of techniques of exact bibliographic description. This latter passion had led to his close familiarity with the contents of many European libraries, where he had also taken note of early English liturgical manuscripts.
An initial meeting to plan the new Henry Bradshaw Society took place in London on July 3, 1890, after which provisional subscriptions were solicited. The general meeting to inaugurate the Society took place at 3 o'clock on Tuesday, November 25, in the Jerusalem Chamber at Westminster Abbey
. A committee was finalized and a programme of publications worked out.
The promised subscribers including many Anglican bishops and other dignitaries, but also Léopold Delisle of the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, Mons. Antonio Maria Ceriani
of the Ambrosian Library, Milan
and others Catholics such as W.H. James Weale, Edmund Bishop
, Dom Aidan Gasquet, the abbé Louis Duchesne
, and Dom Hildebrand de Hemptinne, then abbot of Maredsous. The first volumes were to be printed in 500 copies and at the next meeting the Council fixed the individual subscription rate as 12 guineas (£12.12s).
Other editions were of the Coronation rites of King Charles I
, The Martiloge in Englysshe ,
the Antiphonary of Bangor (from the Ambrosian Library), the Tracts of Clement Maydeston, the Winchester Troper, the Martyrology of Gorman (from the Royal Library, Brussels), the Missal of Robert of Jumièges
(from Rouen public library), the Irish Liber Hymnorum (from Trinity College, Dublin), the Rosslyn Missal (from the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh), the Coronation Book of Charles V
of France (Cottonian Ms. Tiberius B.VIII), the Missale Romanum, printed in Milan in 1474 and the fifteenth-century Processional of the Nuns of Chester. I.
Although the Society fell into something of a slump after the Second World War, it was revived with some vigour in the 1980s. The latest volume to be issued, in 2009, is numbered 118.
, OSB, President, Professor Michael Lapidge
, Chairman of Council, Mr Peter Jackson
, General Secretary and Dr Bernard Moreton, Treasurer.
It is one of four hundred or so national and local learned societies in Great Britain that have issued texts, books and articles especially regarding both religious and secular history. Many were founded in the nineteenth century and constitute a monument to the vigour and energy of Victorian intellectual and cultural life. The majority of these societies have been dependent upon the members' subscriptions to finance their publications, and their spirit is one of generous devotion and loyalty towards the preservation and appreciation of the local or national heritage to which they are variously dedicated.
One of the models for the Henry Bradshaw Society was the Durham-based Surtees Society
Surtees Society
The Surtees Society is a learned society based at Durham in northern England. The society was established on 27 May 1834 by James Raine, following the death of renowned County Durham antiquarian Robert Surtees...
, formed in 1834, which in turn received assistance from officers of the Bannatyne Club
Bannatyne Club
The Bannatyne Club was founded by Sir Walter Scott to print rare works of Scottish interest, whether in history, poetry, or general literature. It printed 116 volumes in all. It was dissolved in 1861....
. The Surtees Society also influenced the successful Camden Society
Camden Society
The Camden Society, named after the English antiquary and historian William Camden, was founded in 1838 in London to publish early historical and literary materials, both unpublished manuscripts and new editions of rare printed books....
, named after the antiquarian William Camden
William Camden
William Camden was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and officer of arms. He wrote the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and the first detailed historical account of the reign of Elizabeth I of England.- Early years :Camden was born in London...
(1551-1623) and which began publishing in 1838.
The foundation of the Henry Bradshaw Society was also linked, more by overlapping interests than organizational models, to an entity known variously over the years as the Cambridge Camden Society
Cambridge Camden Society
The Cambridge Camden Society, later known as the Ecclesiological Society from 1845 when it moved to London, was a learned architectural society founded in 1839 by undergraduates at Cambridge University to promote "the study of Gothic Architecture, and of Ecclesiastical Antiques." Its activities...
, the Ecclesiological Society, the St Paul's Ecclesiological Society, and currently once again the Ecclesiological Society. In the 1879 the Ecclesiological Society, after a decade or so of limbo, was re-established in London as the St Paul's Ecclesiological Society, a significant role in this event being was played by Dr John Wickham Legg
John Wickham Legg
John Wickham Legg was the third son of the printer and bookseller George Legg, and was born at Alverstoke near Portsmouth in Hampshire, England, on 28 December 1843...
(1843-1921), a medical man turned liturgist who in 1888 had published with the Cambridge University Press an edition of the 1535 Breviary of Cardinal Quiñonez,
As to Henry Bradshaw
Henry Bradshaw (scholar)
Henry Bradshaw was a British scholar and librarian.Henry Bradshaw was the son of Joseph Hoare Bradshaw, a banker. He was educated at Eton and King's College, Cambridge, where he became a fellow in 1853...
