The Sherborne Missal is a 15th century English illuminated manuscript

Illuminated manuscript

An illuminated manuscript is a manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration, such as decorated initials, borders and miniature illustrations...

 missal

Missal

A missal is a liturgical book containing all instructions and texts necessary for the celebration of Mass throughout the year.-History:Before the compilation of such books, several books were used when celebrating Mass...

 in the British Library

British Library

The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...

 (Additional manuscript 74236) that has survived in excellent condition. It weighs 20 kg and has 347 leaves. It was commissioned by Abbott Robert Bruyning of Sherborne

Sherborne

Sherborne is a market town in northwest Dorset, England. It is sited on the River Yeo, on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, east of Yeovil. The A30 road, which connects London to Penzance, runs through the town. The population of the town is 9,350 . 27.1% of the population is aged 65 or...

, and was made for use at Sherborne Abbey

Sherborne Abbey

The Abbey Church of St Mary the Virgin at Sherborne in the English county of Dorset, is usually called Sherborne Abbey. It has been a Saxon cathedral , a Benedictine abbey and is now a parish church.- Cathedral :...

. It is one of the finest English examples of International Gothic

International Gothic

International Gothic is a phase of Gothic art which developed in Burgundy, Bohemia, France and northern Italy in the late 14th century and early 15th century...

 painting.

The missal is notable for a number of reasons. The miniatures include the name of the patron (Bruyning), as well his superior as the Bishop of Salisbury

Bishop of Salisbury

The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset...

 Richard Mitford

Richard Mitford

Richard Mitford was an English bishop of Chichester from 17 November 1389, and consecrated on 10 April 1390 and then bishop of Salisbury. He was translated to the see of Salisbury on 25 October 1395....

, the main scribe, John Whas, and the main artist John Siferwas.

The marginal decorations also contain numerous high quality drawings of British birds, including cormorants, gannets, moorhen

Moorhen

Moorhens, sometimes called marsh hens, are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family Rallidae. They constitute the genus Gallinula....

s, storks, robins

European Robin

The European Robin , most commonly known in Anglophone Europe simply as the Robin, is a small insectivorous passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family , but is now considered to be an Old World flycatcher...

, chaffinch

Chaffinch

The Chaffinch , also called by a wide variety of other names, is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae.- Description :...

es and mallard

Mallard

The Mallard , or Wild Duck , is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia....

s.

Janet Backhouse

Janet Backhouse

Janet Backhouse was a leading authority in the field of illuminated manuscripts....

has published a short volume analysing the Sherborne Missal, containing selected illustrations from the manuscript, as well as a more focused volume on the birds depicted in the Missal.

The manuscript is usually on display at the Ritblat Gallery in the library.