This module 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.
The <msDescription> 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 a transcription, as a collection of digital images, or as some combination of the two. However, in cases where the document being encoded is essentially a collection of manuscript descriptions, the <msDescription> element may be used in the same way as the bibliographic elements (<bibl><biblStruct>, and <biblItem>) making up the TEI element class tei.bibl. These typically appear within the <listBibl> element.
The <msDescription> 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.
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
The first of these components, <msIdentifier>, is the only one which is mandatory; it is described in more detail in 1.4 The manuscript identifier below. It is followed optionally by one or more <head> elements, each holding a brief heading (see 1.5 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> (1.6 Intellectual content), <physDesc> (1.7 Physical description), <history> (1.8 History), and <additional> (1.9 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 (1.10 Manuscript parts).
Here is a very simple example of a complete manuscript description, using no additional elements apart from the mandatory <msIdentifier>:
<msDescription> <msIdentifier> <settlement>Oxford</settlement> <repository>Bodleian Library</repository> <idno>MS. Rawlinson poet. 149</idno> </msIdentifier> <p>Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales. Written in the third quarter of the 15th century in Pembrokeshire (Wales). Mutilated at beginning and end; contains A431-I1092 in the Riverside edition numbering.</p> <p>Parchment. 136 folios: 280 x 190 mm. Twenty-three quires of eight, of which only nine are not defective, and a final (defective) quire of six. Margined and ruled with crayon through fol. 51v, thereafter in drypoint. Single columns of 38-74 lines per page.</p> <p>Four hands, varying between cursive anglicana (the first hand) and mixed secretary (the fourth hand). Hand 4 is responsible for around two-thirds of the manuscript, from fol. 45 to the end; hand 3 writes only three lines and a few words on fol. 38r; the other two hands divide the remainder of the manuscript, to fol. 45, between them.</p> </msDescription>
Here is the same description, using some of the manuscript-specific phrase-level elements described below, but still fairly simple:
<msDescription>
<msIdentifier>
<settlement>Oxford</settlement>
<repository>Bodleian Library</repository>
<idno>MS. Rawlinson poet. 149</idno>
</msIdentifier>
<p>Geoffrey Chaucer, <title>The Canterbury Tales</title>. Written
in <origDate notBefore="1475" notAfter="1500">the third quarter of
the 15th century</origDate> in <origPlace>Pembrokeshire, Wales</origPlace>.
Mutilated at beginning and end; contains A431-I1092 in the Riverside
edition numbering.</p>
<p>
<material>Parchment</material>; 136 folios:
<dimensions>
<height>280</height>
<width>190</width>
</dimensions>.
Twenty-three quires of eight, of which only nine are not defective,
and a final (defective) quire of six. Margined and ruled with crayon
through fol. 51v, thereafter in drypoint. Single columns of 38-74
lines per page.</p>
<p>Four hands, varying between <term type="script">cursive anglicana</term>
(the first hand) and <term type="script">mixed secretary</term> (the fourth
hand). Hand 4 is responsible for around two-thirds of the manuscript, from
fol. 45 to the end; hand 3 writes only three lines and a few words on fol.
38r; the other two hands divide the remainder of the manuscript, to fol. 45,
between them.</p>
</msDescription>
And finally, a more structured description of the same manuscript, using many, but by no means all, of the elements described in the following sections. Note that some slight reordering of the material has been necessary.
<msDescription>
<msIdentifier>
<settlement>Oxford</settlement>
<repository>Bodleian Library</repository>
<idno>MS. Rawlinson poet. 149</idno>
</msIdentifier>
<msContents>
<msItem defective="true">
<author>Geoffrey Chaucer</author>
<title type="uniform">The Canterbury Tales</title>
<note>Mutilated at beginning and end; contains A431-I1092 in the
Riverside edition numbering.</note>
</msItem>
</msContents>
<physDesc>
<objectDesc form="codex">
<supportDesc material="perg">
<support>
<p>Parchment.</p>
</support>
<extent>136 folios: <dimensions>
<height>280</height>
<width>190</width>
</dimensions>
</extent>
<collation>
<p>Twenty-three quires of eight, of which only nine are not defective,
and a final (defective) quire of six.</p>
</collation>
</supportDesc>
<layoutDesc>
<layout columns="1" ruledLines="38-74">
<p>Margined and ruled with crayon through fol. 51v, thereafter in drypoint.
Single columns of 38-74 lines per page.</p>
</layout>
</layoutDesc>
</objectDesc>
<handDesc hands="4">
<p>Four hands, varying between <term type="script">cursive anglicana</term>
(the first hand) and <term type="script">mixed secretary</term> (the fourth
hand). Hand 4 is responsible for around two-thirds of the manuscript, from
fol. 45 to the end; hand 3 writes only three lines and a few words on fol. 38r;
the other two hands divide the remainder of the manuscript, up to fol. 45,
between them.</p>
</handDesc>
</physDesc>
<history>
<origin>
<p>Written in <origDate notBefore="1450" notAfter="1475">the third quarter of
the 15th century</origDate> in <origPlace>Pembrokeshire, Wales</origPlace>.</p>
</origin>
</history>
</msDescription>
The formal definition for the <msDescription> element is as follows:
msDescription =
## () contains a description of a single identifiable
## manuscript or manuscript part
element msDescription { msDescription.content, msDescription.attributes }
msDescription.content = empty
msDescription.attributes =
## () specifies the type of manuscript being described, for example as 'diploma', 'codex' etc.
attribute type { text }?,
## () specifies the compositional status of a manuscript or manuscript part.
attribute status { text }?,
[ a:defaultValue = "msDescription" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.sourcedesc |= msDescription
tei.bibl |= msDescriptionWhen this module is in use, a number of extra elements are added to the phrase level class, and thus become available within paragraphs and elsewhere in a document. These elements are listed below in alphabetical order:
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
Within a manuscript description, many other standard TEI phrase level elements are available, notably those described in the Core module (). 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.
The following elements may be used to provide information about the origins of any aspect of a manuscript:
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| placeAttrib | indicates whether the attribution in question is definite, feasible, or has been assigned by the cataloguer. | |
| evidence | indicates the nature of the evidence supporting the reliability or accuracy of the attribution. | |
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 1.8 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. The <origDate> element is a member of the datable class, and may thus also carry the following attributes:
As a specialization of the <name> element, the <origPlace> element has a reg attribute which can be used to supply a regularized form of the place name. Alternatively, the key attribute can be used to provide an identifying code or key for the name.
The <material> element can be used to tag any specific term used for the material of which a manuscript (or binding, seal, etc.) is composed.
