TEI P5: Guidelines for Electronic Text Encoding and Interchange: 10 Manuscript Description

10 Manuscript Description

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10.1 OverviewTEI: Overview¶

This module³³ defines a special purpose element which can be used to provide detailed descriptive information about handwritten primary sources. Although originally developed to meet the needs of cataloguers and scholars working with medieval manuscripts in the European tradition, the scheme presented here is general enough that it can also be extended to other traditions and materials, and is potentially useful for any kind of inscribed artefact.

The scheme described here is also intended to accommodate the needs of many different classes of encoders. On the one hand, encoders may be engaged in retrospective conversion of existing detailed descriptions and catalogues into machine tractable form; on the other, they may be engaged in cataloguing ex nihilo, that is, creating new detailed descriptions for materials never before catalogued. Some may be primarily concerned to represent accurately the description itself, as opposed to the ideas and interpretations the description represents; others may have entirely opposite priorities. At one extreme, a project may simply wish to capture an existing catalogue in a form that can be displayed on the Web, and which can be searched for literal strings, or for such features such as titles, authors and dates; at the other, a project may wish to create, in highly structured and encoded form, a detailed database of information about the physical characteristics, history, interpretation, etc. of the material, able to support practitioners of quantitative codicology as well as librarians.

To cater for this diversity, here as elsewhere, these Guidelines propose a flexible approach, in which encoders must choose for themselves the degree of prescription appropriate to their needs, and are provided with a choice of encoding mechanisms to support those differing degrees.

10.2 The Manuscript Description ElementTEI: The Manuscript Description Element¶

The msDesc element will normally appear within the sourceDesc element of the header of a TEI conformant document, where the document being encoded is a digital representation of some manuscript original, whether as an encoded transcription, as a collection of digital images (as described in 11.1 Digital Facsimiles), or as some combination of the two. However, in cases where the document being encoded is essentially a collection of manuscript descriptions, the msDesc element may be used in the same way as the bibliographic elements (bibl, biblFull, and biblStruct) making up the TEI element class model.biblLike. These typically appear within the listBibl element.

msDesc (manuscript description) contains a description of a single identifiable manuscript.

The msDesc element has the following components, which provide more detailed information under a number of headings. Each of these component elements is further described in the remainder of this chapter.

msIdentifier (manuscript identifier) contains the information required to identify the manuscript being described.
head (heading) contains any type of heading, for example the title of a section, or the heading of a list, glossary, manuscript description, etc.
msContents (manuscript contents) describes the intellectual content of a manuscript or manuscript part, either as a series of paragraphs or as a series of structured manuscript items.
physDesc (physical description) contains a full physical description of a manuscript or manuscript part, optionally subdivided using more specialised elements from the model.physDescPart class.
history groups elements describing the full history of a manuscript or manuscript part.
additional groups additional information, combining bibliographic information about a manuscript, or surrogate copies of it with curatorial or administrative information.
msPart (manuscript part) contains information about an originally distinct manuscript or part of a manuscript, now forming part of a composite manuscript.

The first of these components, msIdentifier, is the only one which is mandatory; it is described in more detail in 10.4 The Manuscript Identifier below. It is followed optionally by one or more head elements, each holding a brief heading (see 10.5 The Manuscript Heading), and then either one or more paragraphs, marked up as a series of p elements, or one or more of the specialized elements msContents (10.6 Intellectual Content), physDesc (10.7 Physical Description), history (10.7.4 History), and additional (10.7.5 Additional information). These elements are all optional, but if used they must appear in the order given here. Finally, in the case of a composite manuscript, a full description may also contain one or more msPart elements (10.7.6 Manuscript Parts).

To demonstrate the use of this module, consider the following sample manuscript description, chosen more or less at random from the Bodleian Library's Summary catalogue ([135])

bibliography

Figure 1. Entry for Bodleian MS. Add. A. 61 in Madan et al. 1895-1953

The simplest way of digitizing this catalogue entry would simply be to key in the text, tagging the relevant parts of it which make up the mandatory msIdentifier element, as follows:

<msDesc>
<msIdentifier>
 <settlement>Oxford</settlement>
 <repository>Bodleian Library</repository>
 <idno>MS. Add. A. 61</idno>
 <altIdentifier type="SC">
 <idno>28843</idno>
 </altIdentifier>
</msIdentifier>
In Latin, on parchment: written in more than one hand of the 13th
 cent. in England: 7¼ x 5⅜ in., i + 55 leaves, in double columns: with
 a few coloured capitals.
'Hic incipit Bruitus Anglie,' the De origine et gestis Regum
 Angliae of Geoffrey of Monmouth (Galfridus Monumetensis: beg. 'Cum
 mecum multa & de multis.'
On fol. 54v very faint is 'Iste liber est fratris guillelmi de
 buria de ... Roberti ordinis fratrum Pred[icatorum],' 14th cent. (?):
 'hanauilla' is written at the foot of the page (15th cent.). Bought
 from the rev. W. D. Macray on March 17, 1863, for £1 10s.
</msDesc>

