The Devonshire Manuscript: A Women's Book of Courtly Poetry (Volume 19)

This is the first printed edition of a manuscript collection of verse whose importance for an understanding of the culture of Henry VIII’s court and women’s central role in the exchange and enjoyment of poetry cannot be over-estimated. The manuscript was owned and used by, among others, Lady Margaret Douglas, the King’s niece; the Duchess of Richmond, sister of the poet Earl of Surrey; and Mary Shelton, Queen Anne Boleyn’s cousin. These women not only collected a unique anthology of the most fashionable poems of the period, but also contributed verses, occasionally of their own composition. This edition modernizes spelling and punctuation, providing an easily readable text, while preserving aspects of the idiosyncratic appearance of the original manuscript. Notes explain unfamiliar words and allusions, and there is a substantial introduction.