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
The element may appear wherever a term regarded as significant by the encoder occurs, as in the following example:
<binding> <p>Brown <material>calfskin</material>, previously with two clasps.</p> </binding>
The <dimensions> element can be used to specify the size of some aspect of the manuscript, and is thus a specialized form of the existing TEI <measure> element.
| 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 1.7.1 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:
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
These elements are all members of the measured class, and thus all carry the following attributes:
| units | names the units used for the measurement. | |
| scope | specifies the applicability of this measurement, where more than one object is being measured. | |
These elements must be given in the order specified, but groups of them may be repeated as often as necessary, with appropriate values for their attributes 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:
<dimensions type="leaves" units="mm"> <height scope="range">157-160</height> <width>105</width> </dimensions> <dimensions type="ruled" units="mm"> <height scope="most">90</height> <width scope="most">48</width> </dimensions>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.
The <locus> element is a specialized form of the <ref> element.
| from | specifies the starting point of the location in a normalised 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 | |
| targets | supplies a link to one or more page images or transcriptions of the specified range of folios | |
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 1.6 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>
The targets attribute may be used to associate a <locus> element with one or more other elements in the current document, which should contain either a transcription of the location indicated, or images of it, as in the following example:
<decoDesc>
<p>Most of the main body of the book (up to <locus targets="#txt182">fol.
182v</locus>) was painted and decorated in one style, having links in
style and iconography with the school of Maître François, although
several of the miniatures in this section have been damaged and
overpainted at a later date (e.g. the figure of Christ on
<locus targets="http://www.images.fr#F33R">fol. 33r</locus>; the face of the
Shepherdess on <locus targets="http://www.images.fr#F59V">fol. 59v</locus>,
etc.).</p>
</decoDesc>
The identifier txt182 in this example is assumed to
reference the section of the manuscript ‘up to fol. 182v’ which
has been transcribed elsewhere in the current document; the references
http://www.images.fr#F33R and
http://www.images.fr#F59V link to images of the
relevant pages, held presumably in an image archive.
The standard TEI element <name> may be used to identify names of any kind occurring within a description:
| type | indicates the type of the object which is being named by the phrase. | |
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" reg="Hoccleve" key="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 key attribute is used to associate the name with a more detailed description of the person named, provided elsewhere using the standard TEI element <person>.
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.
Similar mechanisms are available for referencing the names of places and organizations.
The <catchwords> element can be used to provide a description of the system of word(s), written in the lower margin of the last leaf verso of a gathering, as a preview of the first word(s) of the first leaf recto of the successive gathering, to ensure correct ordering of the quires, as in the following examples:
<catchwords>Quires signed on the last leaf verso in roman numerals.</catchwords> <catchwords>The only evidence of the use of catchwords is a tiny trace of one on fol. 144v.</catchwords> <catchwords>Vertical catchwords in the hand of the scribe placed along the inner bounding line, reading from top to bottom.</catchwords>
‘Signatures’ denotes the system of progressive marking of quires and/or of leaves in order to facilitate arrangement during binding. 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.
<signatures>Quires 23-32 have no signatures.</signatures> <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> <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 the opening word or words of the second leaf of a manuscript; since these words 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>
Descriptions of heraldic arms, supporters, devices, and mottos may appear at various points in the description of Western European early modern and medieval manuscripts, usually in the context of ownership information, binding descriptions, or detailed accounts of illustrations. If a description contains a detailed account of the heraldic components of a manuscript independently considered, this can appear as a distinct paragraph within the appropriate section of the physical description. 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 subsequent analysis, as in the following examples:
<p>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 <q>Cole Deum</q>.</p> <p>A c. 8r fregio su due lati, <heraldry>stemma e imprese medicee</heraldry> racchiudono l'inizio dell'epistolario di Paolino.</p>
The additional phrase-level elements are formally defined as follows:
catchwords =
## () contains discussion of the catchwords found within a manuscript.
element catchwords { catchwords.content, catchwords.attributes }
catchwords.content = empty
catchwords.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "catchwords" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.phrase |= catchwords
dimensions =
## () contains any kind of dimensional specification.
element dimensions { dimensions.content, dimensions.attributes }
dimensions.content = empty
dimensions.attributes =
tei.measured.attributes,
## () indicates which aspect of the object is being measured.
attribute type { datatype.Key }?,
[ a:defaultValue = "dimensions" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.measured |= dimensions
tei.data |= dimensions
height =
## () contains a measurement measured along the axis parallel to the spine.
element height { height.content, height.attributes }
height.content = empty
height.attributes =
tei.measured.attributes,
[ a:defaultValue = "height" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.measured |= height
depth =
## () contains a measurement measured across the spine.
element depth { depth.content, depth.attributes }
depth.content = empty
depth.attributes =
tei.measured.attributes,
[ a:defaultValue = "depth" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.measured |= depth
width =
## () contains a measurement measured along the axis perpendicular to the spine.
element width { width.content, width.attributes }
width.content = empty
width.attributes =
tei.measured.attributes,
[ a:defaultValue = "width" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.measured |= width
heraldry =
## () contains a heraldic formula
## or phrase, typically found as part of a blazon, coat of arms, etc.
## within a manuscript .
element heraldry { heraldry.content, heraldry.attributes }
heraldry.content = empty
heraldry.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "heraldry" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.phrase |= heraldry
locus =
## () defines a location within a manuscript or manuscript part, usually as a (possibly discontinuous) sequence of folio references.
element locus { locus.content, locus.attributes }
locus.content = empty
locus.attributes =
## () identifies the foliation scheme in terms of which the location is being specified
attribute scheme { datatype.Key }?,
## () specifies the starting point of the location in a normalised form
attribute from { datatype.Key }?,
## () specifies the end-point of the location in a normalized form
attribute to { datatype.Key }?,
## () supplies a link to one or more page images or
## transcriptions of the specified range of folios
attribute targets { datatype.uriList }?,
[ a:defaultValue = "locus" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.phrase |= locus
material =
## () contains a phrase describing the material of which any part of a manuscript or binding is composed.
element material { material.content, material.attributes }
material.content = empty
material.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "material" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.phrase |= material
origDate =
## () contains any form of date, used to identify the
## date of origin for a manuscript or manuscript part.
element origDate { origDate.content, origDate.attributes }
origDate.content = empty
origDate.attributes =
tei.datable.attributes,
[ a:defaultValue = "origDate" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.datable |= origDate
tei.phrase |= origDate
origPlace =
## () contains any form of place name, used to identify the
## place of origin for a manuscript or manuscript part.
element origPlace { origPlace.content, origPlace.attributes }
origPlace.content = empty
origPlace.attributes =
## indicates whether the attribution in question is definite,
## feasible, or has been assigned by the cataloguer.
attribute placeAttrib { text }?,
## indicates the nature of the evidence supporting the reliability or
## accuracy of the attribution.
attribute evidence { text }?,
[ a:defaultValue = "origPlace" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.phrase |= origPlace
secFol =
## () The word or words that a cataloguer, typically medieval but possibly modern as well, might take from a fixed point in all the codices he is describing (the beginning of the second leaf, the beginning of the second column, the beginning of the penultimate leaf, the end of the penultimate leaf, and so on) in order to provide a unique identifier to the particular codex.