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With a suitable stylesheet, this encoding would be as readable as the original; it would not, however, be very useful for search purposes since only shelfmarks and other identifiers are distinguished. To improve on this, one might wrap the paragraphs in the appropriate special-purpose first-child-level elements of msDesc and add some of the phrase-level elements available when the manuscript description module is in use:

<msDesc>
<msIdentifier>
 <settlement>Oxford</settlement>
 <repository>Bodleian Library</repository>
 <idno>MS. Add. A. 61</idno>
 <altIdentifier type="SC">
 <idno>28843</idno>
 </altIdentifier>
</msIdentifier>
<msContents>
 
 <quote>Hic incipit Bruitus Anglie,</quote> the
 <title>De origine et gestis Regum Angliae</title>
 of Geoffrey of Monmouth (Galfridus Monumetensis):
 beg. <quote>Cum mecum multa & de multis.</quote>
 In Latin.
</msContents>
<physDesc>
 
 <material>Parchment</material>: written in
 more than one hand: 7¼ x 5⅜ in., i + 55 leaves, in double
 columns: with a few coloured capitals.
</physDesc>
<history>
 Written in
 <origPlace>England</origPlace> in the
 <origDate>13th cent.</origDate> On fol. 54v very faint is
 <quote>Iste liber est fratris guillelmi de buria de ... Roberti
 ordinis fratrum Pred[icatorum],</quote> 14th cent. (?):
 <quote>hanauilla</quote> is written at the foot of the page
 (15th cent.). Bought from the rev. W. D. Macray on March 17, 1863, for
 £1 10s.
</history>
</msDesc>

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Note that in this version the text has been slightly reorganized, but no actual rewriting has been necessary. The encoding now allows the user to search for such features as title, material, and date and place of origin; it is also possible to distinguish quoted material from descriptive passages and to search within descriptions relating to a particular topic (for example, history as distinct from material).

This process could be continued further, restructuring the whole entry so as to take full advantage of many more of the encoding possibilities provided by the module described in this chapter:

<msDesc>
<msIdentifier>
 <settlement>Oxford</settlement>
 <repository>Bodleian Library</repository>
 <idno>MS. Add. A. 61</idno>
 <altIdentifier type="SC">
 <idno>28843</idno>
 </altIdentifier>
</msIdentifier>
<msContents>
 <msItem>
 <author xml:lang="en">Geoffrey of Monmouth</author>
 <author xml:lang="la">Galfridus Monumetensis</author>
 <title type="uniform" xml:lang="la">De origine et
 gestis Regum Angliae</title>
 <rubric xml:lang="la">Hic incipit Bruitus Anglie</rubric>
 <incipit xml:lang="la">Cum mecum multa & de multis</incipit>
 <textLang mainLang="la">Latin</textLang>
 </msItem>
</msContents>
<physDesc>
 <objectDesc form="codex">
 <supportDesc material="perg">
 <support>
 Parchment.
 </support>
 <extent>i + 55 leaves
 <dimensions scope="all" type="leaf" unit="inch">
 <height>7¼</height>
 <width>5⅜</width>
 </dimensions>
 </extent>
 </supportDesc>
 <layoutDesc>
 <layout columns="2">
 In double columns.
 </layout>
 </layoutDesc>
 </objectDesc>
 <handDesc>
 Written in more than one hand.
 </handDesc>
 <decoDesc>
 With a few coloured capitals.
 </decoDesc>
</physDesc>
<history>
 <origin>
 Written in <origPlace>England</origPlace> in the <origDate notAfter="1300" notBefore="1200">13th cent.</origDate>
 
 </origin>
 <provenance>
 On fol. 54v very faint is
 <quote xml:lang="la">Iste liber est fratris guillelmi de buria de <gap/>
 Roberti ordinis fratrum
 Pred<ex>icatorum</ex>
 </quote>, 14th cent. (?):
 <quote>hanauilla</quote> is written at the foot of the page
 (15th cent.).
 </provenance>
 <acquisition>
 Bought from the rev. <name key="MCRAYWD">W. D. Macray</name> on
 <date when="1863-03-17">March 17, 1863</date>, for £1 10s.
 </acquisition>
</history>
</msDesc>

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In the remainder of this chapter we discuss all of the encoding features demonstrated above, together with many other related matters.

