Scribe D facts for kids
A scribe is a person who used to copy books and documents by hand before the invention of the printing press. The Trinity Gower D Scribe, often just called Scribe D, was a professional scribe who worked in London, England, from about 1390 to 1420. For a long time, no one knew his real name. Even so, experts who study old books from the Middle English period know him very well.
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A Medieval Mystery Man
Scribe D was a mystery for centuries. It wasn't until the 1970s that two researchers, Ian Doyle and Malcolm Parkes, noticed something interesting. They saw that the same unique handwriting appeared in several important manuscripts (hand-written books) from the late 1300s and early 1400s. This told them that one person, Scribe D, had copied all of them.
A Special Handwriting
Experts have described Scribe D's handwriting as one of the best examples of a style called "Anglicana formata." His writing was neat, traditional, and simple. It also showed a little bit of influence from another style called secretary hand. By studying the books he wrote, we know he was busy working as a scribe between the 1390s and the 1420s.
Where Did He Come From?
By looking at the spelling Scribe D used, some experts think he originally came from the south-west Midlands of England, maybe from northern Worcestershire. One historian suggested he might have been like the famous character Dick Whittington, a young man who moved to London to find success.
However, other experts now think he might have been a Londoner. They believe his spelling was influenced by the books he copied, many of which came from the south-west Midlands. He was an expert in copying the works of the poet John Gower. He even started using some of Gower's unusual words when he copied books by other famous writers, like Geoffrey Chaucer.
Working with Famous Writers
One of the first books we know Scribe D copied was a very important version of Piers Plowman by William Langland. This book was written in the same dialect that Scribe D might have spoken, which could be why he was chosen for the job.
Once he was working in London, Scribe D teamed up with other professional scribes. He worked on one manuscript with the same scribe who copied the famous Ellesmere and Hengwrt versions of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. This shows that Scribe D was well-connected in London's literary world and could get his hands on high-quality copies of new books. He also worked with Thomas Hoccleve, who was a poet himself and a friend of Chaucer.
Some experts think that Scribe D and his team might have worked with Chaucer while he was still alive. Instead of just putting the Canterbury Tales together after Chaucer's death in 1400, they might have been creating new copies and making changes with the author's help.
What Was His Real Name?
In recent years, some researchers suggested that Scribe D was a man named John Marchaunt. Marchaunt was the Town Clerk of London from 1380 to 1417. However, other historians disagree. They argue that there is no real proof because there are no documents known to be in Marchaunt's handwriting to compare with Scribe D's work. The idea that Scribe D was Marchaunt is not widely accepted today.
Famous Books Copied by Scribe D
Scribe D copied many important books. Here are some of the manuscripts that experts have identified as his work:
- London University Library v. 88 (A copy of Piers Plowman, possibly his earliest work)
- Cambridge, Trinity R.3.2 (Parts of Confessio Amantis)
- British Library, Egerton 1991 (Confessio Amantis)
- Columbia University, Plimpton 265 (Confessio Amantis)
- Oxford, Bodley 294 (Confessio Amantis)
- Oxford, Bodley 902 (Confessio Amantis)
- Oxford, Christ Church 148 (Confessio Amantis)
- Princeton, Taylor 5 (Confessio Amantis)
- British Library, Add. 27944 (A translation of a popular encyclopedia)
- British Library, Harley MS. 7334 (Canterbury Tales)
- Oxford, Corpus Christi 198 (Canterbury Tales)
 | Roy Wilkins |
 | John Lewis |
 | Linda Carol Brown |