element secFol { secFol.content, secFol.attributes }
secFol.content = empty
secFol.attributes = [ a:defaultValue = "secFol" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.phrase |= secFol
signatures =
## () contains discussion of the leaf or quire signatures found within a codex.
element signatures { signatures.content, signatures.attributes }
signatures.content = empty
signatures.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "signatures" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.phrase |= signatures
watermark =
## () contains a word or phrase describing a
## watermark or similar device.
element watermark { watermark.content, watermark.attributes }
watermark.content = empty
watermark.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "watermark" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.phrase |= watermarkThe <msIdentifier> element is intended to provide an unambiguous means of uniquely identifying a particular manuscript, and comprises information about its holding institution, the call number, shelfmark, or other identifier used to indicate its location within that institution, and optionally any other name by which the manuscript may commonly be known.
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
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. 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 1.9.1 Administrative information below.
The following elements are available within <msIdentifier> to identify the holding institution:
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
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.
These elements are all also members of the standard TEI attribute class names, which means that they can all bear attributes such as reg to supply a regularized form of a name, or key to specify a database or similar unique key for it, as further documented in the description of this class.
The following elements are used within <msIdentifier> to provide different ways of identifying the manuscript within its holding institution:
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
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, it must be decided whether or not to include this information in both locations. For example,
<collection>fr.</collection> <idno>2810</idno>may be considered as gratuitous or extraneous markup by cataloguers at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, where the concept of
<idno>fr. 2810</idno>as a unit may be felt to better determine the identity of the manuscript in question. Other examples are the Rawlinson collection in the Bodleian Library, or the Ellesmere collection in the Huntington Library, where separate tagging of Rawlinson and Ellesmere as collections would lead users to incorrect forms of citation; in the latter case correct markup would be:
<msIdentifier> <country>USA</country> <region>California</region> <settlement>San Marino</settlement> <repository>Huntington Library</repository> <idno>El 26 C 9</idno> <altName>The Ellesmere Chaucer</altName> </msIdentifier>
Here the name of the collection is not explicitly tagged, since it is implicit in the standard form of the manuscript shelfmark. In many cases, however, such as the following example, a collection name is useful:
<msIdentifier> <country>USA</country> <region>New Jersey</region> <settlement>Princeton</settlement> <institution>Princeton University</institution> <repository>Princeton University Library</repository> <collection>Scheide Library</collection> <idno>MS 71</idno> <altName>Blickling Homiliary</altName> </msIdentifier>
In the previous two examples, <altName> has been used to provide a common name, other than the shelfmark, by which a manuscript is known. Any number of these elements may be used to supply alternative names used for the manuscript, as in the following example:
<msIdentifier> <country>Danmark</country> <settlement>København</settlement> <repository>Det Arnamagnæanske Institut</repository> <idno>AM 45 fol.</idno> <altName lang="la">Codex Frisianus</altName> <altName lang="is">Fríssbók</altName> </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 only have one manuscript (or only one of any significance), which will have no call number as such but will be known by a particular name or names. In such circumstances one may have no choice but to leave the <idno> element empty, and provide the name or names by which the manuscript is known using <altName>, as in the following example:
<msIdentifier> <settlement>Rossano</settlement> <repository lang="it">Biblioteca arcivescovile</repository> <idno/> <altName lang="la">Codex Rossanensis</altName> <altName lang="la">Codex purpureus</altName> <altName lang="en">The Rossano Gospels</altName> </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. An institution may, for example, have changed its call number system but wishes to retain a record of the earlier call number, especially where the manuscript has been 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="internal"> <idno>S.C. 2297</idno> </altIdentifier> </msIdentifier>It might, however, be preferable to include such information within the <adminInfo> element discussed in section 1.9.1 Administrative information below.
As mentioned above, the smallest possible description is one that contains only the element <msIdentifier>; internally to that element, the three subelements <settlement>, <repository>, and <idno> are required, since they provide what is, by common consent, the minimum amount of information necessary to identify a manuscript.
The <msIdentifier> element and its constituents are formally defined as follows:
msIdentifier =
## () contains the information required to identify
## a given manuscript or manuscript part uniquely within its holding institution.
element msIdentifier { msIdentifier.content, msIdentifier.attributes }
msIdentifier.content = empty
msIdentifier.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "msIdentifier" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.biblPart |= msIdentifier
institution =
## () contains the name of an
## organization, such as a university or library, within which a
## manuscript repository is located.
element institution { institution.content, institution.attributes }
institution.content = empty
institution.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "institution" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.names |= institution
repository =
## () contains the name of a repository within which manuscripts are stored, possibly forming part of an institution.
element repository { repository.content, repository.attributes }
repository.content = empty
repository.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "repository" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.names |= repository
collection =
## () contains the name of a collection of
## manuscripts, not necessarily located within a single repository.
element collection { collection.content, collection.attributes }
collection.content = empty
collection.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "collection" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.names |= collection
altIdentifier =
## (alternative identifier) contains an alternative or former structured identifier used for
## a manuscript, such as a former catalogue number.
element altIdentifier { altIdentifier.content, altIdentifier.attributes }
altIdentifier.content = empty
altIdentifier.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "altIdentifier" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.typed |= altIdentifier
altName =
## (alternative name) contains any form of unstructured alternative
## name used for
## a manuscript, such as an ocellus
## nominum, or nickname.
element altName { altName.content, altName.attributes }
altName.content = empty
altName.attributes =
## () further characterizes the alternative name, for example as
## former shelfmark, nickname, etc.
attribute type { datatype.Key }?,
[ a:defaultValue = "altName" ] attribute TEIform { text }?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 has to be stated explicitly (e.g. Augustinus, Sermones, Cicero, Letters). Many inventories of manuscripts consist of no more than this, the 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>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 for that purpose, viz. to contain a heading, and 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.
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 manuscrpt's contents and describe only some of the items in detail.