10.3 Phrase-level ElementsTEI: Phrase-level Elements¶

When the msdescription module is in use, several extra elements are added to the phrase level class, and thus become available within paragraphs and elsewhere in the document. These elements are listed below in alphabetical order:

catchwords describes the system used to ensure correct ordering of the quires making up a codex or incunable, typically by means of annotations at the foot of the page.
dimensions contains a dimensional specification.
heraldry contains a heraldic formula or phrase, typically found as part of a blazon, coat of arms, etc.
locus defines a location within a manuscript or manuscript part, usually as a (possibly discontinuous) sequence of folio references.
material contains a word or phrase describing the material of which a manuscript (or part of a manuscript) is composed.
watermark contains a word or phrase describing a watermark or similar device.
origDate (origin date) contains any form of date, used to identify the date of origin for a manuscript or manuscript part.
origPlace (origin place) contains any form of place name, used to identify the place of origin for a manuscript or manuscript part.
secFol (second folio) The word or words taken from a fixed point in a codex (typically the beginning of the second leaf) in order to provide a unique identifier for it.
signatures contains discussion of the leaf or quire signatures found within a codex.

Within a manuscript description, many other standard TEI phrase level elements are available, notably those described in the Core module (3 Elements Available in All TEI Documents). Additional elements of particular relevance to manuscript description, such as those for names and dates, may also be made available by including the relevant module in one's schema.

» 10.3.2 Material
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10.3.1 OriginationTEI: Origination¶

The following elements may be used to provide information about the origins of any aspect of a manuscript:

origDate (origin date) contains any form of date, used to identify the date of origin for a manuscript or manuscript part.
origPlace (origin place) contains any form of place name, used to identify the place of origin for a manuscript or manuscript part.

The origDate and origPlace elements are specialized forms of the existing date and name elements respectively, used to indicate specifically the date and place of origin of a manuscript or manuscript part. Such information would normally be encoded within the history element, discussed in section 10.7.4 History. origDate and origPlace can also be used to identify the place or date of origin of any aspect of the manuscript, such as its decoration or binding, when these are not of the same date as the manuscript itself. Both these elements are members of the att.editLike class, from which they inherit the following attributes:

att.editLike provides attributes describing the nature of a encoded scholarly intervention or interpretation of any kind.

The origDate element is a member of the att.datable class, and may thus also carry the following attributes:

att.datable provides attributes for normalization of elements that contain dates, times, or datable events.

10.3.2 MaterialTEI: Material¶

The material element can be used to tag any specific term used for the physical material of which a manuscript (or binding, seal, etc.) is composed.

material contains a word or phrase describing the material of which a manuscript (or part of a manuscript) is composed.

The element may appear wherever a term regarded as significant by the encoder occurs, as in the following example:

<binding>
Brown <material>calfskin</material>, previously with two clasps.
</binding>

10.3.3 Watermarks and StampsTEI: Watermarks and Stamps¶

Two further elements are provided to mark up other decorative features characteristic of manuscript leaves and bindings:

watermark contains a word or phrase describing a watermark or similar device.
stamp contains a word or phrase describing a stamp or similar device.

These element may appear wherever a term regarded as significant by the encoder occurs. The watermark element is most likely to be of use within the support element discussed in 10.7.1.1 Support below. We give a simple example here:

<support>
<material>Rag
paper</material> with <watermark>anchor</watermark>
watermark
</support>

The stamp element will typically appear when text from the source is being transcribed, for example within a rubric in the following case:

<rubric>Apologyticu TTVLLIANI AC IGNORATIA IN XPO IHV<lb/>
SI NON LICET<lb/>
NOBIS RO<lb/>
manii imperii <stamp>Bodleian stamp</stamp>
<lb/>
</rubric>

It may also appear as part of the detailed description of a binding:

<binding>
Modern calf recasing with original armorial stamp <stamp>Ex
Bibliotheca J. Richard D.M.</stamp>

</binding>

10.3.4 DimensionsTEI: Dimensions¶

The dimensions element can be used to specify the size of some aspect of the manuscript, and thus may be thought of as a specialized form of the existing TEI measure element.

dimensions contains a dimensional specification.
type indicates which aspect of the object is being measured.

The dimensions element will normally occur within the element describing the particular feature or aspect of a manuscript whose dimensions are being given; thus the size of the leaves would be specified within the support or extent element (part of the physDesc element discussed in 10.7.1 Object Description), while the dimensions of other specific parts of a manuscript, such as accompanying materials, binding, etc., would be given in other parts of the description, as appropriate.

The following three elements are available within the dimensions element:

height contains a measurement measured along the axis parallel to the spine.
width contains a measurement measured along the axis perpendicular to the spine.
depth specifies a length measured across the spine.

These three elements, as well as dimensions itself, are all members of the att.dimensions class, and thus all carry the following attributes:

att.dimensions provides attributes for describing the size of physical objects.

scope	where the measurement summarizes more than one observation, specifies the applicability of this measurement.
extent	indicates the size of the object concerned using a project-specific vocabulary combining quantity and units in a single string of words.
unit	names the unit used for the measurement
quantity	specifies the length in the units specified
atLeast	gives a minimum estimated value for the measurement.
atMost	gives a maximum estimated value for the measurement.
min	where the measurement summarizes more than one observation, supplies the minimum value observed.
max	where the measurement summarizes more than one observation, supplies the maximum value observed.
extent	indicates the size of the object concerned using a project-specific vocabulary combining quantity and units in a single string of words.