(1831-1886), after whom the Society was named, he was for a score of years University Librarian at Cambridge, much interested in early printing and in the development of techniques of exact bibliographic description. This latter passion had led to his close familiarity with the contents of many European libraries, where he had also taken note of early English liturgical manuscripts.
An initial meeting to plan the new Henry Bradshaw Society took place in London on July 3, 1890, after which provisional subscriptions were solicited. The general meeting to inaugurate the Society took place at 3 o'clock on Tuesday, November 25, in the Jerusalem Chamber at Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
. A committee was finalized and a programme of publications worked out.
The promised subscribers including many Anglican bishops and other dignitaries, but also Léopold Delisle of the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, Mons. Antonio Maria Ceriani
Antonio Maria Ceriani
Antonio Maria Ceriani was an Italian prelate, Syriacist, and scholar.Ceriani was born at Uboldo, in Lombardy. He was ordained a priest for his home diocese of Milan in 1852 and the same year was appointed keeper of the catalogue of the Biblioteca Ambrosiana at Milan...
of the Ambrosian Library, Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
and others Catholics such as W.H. James Weale, Edmund Bishop
Edmund Bishop
Edmund Bishop was a Roman Catholic historian of Christian liturgy and collaborated with Francis Aidan Gasquet in the writing of two works in this field.-Works about Bishop:...
, Dom Aidan Gasquet, the abbé Louis Duchesne
Louis Duchesne
Louis Marie Olivier Duchesne was a French priest, philologist, teacher and a critical historian of Christianity and Roman Catholic liturgy and institutions....
, and Dom Hildebrand de Hemptinne, then abbot of Maredsous. The first volumes were to be printed in 500 copies and at the next meeting the Council fixed the individual subscription rate as 12 guineas (£12.12s).
The Editions
By the end of the century some 19 volumes had been issued, three of which contained an edition of the Westminster Missal, given to the abbey by Abbot Nicholas Lytlington, abbot 1362-1386, and builder of the Jerusalem Chamber, where the Henry Bradshaw Society was publicly launched.Other editions were of the Coronation rites of King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
, The Martiloge in Englysshe ,
the Antiphonary of Bangor (from the Ambrosian Library), the Tracts of Clement Maydeston, the Winchester Troper, the Martyrology of Gorman (from the Royal Library, Brussels), the Missal of Robert of Jumièges
Robert of Jumièges
Robert of Jumièges was the first Norman Archbishop of Canterbury. He had previously served as prior of the Abbey of St Ouen at Rouen in France, before becoming abbot of Jumièges Abbey, near Rouen, in 1037...
(from Rouen public library), the Irish Liber Hymnorum (from Trinity College, Dublin), the Rosslyn Missal (from the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh), the Coronation Book of Charles V
Charles V of France
Charles V , called the Wise, was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380 and a member of the House of Valois...
of France (Cottonian Ms. Tiberius B.VIII), the Missale Romanum, printed in Milan in 1474 and the fifteenth-century Processional of the Nuns of Chester. I.
Although the Society fell into something of a slump after the Second World War, it was revived with some vigour in the 1980s. The latest volume to be issued, in 2009, is numbered 118.
Current Officers
Among its principal honorary officers at the present time are the Right Reverend Abbot Dom Cuthbert JohnsonCuthbert Johnson
Cuthbert Johnson is a British musician, liturgist and former Benedictine abbot. He was the fourth Abbot of Quarr Abbey, he was born in County Durham, England. After studying with the Christian Brothers and the White Fathers, he entered Quarr Abbey on the Isle of Wight and made monastic profession...
, OSB, President, Professor Michael Lapidge
Michael Lapidge
Michael Lapidge D.Litt. is a Canadian historical linguist, fellow of Clare College, Cambridge and Fellow of the British Academy A lecturer in Anglo-Saxon studies at Cambridge from 1974 onwards, Lapidge was Elrington and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon from 1991 to 1998...
, Chairman of Council, Mr Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
, General Secretary and Dr Bernard Moreton, Treasurer.
Further Literature
- Cuthbert Johnson & Anthony Ward, `Some British Societies for the Publication of Studies and Ancient Texts', in Ephemerides Liturgicae 101 (1987) 229-245.
- Anthony Ward & Cuthbert Johnson, `The Henry Bradshaw Society: Its Birth and First Decade, 1890-1900', in Ephemerides Liturgicae 104 (1990) 187-200.
- Anthony Ward, The Publications of the Henry Bradshaw Society: An Annotated Bibliography with Indexes, CLV-Edizioni Liturgiche, Rome, 1992 (= Bibliotheca «Ephemerides Liturgicae» Subsidia 67; Instrumenta Liturgica Quarreriensia 1).
- Anthony Ward, `The Publications of the Henry Bradshaw Society: The Decade 1991-2000', in Ephemerides Liturgicae 115 (2001) 82-94.