In the simplest case, only a brief description may be provided, as in the following examples:
<msContents> <p>A collection of Lollard sermons</p> </msContents> <msContents> <p>Atlas of the world from Western Europe and Africa to Indochina, containing 27 maps and 26 tables</p> </msContents> <msContents> <p>Biblia sacra: Antiguo y Nuevo Testamento, con prefacios, prólogos y argumentos de san Jerónimo y de otros. Interpretaciones de los nombres hebreos.</p> </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 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 lang="la">De amico ad amicam</title>
<title 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</title>
<note>Bk. 1:71-Bk. 5:1701, with additional losses due to
mutilation throughout</note>
</msItem>
</msContents>
Each discrete item in a manuscript of manuscript part can be described within a distinct <msItem> or <msItemStruct> element, and may be classified using the class attribute.
These are the possible component elements of <msItem> and <msItemStruct>.
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| type | specifies the type of rubric | |
| type | specifies the type of incipit, e.g. whether it introduces a work, is biblical, legal, etc. | |
| defective | indicates whether the incipit as given is defective, i.e. the first words of the text as preserved, as opposed to the first words of the work itself. | |
| defective | indicates whether the item being described is defective, i.e. incomplete. | |
| defective | indicates whether the item being described is defective, i.e. incomplete. | |
| type | specifies the type of explicit, e.g. whether it is a formal closing for the work. | |
| defective | indicates whether the explicit as given is defective, i.e. the final words of the text as preserved, as opposed to what the closing words would have been had the text of the work been whole. | |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
The difference between <msItem> and <msItemStruct> is that in the former, the order and number of child elements is not constrained; any element, in other words, may be given in any order, and repeated as often as necessary. In the latter, however, the subelements, if used, must be given in the order specified above; they may be repeated, with the exception of <rubric>, <incipit>, and <explicit>, each of which can appear only once. In neither <msItem> nor <msItemStruct> may any untagged running text be included (although <msItem> may, as an alternative to more structured mark-up, contain one or more <p> elements, into which ordinary prose can be put). <msItem> and <msItemStruct> elements may also nest, where a number of separate items in a manuscript are grouped under a single title or rubric, as is the case, for example, with a work like The Canterbury Tales.
A defective attribute is available on <msContents>, <msItem>, and <msItemStruct>, and on the specialized elements for <incipit> and <explicit>, with possible values of true, false, unknown, or unspecified. This can be used for example for collections of fragments, where each fragment is given as a separate <msItem> and the first and last words of each transcribed as defective incipits and explicits, as in the following example, a manuscript containing four fragments of a single work:
<msContents>
<msItem defective="true">
<locus from="1r" to="9v">1r-9v</locus>
<title>Knýtlinga saga</title>
<msItem n="1.1">
<locus from="1r:1" to="2v:30">1r:1-2v:30</locus>
<incipit defective="true">dan<expan>n</expan>a a
engl<expan>an</expan>di</incipit>
<explicit defective="true">en meðan har<expan>aldr</expan>
hein hafði k<expan>onung</expan>r v<expan>er</expan>it
yf<expan>ir</expan> danmork</explicit>
</msItem>
<!-- msItems 1.2 to 1.4 -->
</msItem>
</msContents>
The <title> element should be used to supply a regularized form of the item's title, as distinct from any rubric quoted from the manuscript. If the item concerned has a standardized distinctive title, e.g. Roman de la Rose, then this should be the form given as content of the <title> element, with the value of the type attribute given as uniform. If no uniform title exists for an item, or none has been yet identified, or if one wishes to provide a general designation of the contents, then a ‘supplied’ title can be given, e.g. missal, in which case the type attribute on the <title> should be given the value supplied.
The <author> element, if used, should generally contain the normalized form of an author's name, irrespective of how (or whether) this form of the name is cited in the manuscript. If it is desired to retain the form of the author's name as given in the manuscript, this may be tagged as a distinct <name> element, nested within the <author> element with the normalized form of the name on its reg attribute. Alternatively, the normalized form of the name may be supplied as the value of a reg attribute on the <author> element.
Note that the key attribute can also be used, as on names in general, to specify the identifier of a <person> element carrying full details of the person concerned (see further 1.3.5 Names of persons, places, and organizations).
The <respStmt> element can be used to supply the name and role of a person other than the author who is responsible for some aspect of the intellectual content of the manuscript:
<author>Diogenes Laertius</author> <respStmt> <resp>in the translation of</resp> <name>Ambrogio Traversari</name> </respStmt>
The <respStmt> element can also be used where there is a discrepancy between the author of an item as given in the manuscript and the accepted scholarly view, as in the following example:
<title type="supplied">Sermons on the Epistles and the Gospels</title> <respStmt> <resp>here erroneously attributed to</resp> <name>St. Bonaventura</name> </respStmt>Note that such attributions of authorship, both correct and incorrect, are frequently found in the rubric or final rubric (and occasionally also elsewhere in the text), and can therefore be transcribed and included in the description, if desired, using the <rubric>, <finalRubric> or <q> elements, as appropriate.
It is customary in a manuscript decription to record the opening and closing words of a text as well as any headings or colophons it might have, and the specialised elements <rubric>, <incipit>, <explicit>, <finalRubric>, and <colophon> are available within <msItem> for doing so, along with the more general <q>, for recording other bits of the text not covered by these elements. Each of these elements has the same substructure, containing a mixture of phrase-level elements and plain text. A <locus> element can be included within each, in order to specify the location of the component, as in the following example:
<msContents>
<msItem>
<locus>f. 1-223</locus>
<author>Radulphus Flaviacensis</author>
<title>Expositio super Leviticum </title>
<incipit>
<locus>f. 1r</locus>
Forte Hervei monachi</incipit>
<explicit>
<locus>f. 223v</locus>
Benedictio salis et aquae</explicit>
</msItem>
</msContents>
In the following example, standard TEI elements for the transcription of primary sources have been used to mark the expansion of abbreviations and other features present in the original:
<msItem defective="true"> <locus>ff. 1r-24v</locus> <title type="uniform">Ágrip af Noregs konunga sǫgum</title> <incipit defective="true">regi oc h<expan>ann</expan> seti ho<gap reason="illegible" extent="7"/> <lb/>sc heim se<expan>m</expan> þio</incipit> <explicit defective="true">h<expan>on</expan> hev<expan>er</expan> <expan>oc</expan> þa buit hesta .ij. <lb/>annan viþ fé en h<expan>on</expan>o<expan>m</expan> annan til reiþ<expan>ar</expan> </explicit> </msItem>Note here also the use of the defective attribute on <incipit> and <explicit> to indicate that the text begins and ends defectively.
The xml:lang attribute for <colophon>, <explicit>, <incipit>, <q>, and <rubric> may always be used to identify the language of the text quoted, if this is different from the default language specified by the langKey attribute on <textLang>.