Attributes min and max are used only when the measurement applies to several items, for example the size of all leaves in a manuscript; attributes atLeast and atMost are used when the measurement applies to a single item, for example the size of a specific codex but has had to be estimated. Attribute <quantity> is used when the measurement can be given exactly, and applies to a single item; this is the usual situation. The units in which dimensions are measured should always be specified using the unit attribute, which will normally take from a closed set of values appropriate to the project, using standard units of measurement wherever possible, such as following values: cm, mm, in, line, char. If the only data available for the measurement uses some other unit, or it is preferred to normalize it in some other way, then it may be supplied as a string value using the extent attribute.

In the simplest case, only the extent attribute may be supplied:

<width extent="6 cubit">six cubits</width>

More usually, the measurement will be normalised into a value and an appropriate SI unit:

<width quantity="270" unit="cm">six cubits</width>

Where the exact value is uncertain, the attributes atLeast and atMost may be used to indicate the upper and lower bounds of an estimated value:

<width atLeast="250" atMost="300" unit="cm">six cubits</width>

It is often convenient to supply a measurement which applies to a number of discrete observations: for example, the number of ruled lines on the pages of a manuscript (which may not all be the same), or the diameter of an object like a bell, which will differ depending where it is measured. In such cases, the scope attribute may be used to specify the observations for which this measurement is applicable:

This indicates that most pages have at least 20 lines. The attributes min and max can also be used to specify the possible range of values: for example, to show that all pages have between 12 and 30 lines:

The dimensions element may be repeated as often as necessary, with appropriate attribute values to indicate the nature and scope of the measurement concerned. For example, in the following case the leaf size and ruled space of the leaves of the manuscript are specified:

This indicates that for most leaves of the manuscript being described the ruled space is 90 mm high and 48 mm wide, while the leaves throughout are between 157 and 160 mm in height and 105 mm in width.

10.3.5 References to Locations within a ManuscriptTEI: References to Locations within a Manuscript¶

The locus element is a specialized form of the ref element.

locus defines a location within a manuscript or manuscript part, usually as a (possibly discontinuous) sequence of folio references.

from	specifies the starting point of the location in a normalized form.
to	specifies the end-point of the location in a normalized form.
scheme	identifies the foliation scheme in terms of which the location is being specified.

The locus element is used to specify the location in the manuscript occupied by the element within which it appears. If, for example, it is used as the first component of a msItem or msItemStruct element, or of any of the more specific elements appearing within one (see further section 10.6 Intellectual Content below) then it is understood to specify the location of that item within the manuscript being described.

A locus element can be used to identify any reference to one or more folios within a manuscript, wherever such a reference is appropriate. Locations are conventionally specified as a sequence of folio or page numbers, but may also be a discontinuous list, or a combination of the two. This specification should be given as the content of the locus element, using the conventions appropriate to the individual scholar or holding institution, as in the following example:

<msItem n="1">
<locus>ff. 1-24r</locus>
<title>Apocalypsis beati Ioannis Apostoli</title>
</msItem>

A normalized form of the location can also be supplied, using special purpose attributes on the locus element, as in the following revision of the above example:

<msItem n="1">
<locus from="1r" to="24r">ff. 1-24r</locus>
<title>Apocalypsis beati Ioannis Apostoli</title>
</msItem>

When the trans module described in chapter 11 Representation of Primary Sources is included in a schema, an additional attribute facs is available, which may be used to associate a locus element with a digitized image, as in the following example:

<decoDesc>
Several of the miniatures in this section have been damaged and
 overpainted at a later date (e.g. the figure of Christ on
<locus
 facs="http://www.example.com/images.fr#F33R">fol. 33r</locus>; the face of the
 Shepherdess on <locus
 facs="http://www.example.com/images.fr#F59V">fol. 59v</locus>,
 etc.).
</decoDesc>

Here, the facs attribute uses a URI reference to point directly to images of the relevant pages, held presumably in an image archive not forming part of the resource containing the manuscript description in question. In the case where such images do form part of a single virtual document, along with transcriptions and metadata, the methods described in 11.1 Digital Facsimiles should be used in preference.

Where a transcription of the relevant pages is also available, this may be pointed to using the target attribute, as in the following example:

<msItem n="1">
<locus target="#f1r #f1v #f2r">ff. 1r-2r</locus>
<author>Ben Jonson</author>
<title>Ode to himself</title>
<rubric rend="italics"> An Ode<lb/> to him selfe.</rubric>
<incipit>Com leaue the loathed stage</incipit>
<explicit>And see his chariot triumph ore his wayne.</explicit>
<bibl>
<name>Beal</name>, <title>Index 1450-1625</title>, JnB 380</bibl>
</msItem>

<pb xml:id="f1r"/>

<pb xml:id="f1v"/>

<pb xml:id="f2r"/>

Where a manuscript contains more than one foliation, the scheme attribute may be used to distinguish them. For example, MS 65 Corpus Christi College, Cambridge contains two fly leaves bearing music. These leaves have modern foliation 135 and 136 respectively, but are also marked with an older foliation. This may be preserved in an encoding such as the following:

<locus scheme="#original">XCIII</locus>
<locus scheme="#modern">135</locus>

Here the scheme attribute points to a foliation element providing more details about the scheme used, as further discussed in 10.7.1.4 Foliation below.