The <filiation> element can be used to provide information on the relationship between the manuscript and other surviving manuscripts of the same text, either specifically or in a general way, as in the following example:
<msItem> <locus>118rb</locus> <incipit>Ecce morior cum nichil horum ... <ref>[Dn 13, 43]</ref>. Verba ista dixit Susanna de illis</incipit> <explicit>ut bonum comune conservatur.</explicit> <bibl>Schneyer 3, 436 (Johannes Contractus OFM)</bibl> <filiation>weitere Überl. Uppsala C 181, 35r.</filiation> </msItem>
One or more text classification or text-type codes may be specified, either for the whole of the <msContents> element, or for one or more of its constituent <msItem> elements, using the class attribute as specified above:
<msContents>
<msItem n="1" defective="false" class="#law">
<locus from="1v" to="71v">1v-71v</locus>
<title type="uniform">Jónsbók</title>
<incipit>Magnus m<expan>ed</expan> guds miskun Noregs
k<expan>onungu</expan>r</incipit>
<explicit>en<expan>n</expan> u<expan>ir</expan>da
þo t<expan>il</expan> fullra aura</explicit>
</msItem>
</msContents>
The value of the class attribute
should specify the identifier used for the appropriate classification
within a <taxonomy> element, defined in the <classDecl>
element of the TEI Header (), as
shown here:
<classDecl>
<taxonomy>
<!-- -->
<category id="law">
<catDesc>Laws</catDesc>
</category>
<!-- -->
</taxonomy>
</classDecl>
The <textLang> element should be used to provide information about the languages used within a manuscript item. It may take the form of a simple note, as in the following example:
<textLang>Old Church Slavonic, written in Cyrillic script.</textLang>
Where, for validation and indexing purposes, it is thought convenient to add keywords identifying the particular languages used, the langKey attribute may be used, as in the following example:
<textLang langKey="#OCS">Old Church Slavonic, written in Cyrillic script.</textLang>
For this example to be valid, the identifier OCS must also be predefined as the value of the xml:id attribute on a <language> element in the TEI header associated with this description.
<langUsage> <language ident="OCS">Old Church Slavonic, written in Cyrillic script.</language> <!-- other languages used or referenced in the manuscript description --> </langUsage>
A manuscript item will sometimes contain material in more than one language. The langKey attribute should be used only for the chief language. Other languages used may be specified using the otherLangs attribute as in the following example:
<textLang langKey="#OCS" otherLangs="#RUS #HEL">Mostly Old Church Slavonic, with some Russian and Greek material</textLang>
Since Old Church Slavonic may be written in either Cyrillic or Glagolitic scripts, and even occasionally in both within the same manuscript, it might be preferable to define identifiers which make the distinction explicit. In such a case, the following <textLang> element might be preferred:
<textLang otherLangs="#OCS-CYR #OCS-GLA">Old Church Slavonic, written in Cyrillic and Glagolitic scripts.</textLang>and the following declarations might then be supplied in the <langUsage> element of the associated TEI Header:
<langUsage> <language ident="OCS-CYR"> Old Church Slavonic, written in Cyrillic script.</language> <language ident="OCS-GLA"> Old Church Slavonic, written in Glagolitic script.</language> <!-- other languages used or referenced in the manuscript description --> </langUsage>
Note that the <language> element defines a particular combination of human language and writing system. Only one <language> element may be supplied for each such combination. Standard TEI practice also allows this element to be referenced by any element using the global xml:lang attribute in order to specify the language applicable to the content of that element. For example, assuming that <language> elements have been defined with the identifiers FRA (for French), LAT (for Latin), and DEU (for German), a manuscript description written in French which specifies that a particular manuscript contains predominantly German but also some Latin material, might have a <textLang> element like the following:
<textLang lang="fr" langKey="#de" otherLangs="#la">allemand et latin</textLang>
The <msContents> element and its constituents are formally defined as follows:
colophon =
## () contains the text of any colophon
## attached to a particular manuscript item: that is, a statement, usually found at the end of a manuscript, that provides information regarding the date, place, agency, or reason for production of the manuscript.
element colophon { colophon.content, colophon.attributes }
colophon.content = empty
colophon.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "colophon" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.msItemPart |= colophon
explicit =
## () contains the text of any explicit attached
## to a particular manuscript item, that is, the closing words of a text or a section of
## a text, sometimes used as a kind of title, possibly followed by one or more rubrics or colophons.
##
element explicit { explicit.content, explicit.attributes }
explicit.content = empty
explicit.attributes =
## () indicates whether the explicit as given is defective, i.e. the final words of the text as preserved, as opposed to what the closing words would have been had the text of the work been whole.
attribute defective { datatype.UBoolean }?,
## () specifies the type of explicit, e.g. whether it is a formal closing for the
## work.
attribute type { datatype.Key }?,
[ a:defaultValue = "explicit" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.msItemPart |= explicit
filiation =
## () contains information concerning the manuscript's filiation, i.e. its relationship to other surviving manuscripts of the same text, its protographs, antigraphs and apographs.
element filiation { filiation.content, filiation.attributes }
filiation.content = empty
filiation.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "filiation" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.typed |= filiation
tei.msItemPart |= filiation
finalRubric =
## () contains the string of words that denotes the end of a text division, often with an assertion as to its author and title, usually set off from the text itself by red ink, by a different size or type of script, or by some other such visual device.
element finalRubric { finalRubric.content, finalRubric.attributes }
finalRubric.content = empty
finalRubric.attributes =
## () specifies the type of final rubric.
attribute type { datatype.Key }?,
[ a:defaultValue = "finalRubric" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.msItemPart |= finalRubric
incipit =
## () contains the incipit of a manuscript item, that is the opening words of the text proper, exclusive of any rubric which might precede it, of sufficient length to identify the work uniquely; such incipts were, in fomer times, frequently used a means of reference to a work, in place of a title.
element incipit { incipit.content, incipit.attributes }
incipit.content = empty
incipit.attributes =
## () indicates whether the incipit as given is defective, i.e. the first words of the text as preserved, as opposed to the first words of the work itself.
attribute defective { datatype.UBoolean }?,
## () specifies the type of incipit, e.g. whether it introduces a work,
## is biblical, legal, etc.
attribute type { datatype.Key }?,
[ a:defaultValue = "incipit" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.msItemPart |= incipit
msContents =
## () describes the intellectual content of a
## manuscript or manuscript part, either as a series of paragraphs or as a
## series of structured manuscript items.
element msContents { msContents.content, msContents.attributes }
msContents.content = empty
msContents.attributes =
## () identifies the text types or classifications applicable to this
## item
attribute class { datatype.uriList }?,
## () indicates whether the work contained is defective, i.e. incomplete.
attribute defective { datatype.UBoolean }?,
[ a:defaultValue = "msContents" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
msItem =
## () describes an individual work or item within the intellectual
## content of a manuscript or manuscript part.
element msItem { msItem.content, msItem.attributes }
msItem.content = empty
msItem.attributes =
## () identifies the text types or classifications applicable to this
## item
attribute class { datatype.uriList }?,
## () indicates whether the item being described
## is defective, i.e. incomplete.
attribute defective { datatype.UBoolean }?,
[ a:defaultValue = "msItem" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.msItemPart |= msItem
msItemStruct =
## () contains a structured description for an individual work or item within the intellectual content of a manuscript or manuscript part.
element msItemStruct { msItemStruct.content, msItemStruct.attributes }
msItemStruct.content = empty
msItemStruct.attributes =
## () identifies the text types or classifications applicable to this
## item
attribute class { datatype.uriList }?,
## () indicates whether the item being described
## is defective, i.e. incomplete.
attribute defective { datatype.UBoolean }?,
[ a:defaultValue = "msItemStruct" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.msItemPart |= msItemStruct
rubric =
## () contains the text of any rubric or heading attached to a particular manuscript item, that is, a string of words through which a
## manuscript signals the beginning of a text division, often with an assertion as to its author and title, which is in some way set off from the text itself, usually in red ink, or by use of different size or type of script, or some other such visual device.
element rubric { rubric.content, rubric.attributes }
rubric.content = empty
rubric.attributes =
## () specifies the type of rubric
attribute type { datatype.Key }?,
[ a:defaultValue = "rubric" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.msItemPart |= rubric
summary =
## () contains a brief summary of the
## intellectual content of an item, provided by the cataloguer
element summary { summary.content, summary.attributes }
summary.content = empty
summary.attributes = [ a:defaultValue = "summary" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
textLang =
## () describes the languages and writing systems used by a
## manuscript (as opposed to its description, which is described in the langUsage element)
element textLang { textLang.content, textLang.attributes }
textLang.content = empty
textLang.attributes =
## () supplies a code which identifies the chief language used in the manuscript.
attribute langKey { datatype.uri }?,
## () one or more codes identifying any other languages used in the manuscript.
attribute otherLangs { datatype.uriList }?,
[ a:defaultValue = "textLang" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.msItemPart |= textLangUnder the general heading ‘physical description’ we subsume a large number of different aspects generally regarded as useful in the description of a given manuscript. These include aspects of the form, support, extent, and quire structure of the manuscript object (1.7.1 Object description); aspects of the writing, such as the way it is laid out on the page, the styles of writing and any musical notation employed (1.7.2 Writing, decoration, and other notations); discussion of decorative features of the manuscript, of any paratextual features such as pagination, and of any annotations or marginalia (1.7.2.2 Decoration); discussion of its binding and state of repair (1.7.2.4 Additions and marginalia).
Most manuscript descriptions touch on several of these categories of information though few include them all, and not all distinguish them as clearly as we propose here. In particular, it is often the case that an existing description will include information for which we propose distinct elements within a single paragraph, or even sentence. The encoder must then decide whether to rewrite the description using the structure proposed here, or to retain the existing prose, marked up simply as a series of <p> elements, directly within the <physDesc> element.
The <physDesc> element may thus be used in either of two distinct ways: it may contain a series of paragraphs addressing topics listed above and similar ones; or it may act as a container for any choice of the more specialized elements described in the remainder of this section, each of which itself contains a series of paragraphs, and may also have more specific attributes. Note that the two ways should, and indeed may, not be combined within the same description.
The <objectDesc> element is used to group together those parts of the physical description which relate specifically to the text-bearing object, its format, constitution, layout, etc. The form attribute is used to indicate the specific type of writing vehicle being described, for example, as a codex, roll, tablet, etc. It has two parts: a description of the support, i.e. the physical carrier on which the text is inscribed; and a description of the layout, i.e. the way text is organized on the carrier.
Taking these in turn, the description of the support is tagged using the following elements, each of which is discussed in more detail below:
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
Each of these elements contains paragraphs relating to the topic concerned. Within these paragraphs, phrase-level elements (in particular those discussed above at 1.3 Phrase-level elements), may be used to tag specific terms of interest if so desired.
<objectDesc form="codex">
<supportDesc>
<p>Mostly <material>paper</material>, with watermarks
<watermark>unicorn</watermark> (<ref>Briquet 9993</ref>) and
<watermark>ox</watermark> (close to <ref>Briquet 2785</ref>).
The first and last leaf of each quire, with the exception of
quires xvi and xviii, are constituted by bifolia of parchment,
and all seven miniatures have been painted on inserted
singletons of parchment.</p>
</supportDesc>
</objectDesc>
This example combines information which might alternatively be more precisely tagged using the more specific elements described in the following subsections.
The <support> element groups together information about the physical carrier. Typically, for western manuscripts, this will entail discussion of the material (parchment, paper, or a combination of the two) written on. For paper, a discussion of any watermarks present may also be useful. If this discussion makes reference to standard catalogues of such items, these may be tagged using the standard <ref> element as in the following example:
<support>
<p>
<material>Paper</material> with watermark: <watermark>anchor in a circle
with star on top</watermark>, <watermark>countermark B-B with
trefoil</watermark> similar to <ref>Moschin, Anchor N 1680</ref>
<date>1570-1585</date>.</p>
</support>
The <extent> element, defined in the TEI header, may also be used in a manuscript description to specify the number of leaves a manuscript contains, as in the following example:
<extent>ii + 97 + ii</extent>Information regarding the size of the leaves may be specifically marked using the phrase level <dimensions> element, as in the following example, or left as plain prose.
<extent>ii + 321 leaves <dimensions units="cm"> <height>35</height> <width>27</width> </dimensions> </extent>
The <collation> element should be used to provide a description of a book's current and original structure, that is, the arrangement of its leaves and quires. This information may be conveyed using informal prose, or any appropriate notational convention. Although no specific notation is defined here, provision is made for the tagging of such with the standard TEI <formula> element:
<collation>
<p>
<formula>1-3:8, 4:6, 5-13:8</formula>
</p>
</collation>
<collation>
<p>There are now four gatherings, the first, second and fourth originally consisting of
eight leaves, the third of seven. A fifth gathering thought to have followed has left no trace.