10.3.6 Names of Persons, Places, and OrganizationsTEI: Names of Persons, Places, and Organizations¶

The standard TEI element name may be used to identify names of any kind occurring within a description:

name (name, proper noun) contains a proper noun or noun phrase.

As further discussed in 3.5.1 Referring Strings, this element is a member of the class att.canonical, from which it inherits the following attributes:

att.canonical provides attributes which can be used to associate a representation such as a name or title with canonical information about the object being named or referenced.

key	provides an externally-defined means of identifying the entity (or entities) being named, using a coded value of some kind.
ref	(reference) provides an explicit means of locating a full definition for the entity being named by means of one or more URIs.

Here are some examples of the use of the name element:

<name type="person">Thomas Hoccleve</name>
<name type="place">Villingaholt</name>
<name type="org">Vetus Latina Institut</name>
<name type="person" ref="#HOC001">Occleve</name>

Note that the name element is defined as providing information about a name, not the person, place, or organization to which that name refers. In the last example above, the ref attribute is used to associate the name with a more detailed description of the person named. This is provided by means of the person element, which becomes available when the namesdates module described in chapter 13 Names, Dates, People, and Places is included in a schema. An element such as the following might then be used to provide detailed information about the person indicated by the name:

<person xml:id="HOC001">
<persName>
<surname>Hoccleve</surname>
<forename>Thomas</forename>
</persName>
<birth notBefore="1368"/>
<occupation>poet</occupation>

</person>

Note that an instance of the person element must be provided for each distinct ref value specified. In the example above, the value HOC001 must be found as the xml:id attribute of some person; the same value will be used as the ref attribute of every reference to Hoccleve in the document (however spelled), but there will only be one person element with this identifier.

Alternatively, the key attribute may be used to supply an unique identifying code for the person referenced by the name independently of both the existence of a person element and the use of the standard URI reference mechanism. If, for example, a project maintains as its authority file some non-digital resource, or uses a database which cannot readily be integrated with other digital resources for this purpose, the unique codes used by such ‘offline’ resources may be used as values for the key attribute. Although such practices clearly reduce the interchangeability of the resulting encoded texts, they may be judged more convenient or practical in certain situations.

All the person elements referenced by a particular document set should be collected together within a listPerson element, located in the TEI Header. This functions as a kind of prosopography for all the people referenced by the set of manuscripts being described, in much the same way as a listBibl element in the back matter may be used to hold bibliographic information for all the works referenced.

When the namesdates module described in chapter 13 Names, Dates, People, and Places is included in a schema, similar mechanisms are used to maintain and reference canonical lists of places or organizations, as further discussed in sections 13.2.3 Place Names and 13.2.2 Organizational Names respectively.

10.3.7 Catchwords, Signatures, Secundo FolioTEI: Catchwords, Signatures, Secundo Folio¶

The catchwords element is used to describe one method by which correct ordering of the quires of a codex is ensured. Typically, this takes the form of a word or phrase written in the lower margin of the last leaf verso of a gathering, which provides a preview of the first recto leaf of the successive gathering. This may be a simple phrase such as the following:

<catchwords>Quires signed on the last leaf verso in roman numerals.</catchwords>

Alternatively, it may contain more details:

<catchwords>Vertical catchwords in the hand of the scribe placed along
the inner bounding line, reading from top to bottom.</catchwords>

The ‘Signatures’ element is used, in a similar way, to describe a similar system in which quires or leaves are marked progressively in order to facilitate arrangement during binding. For example:

<signatures>At the bottom of the first four leaves of quires 1-14 are
the remains of a series of quire signatures a-o plus roman figures in
a cursive hand of the fourteenth century.</signatures>

The signatures element can be used for either leaf signatures, or a combination of quire and leaf signatures, whether the marking is alphabetic, alphanumeric, or some ad hoc system, as in the following more complex example:

<signatures>Quire and leaf signatures in letters, [b]-v, and roman numerals;
those in quires 10 (1) and 17 (s) in red ink and different from others;
every third quire also signed with red crayon in arabic numerals in the
centre lower margin of the first leaf recto: "2" for quire 4 (f. 19),
"3" for quire 7 (f. 43); "4", barely visible, for quire 10 (f. 65), "5",
in a later hand, for quire 13 (f. 89), "6", in a later hand, for quire
16 (f. 113).</signatures>

The secFol element (for ‘secundo folio’) is used to record an identifying phrase (also called dictio probatoria) taken from a specific known point in a codex (for example the first few words on the second leaf). Since these words will differ from one copy of a text to another, the practice originated in the middle ages of using them when cataloguing a manuscript in order to distinguish individual copies of a work in a way which its opening words could not.