<list>
<item>Gathering I consists of 7 leaves, a first leaf, originally conjoint with <locus>fol. 7</locus>,
having been cut away leaving only a narrow strip along the gutter; the others, <locus>fols 1</locus>
and <locus>6</locus>, <locus>2</locus> and <locus>5</locus>, and <locus>3</locus> and <locus>4</locus>,
are bifolia.</item>
<item>Gathering II consists of 8 leaves, 4 bifolia.</item>
<item>Gathering III consists of 7 leaves; <locus>fols 16</locus> and <locus>22</locus> are conjoint,
the others singletons.</item>
<item>Gathering IV consists of 2 leaves, a bifolium.</item>
</list>
</p>
</collation>
<collation>
<p>I (1, 2+9, 3+8, 4+7, 5+6, 10); II (11, 12+17, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19).</p>
</collation>
<collation>
<p>
<formula>1-5.8 6.6 (catchword, f. 46, does not match following
text) 7-8.8 9.10, 11.2 (through f. 82) 12-14.8 15.8(-7)</formula>
</p>
</collation>
The <foliation> element may be used to indicate the scheme, medium or location of folio, page, column, or line numbers written in the manuscript, frequently including a statement about when and, if known, by whom, the numbering was done.
<foliation> <p>Neuere Foliierung, die auch das Vorsatzblatt mitgezählt hat.</p> </foliation> <foliation> <p>Original foliation in red roman numerals in the middle of the outer margin of each recto; pagination in an early modern hand in the lower outer corner of each page.</p> </foliation> <foliation> <p>Folio numbers were added in brown ink by Árni Magnússon ca. 1720-1730 in the upper right corner of all recto-pages.</p> </foliation>
The <condition> element is used to summarize the overall physical state of a manuscript, in particular where such information is not recorded elsewhere in the description. It should not, however, be used to describe changes or repairs to a manuscript, as these are more appropriately described as a part of its custodial history (see 1.9.1.2 Availability and custodial history).
<condition> <p>The manuscript shows signs of damage from water and mould on its outermost leaves.</p> </condition> <condition> <p>Despite tears on many of the leaves the codex is reasonably well preserved. The top and the bottom of f. 1 is damaged, and only a thin slip is left of the original second leaf (now foliated as 1bis). The lower margin of f. 92 has been cut away. There is a lacuna of one leaf between ff. 193 and 194. The manuscript ends defectively (there are approximately six leaves missing).</p> </condition>
The second part of the <objectDesc> element is the <layoutDesc> element, which is used to describe and document the mise-en-page of the manuscript, that is the way in which text and illumination are arranged on the page, specifying for example the number of written, ruled, or pricked lines and columns per page, size of margins, distinct blocks such as glosses, commentaries, etc. This may be given as a simple series of paragraphs. Alternatively, one or more different layouts may be identified within a single manuscript, each described by its own <layout> element.
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
Where the <layout> element is used, the layout will often be sufficiently regular for the attributes on this element to convey all that is necessary; more usually however a more detailed treatment will be required. The attributes are provided as a convenient shorthand for commonly occurring cases, and should not be used except where the layout is regular. The value NA (not-applicable) should be used for cases where the layout is either very irregular, or where it cannot be characterized simply in terms of lines and columns, for example, where blocks of commentary and text are arranged in a regular but complex pattern on each page
The following examples indicate the range of possibilities:
<layout ruledLines="25-32"> <p>Most pages have between 25 and 32 long lines ruled in lead.</p> </layout> <layout columns="1" writtenLines="24"> <p>Written in one column throughout; 24 lines per page.</p> </layout> <layout> <p>Written in 3 columns, with 8 lines of text and interlinear glosses in the centre, and up to 26 lines of gloss in the outer two columns. Double vertical bounding lines ruled in hard point on hair side. Text lines ruled faintly in lead. Remains of prickings in upper, lower, and outer (for 8 lines of text only) margins.</p> </layout>
Where multiple <layout> elements are supplied, the scope for each specification can be indicated by means of <locus> elements within the content of the element, as in the following example:
<layoutDesc>
<layout ruledLines="25-32">
<p>On <locus from="1r" to="202v">fols 1r-200v</locus> and <locus from="210r" to="212v">fols 210r-212v</locus> there are between 25 and 32 ruled lines.</p>
</layout>
<layout ruledLines="34-50">
<p>On <locus from="203r" to="209v">fols 203r-209v</locus> there are between 34
and 50 ruled lines.</p>
</layout>
</layoutDesc>
The second group of elements within a structured physical description concerns aspects of the writing, illumination, or other notation (notably, music) found in a manuscript, including additions made in later hands — the ‘text’, as it were, as opposed to the carrier.
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
The <handDesc> element can contain a short description of the general characteristics of the writing observed in a manuscript, as in the following example:
<handDesc> <p>Written in a <term>late Caroline minuscule</term>; versals in a form of <term>rustic capitals</term>; although the marginal and interlinear gloss is written in varying shades of ink that are not those of the main text, text and gloss appear to have been copied during approximately the same time span.</p> </handDesc>
Note the use of the <term> element to mark specific technical terms within the context of the <handDesc> element.
Where several distinct hands have been identified, this fact can be registered by using the hands attribute, as in the following example:
<handDesc hands="2"> <p>The manuscript is written in two contemporary hands, otherwise unknown, but clearly those of practised scribes. Hand I writes ff. 1r-22v and hand II ff. 23 and 24. Some scholars, notably Verner Dahlerup and Hreinn Benediktsson, have argued for a third hand on f. 24, but the evidence for this is insubstantial.</p> </handDesc>
Alternatively, or in addition, where more specific information about one or more of the hands identified is to be recorded, the <handNote> element should be used, as in the following example:
<handDesc hands="3">
<handNote id="Eirsp-1" scope="minor">
<p>The first part of the manuscript,
<locus from="1v" to="72v:4">fols 1v-72v:4</locus>, is written in a practised
Icelandic Gothic bookhand. This hand is not found elsewhere.</p>
</handNote>
<handNote id="Eirsp-2" scope="major">
<p>The second part of the manuscript, <locus from="72v:4" to="194v">fols
72v:4-194</locus>, is written in a hand contemporary with the first; it can
also be found in a fragment of <title>Knýtlinga saga</title>,
<ref target="#AM02-20-b-II">AM 20b II fol.</ref>.</p>
</handNote>
<handNote id="Eirsp-3" scope="minor">
<p>The third hand has written the majority of the chapter headings.
This hand has been identified as the one also found in <ref target="#AM02-210">AM
221 fol.</ref>.</p>
</handNote>
</handDesc>
Note here the use of the <locus> element, discussed in section 1.3.4 References to locations within a manuscript, to specify exactly which parts of a
manuscript are written by a given hand.
When a full or partial transcription of a manuscript is available in addition to the manuscript description, the <handShift> element described in can be used to link the relevant parts of the transcription to the appropriate <handNote> element in the description.
<handShift new="#Eirsp-2" old="#Eirsp-1"/>
It can be difficult to draw a clear distinction between aspects of a manuscript which are purely physical and those which form part of its intellectual content. This is particularly true of illuminations and other forms of decoration in a manuscript. We propose the following elements for the purpose of delimiting discussion of these aspects within a manuscript description, and for convenience locate them all within the physical description, despite the fact that the illustrative features of a manuscript will in many cases also be seen as constitutiing part of its intellectual content.