<secFol>(ando-)ssene in una villa</secFol>

10.3.8 HeraldryTEI: Heraldry¶

Descriptions of heraldic arms, supporters, devices, and mottos may appear at various points in the description of a manuscript, usually in the context of ownership information, binding descriptions, or detailed accounts of illustrations. A full description may also contain a detailed account of the heraldic components of a manuscript independently considered. Frequently, however, heraldic descriptions will be cited as short phrases within other parts of the record. The phrase level element heraldry is provided to allow such phrases to be marked for further analysis, as in the following examples:

Ownership stamp (xvii cent.) on i recto with the arms <heraldry>A bull
passant within a bordure bezanty, in chief a crescent for difference</heraldry>
[Cole], crest, and the legend <quote>Cole Deum</quote>.

A c. 8r fregio su due lati, <heraldry>stemma e imprese medicee</heraldry>
racchiudono l'inizio dell'epistolario di Paolino.

10.4 The Manuscript IdentifierTEI: The Manuscript Identifier¶

The msIdentifier element is intended to provide an unambiguous means of uniquely identifying a particular manuscript. This may be done in a structured way, by providing information about the holding institution and the call number, shelfmark, or other identifier used to indicate its location within that institution. Alternatively, or in addition, a manuscript may be identified simply by a commonly used name.

msIdentifier (manuscript identifier) contains the information required to identify the manuscript being described.

A manuscript's actual physical location may occasionally be different from its place of ownership; at Cambridge University, for example, manuscripts owned by various colleges are kept in the central University Library. Normally, it is the ownership of the manuscript which should be specified in the manuscript identifier, while additional or more precise information on the physical location of the manuscript can be given within the adminInfo element, discussed in section 10.7.5.1 Administrative information below.

The following elements are available within msIdentifier to identify the holding institution:

country contains the name of a geo-political unit, such as a nation, country, colony, or commonwealth, larger than or administratively superior to a region and smaller than a bloc.
region contains the name of an administrative unit such as a state, province, or county, larger than a settlement, but smaller than a country.
settlement contains the name of a settlement such as a city, town, or village identified as a single geo-political or administrative unit.
institution contains the name of an organization such as a university or library, with which a manuscript is identified, generally its holding institution.
repository contains the name of a repository within which manuscripts are stored, possibly forming part of an institution.

These elements are all structurally equivalent to the standard TEI name element with an appropriate value for its type attribute; however the use of this ‘syntactic sugar’ enables the model for msIdentifier to be constrained rather more tightly than would otherwise be possible. Specifically, only one of each of the elements listed above may appear within the msIdentifier and they must, if present, appear in the order given.

Like name, these elements are all also members of the attribute class att.canonical, and thus can use the attributes key or ref to reference a single standardized source of information about the entity named.

The following elements are used within msIdentifier to provide different ways of identifying the manuscript within its holding institution:

collection contains the name of a collection of manuscripts, not necessarily located within a single repository.
idno (identifying number) supplies any standard or non-standard number used to identify a bibliographic item.
altIdentifier (alternative identifier) contains an alternative or former structured identifier used for a manuscript, such as a former catalogue number.
msName (alternative name) contains any form of unstructured alternative name used for a manuscript, such as an ‘ocellus nominum’, or nickname.

Major manuscript repositories will usually have a preferred form of citation for manuscript shelfmarks, including rules about punctuation, spacing, abbreviation, etc., which should be adhered to. Where such a format also contains information which might additionally be supplied as a distinct subcomponent of the msIdentifier, for example a collection name, a decision must be taken as to whether to use the more specific element, or to include such information within the idno element. For example, the manuscript formally identified as ‘El 26 C 0’ forms a part of the Ellesmere (‘El’) collection. Either of the following encodings is therefore feasible:

<msIdentifier>
<country>USA</country>
<region>California</region>
<settlement>San Marino</settlement>
<repository>Huntington Library</repository>
<collection>El</collection>
<idno>26 C 9</idno>
<msName>The Ellesmere Chaucer</msName>
</msIdentifier>

<msIdentifier>
<country>USA</country>
<region>California</region>
<settlement>San Marino</settlement>
<repository>Huntington Library</repository>
<idno>El 26 C 9</idno>
<msName>The Ellesmere Chaucer</msName>
</msIdentifier>

In the former example, the preferred form of the identifier can be retrieved by prefixing the content of the idno element with that of the collection element, while in the latter it is given explicitly. The advantage of the former is that it it simplifies accurate retrieval of all manuscripts from a given collection; the disadvantage is that encoded abbreviations of this kind may not be as immediately comprehensible. Care should be taken to avoid redundancy: for example

would clearly be inappropriate. Equally clearly,

<collection>Ellesmere</collection>
<idno>El 26 C 9</idno>

might be considered helpful in some circumstances (if, for example, some of the items in the Ellsemere collection had shelfmarks which did not begin ‘El’)

In cases where the shelfmark contains no information about the collection, it may be necessary to provide this explicitly, as in the following example:

<msIdentifier>
<country>USA</country>
<region>New Jersey</region>
<settlement>Princeton</settlement>
<repository>Princeton University Library</repository>
<collection>Scheide Library</collection>
<idno>MS 71</idno>
<msName>Blickling Homiliary</msName>
</msIdentifier>

In these examples, msName has been used to provide a common name other than the shelfmark by which a manuscript is known. Where a manuscript has several such names, more than one of these elements may be used, as in the following example:

<msIdentifier>
<country>Danmark</country>
<settlement>København</settlement>
<repository>Det Arnamagnæanske Institut</repository>
<idno>AM 45 fol.</idno>
<msName xml:lang="la">Codex Frisianus</msName>
<msName xml:lang="is">Fríssbók</msName>
</msIdentifier>

Here the globally available xml:lang attribute has been used to specify the language of the alternative names.

In very rare cases a repository may have only one manuscript (or only one of any significance), which will have no shelfmark as such but will be known by a particular name or names. In such circumstances, the idno element may be omitted, and the manuscript identified by the name or names used for it, using one or more msName elements, as in the following example:

<msIdentifier>
<settlement>Rossano</settlement>
<repository xml:lang="it">Biblioteca arcivescovile</repository>
<msName xml:lang="la">Codex Rossanensis</msName>
<msName xml:lang="la">Codex purpureus</msName>
<msName xml:lang="en">The Rossano Gospels</msName>
</msIdentifier>

Where manuscripts have moved from one institution to another, or even within the same institution, they may have identifiers additional to the ones currently used, such as former shelfmarks, which are sometimes retained even after they have been officially superseded. In such cases it may be useful to supply an alternative identifier, with a detailed structure similar to that of the msIdentifier itself. The following example shows a manuscript which had shelfmark II-M-5 in the collection of the Duque de Osuna, but which now has the shelfmark MS 10237 in the National Library in Madrid:

<msIdentifier>
<settlement>Madrid</settlement>
<repository>Biblioteca Nacional</repository>
<idno>MS 10237</idno>
<altIdentifier>
 <region>Andalucia</region>
 <settlement>Osuna</settlement>
 <repository>Duque de Osuna</repository>
 <idno>II-M-5</idno>
</altIdentifier>
</msIdentifier>

Normally, such information would be dealt with under history, except in cases where a manuscript is likely still to be referred to or known by its former identifier. For example, an institution may have changed its call number system but still wish to retain a record of the earlier number, perhaps because the manuscript concerned is frequently cited in print under its previous number:

<msIdentifier>
<settlement>Berkeley</settlement>
<institution>University of California</institution>
<repository>Bancroft Library</repository>
<idno>UCB 16</idno>
<altIdentifier>
<idno>2MS BS1145 I8</idno>
</altIdentifier>
</msIdentifier>

Where (as in this example) no repository is specified for the altIdentifier, it is assumed to be the same as that of the parent msIdentifier. Where the holding institution has only one preferred form of citation but wishes to retain the other for internal administrative purposes, the secondary could be given within altIdentifier with an appropriate value on the type attribute:

<msIdentifier>
<settlement>Oxford</settlement>
<repository>Bodleian Library</repository>
<idno>MS. Bodley 406</idno>
<altIdentifier type="SC">
<idno>2297</idno>
</altIdentifier>
</msIdentifier>

It might, however, be preferable to include such information within the adminInfo element discussed in section 10.7.5.1 Administrative information below.

Cases of such changed or alternative identifiers should be clearly distinguished from cases of ‘scattered’ manuscripts, that is to say manuscripts which although physically disjoint are nevertheless generally treated as single units. One well-known example is the Old Church Slavonic manuscript known as Codex Suprasliensis, substantial parts of which are to be found in three separate repositories, in Ljubljana, Warsaw, and St. Petersburg. This should be represented using three distinct altIdentifier elements, using an appropriate value on the type attribute to indicate that these three identifiers are not alternate ways of referring to the same physical object, but three parts of the same entity.

<msIdentifier>
<msName xml:lang="la">Codex Suprasliensis</msName>
<altIdentifier type="partial">
 <settlement>Ljubljana</settlement>
 <repository>Narodna in univerzitetna knjiznica</repository>
 <idno>MS Kopitar 2</idno>
 <note>Contains ff. 10 to 42 only</note>
</altIdentifier>
<altIdentifier type="partial">
 <settlement>Warszawa</settlement>
 <repository>Biblioteka Narodowa</repository>
 <idno>BO 3.201</idno>
</altIdentifier>
<altIdentifier type="partial">
 <settlement>Sankt-Peterburg</settlement>
 <repository>Rossiiskaia natsional'naia biblioteka</repository>
 <idno>Q.p.I.72</idno>
</altIdentifier>
</msIdentifier>

As mentioned above, the smallest possible description is one that contains only the element msIdentifier; good practice in all but exceptional circumstances requires the presence within it of the three sub-elements settlement, repository, and idno, since they provide what is, by common consent, the minimum amount of information necessary to identify a manuscript.

10.5 The Manuscript HeadingTEI: The Manuscript Heading¶

Historically, the briefest possible meaningful description of a manuscript consists of no more than a title, e.g. Polychronicon. This will often have been enough to identify a manuscript in a small collection because the identity of the author is implicit. Where a title does not imply the author, and is thus insufficient to identify the main text of a manuscript, the author should be stated explicitly (e.g. Augustinus, Sermones or Cicero, Letters). Many inventories of manuscripts consist of no more than an author and title, with some form of copy-specific identifier, such as a shelfmark or ‘secundo folio’ reference (e.g. Arch. B. 3. 2: Evangelium Matthei cum glossa, 126. Isidori Originum libri octo, Biblia Hieronimi, 2o fo. opus est); information on date and place of writing will sometimes also be included. The standard TEI element head element can be used to provide a brief description of this kind.

head (heading) contains any type of heading, for example the title of a section, or the heading of a list, glossary, manuscript description, etc.

In this way the cataloguer or scholar can supply in one place a minimum of essential information, such as might be displayed or printed as the heading of a full description. For example:

<head>Marsilius de Inghen, Abbreviata phisicorum Aristotelis; Italy, 1463.</head>

Any phrase-level elements, such as title, name, date, or the specialized elements origPlace and origDate, can also be used within a head element, but it should be remembered that the head element is intended principally to contain a heading. More structured information concerning the contents, physical form, or history of the manuscript should be given within the specialized elements described below, msContents, physDesc, history, etc. However, in simple cases, the p element may also be used to supply an unstructured collection of such information, as in the example given above (10.2 The Manuscript Description Element.

10.6 Intellectual ContentTEI: Intellectual Content¶

The msContents element is used to describe the intellectual content of a manuscript or manuscript part. It comprises either a series of informal prose paragraphs or a series of msItem or msItemStruct elements, each of which provides a more detailed description of a single item contained within the manuscript. These may be prefaced, if desired, by a summary element, which is especially useful where one wishes to provide an overview of a manuscript's contents and describe only some of the items in detail.

msContents (manuscript contents) describes the intellectual content of a manuscript or manuscript part, either as a series of paragraphs or as a series of structured manuscript items.
msItem (manuscript item) describes an individual work or item within the intellectual content of a manuscript or manuscript part.
msItemStruct (structured manuscript item) contains a structured description for an individual work or item within the intellectual content of a manuscript or manuscript part.

In the simplest case, only a brief description may be provided, as in the following examples:

<msContents>
A collection of Lollard sermons
</msContents>
<msContents>
Atlas of the world from Western Europe and Africa to Indochina,
 containing 27 maps and 26 tables
</msContents>
<msContents>
Biblia sacra: Antiguo y Nuevo Testamento, con prefacios, prólogos
 y argumentos de san Jerónimo y de otros. Interpretaciones de los
 nombres hebreos.
</msContents>

This description may of course be expanded to include any of the TEI elements generally available within a p element, such as title, bibl, or list. More usually, however, each individual work within a manuscript will be given its own description, using the msItem or msItemStruct element described in the next section, as in the following example:

<msContents>
<msItem n="1">
 <locus>fols. 5r -7v</locus>
 <title>An ABC</title>
 <bibl>
 <title>IMEV</title>
 <biblScope>239</biblScope>
 </bibl>
</msItem>
<msItem n="2">
 <locus>fols. 7v -8v</locus>
 <title xml:lang="fr">Lenvoy de Chaucer a Scogan</title>
 <bibl>
 <title>IMEV</title>
 <biblScope>3747</biblScope>
 </bibl>
</msItem>
<msItem n="3">
 <locus>fol. 8v</locus>
 <title>Truth</title>
 <bibl>
 <title>IMEV</title>
 <biblScope>809</biblScope>
 </bibl>
</msItem>
<msItem n="4">
 <locus>fols. 8v-10v</locus>
 <title>Birds Praise of Love</title>
 <bibl>
 <title>IMEV</title>
 <biblScope>1506</biblScope>
 </bibl>
</msItem>
<msItem n="5">
 <locus>fols. 10v -11v</locus>
 <title xml:lang="la">De amico ad amicam</title>
 <title xml:lang="la">Responcio</title>
 <bibl>
 <title>IMEV</title>
 <biblScope>16 & 19</biblScope>
 </bibl>
</msItem>
<msItem n="6">
 <locus>fols. 14r-126v</locus>
 <title>Troilus and Criseyde