The <decoDesc> element may contain simply one or more paragraphs summarizing the overall nature of the decorative features of the manuscript, as in the following example:
<decoDesc> <p>The decoration comprises two full page miniatures, perhaps added by the original owner, or slightly later; the original major decoration consists of twenty-three large miniatures, illustrating the divisions of the Passion narrative and the start of the major texts, and the major divisions of the Hours; seventeen smaller miniatures, illustrating the suffrages to saints; and seven historiated initials, illustrating the pericopes and major prayers.</p> </decoDesc>Alternatively, it may contain a series of more specific typed <decoNote> elements, each summarizing a particular aspect or individual instance of the decoration present, for example the use of miniatures, initials (historiated or otherwise), borders, diagrams, etc., as in the following example:
<decoDesc>
<decoNote type="miniature">
<p>One full-page miniature, facing the beginning of the first
Penitential Psalm.</p>
</decoNote>
<decoNote type="initial">
<p>One seven-line historiated initial, commencing the first
Penitential Psalm.</p>
</decoNote>
<decoNote type="initial">
<p>Six four-line decorated initials, commencing the second through the
seventh Penitential Psalm.</p>
</decoNote>
<decoNote type="initial">
<p>Some three hundred two-line versal initials with pen-flourishes,
commencing the psalm verses.</p>
</decoNote>
<decoNote type="border">
<p>Four-sided border decoration surrounding the miniatures and three-sided
border decoration accompanying the historiated and decorated initials.</p>
</decoNote>
</decoDesc>
Where more exact indexing of the decorative content of a manuscript is required, the standard TEI elements <term> or <index> may be used within the prose description to supply or delimit appropriate iconographic terms, as in the following example:
<decoDesc>
<decoNote type="miniatures">
<p>Fourteen large miniatures with arched tops, above five lines of text:
<list>
<item>
<locus>fol. 14r</locus>Pericopes. <term>St. John writing on
Patmos</term>, with the Eagle holding his ink-pot and pen-case; some
flaking of pigment, especially in the sky</item>
<item>
<locus>fol. 26r</locus>Hours of the Virgin, Matins.
<term>Annunciation</term>; Gabriel and the Dove to the right</item>
<item>
<locus>fol. 60r</locus>Prime. <term>Nativity</term>; the
<term>Virgin and Joseph adoring the Child</term>
</item>
<item>
<locus>fol. 66r</locus>Terce. <term>Annunciation to the
Shepherds</term>, one with <term>bagpipes</term>
</item>
<!-- ... -->
</list>
</p>
</decoNote>
</decoDesc>
Where a manuscript contains music, the <musicNotation> element may be used to describe the form of notation employed, as in the following example:
<musicNotation> <p>Square notation on 4-line red staves.</p> </musicNotation> <musicNotation> <p>Neumes in campo aperto of the St. Gall type.</p> </musicNotation>
The <additions> element can be used to list or describe any additions to the manuscript, such as marginalia, scribblings, doodles, etc., which are considered to be of interest or importance. Such topics may also be discussed or referenced elsewhere in a description, for example in the <history> element, in cases where the marginalia provide evidence of ownership.
<additions>
<p>Doodles on most leaves, possibly by children, and often quite amusing.</p>
</additions>
<additions>
<p>Quelques annotations marginales des XVIe et XVIIe s.</p>
</additions>
<additions>
<p>The text of this manuscript is not interpolated with sentences from
Royal decrees promulgated in 1294, 1305 and 1314. In the margins, however,
another somewhat later scribe has added the relevant paragraphs of these
decrees, see pp. 8, 24, 44, 47 etc.</p>
<p>As a humorous gesture the scribe in one opening of the manuscript, pp. 36
and 37, has prolonged the lower stems of one letter f and five letters þ
and has them drizzle down the margin.</p>
</additions>
<additions>
<p>Spaces for initials and chapter headings were left by the scribe but not filled in.
A later, probably fifteenth-century, hand has added initials and chapter headings in
greenish-coloured ink on fols <locus>8r</locus>, <locus>8v</locus>, <locus>9r</locus>,
<locus>10r</locus> and <locus>11r</locus>. Although a few of these chapter headings are
now rather difficult to read, most can be made out, e.g. fol. <locus>8rb</locus>
<q lang="is">floti ast<expan>ri</expan>d<expan>ar</expan>
</q>; fol. <locus>9rb</locus>
<q lang="is">v<expan>m</expan> olaf conung</q>, and fol. <locus>10ra</locus>
<q lang="is">Gipti<expan>n</expan>g ol<expan>a</expan>fs k<expan>onun</expan>gs</q>.</p>
<p>The manuscript contains the following marginalia:
<list>
<item>Fol. <locus>4v</locus>, left margin: <q lang="is">hialmadr <expan>ok</expan>
<lb/>brynjadr</q>,
in a fifteenth-cenury hand, imitating an addition made to the text by the scribe at this point.</item>
<item>Fol. <locus>5r</locus>, lower margin: <q lang="is">þ<expan>e</expan>tta þiki
m<expan>er</expan> v<expan>er</expan>a gott blek en<expan>n</expan>da kan<expan>n</expan> ek icki
betr sia</q>, in a fifteenth-century hand, probably the same as that on the previous page.</item>
<item>Fol. <locus>9v</locus>, bottom margin: <q lang="is">þessa bok uilda eg <sic>gæt</sic>
lært med <lb/>an Gud gefe myer Gott ad <lb/>læra</q>; seventeenth-century hand.</item>
</list>
</p>
<p>There are in addition a number of illegible scribbles in a later hand (or hands) on fols
<locus>2r</locus>, <locus>3r</locus>, <locus>5v</locus> and <locus>19r</locus>.</p>
</additions>
The third major component of the physical description relates to supporting but distinct physical components, such as bindings, seals and accompanying material. These may be described using the following specialist elements:
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
The <bindingDesc> element contains a description of the state of the present and former bindings of a manuscript, including information about its material, any distinctive marks, and provenance information. This may be given as a series of paragraphs, if only one binding is being described, or as a series of distinct <binding> elements, each describing a distinct binding, where these are separately described. For example:
<bindingDesc> <p>Sewing not visible; tightly rebound over 19th-century pasteboards, reusing panels of 16th-century brown leather with gilt tooling à la fanfare, Paris c. 1580-90, the centre of each cover inlaid with a 17th-century oval medallion of red morocco tooled in gilt (perhaps replacing the identifying mark of a previous owner); the spine similarly tooled, without raised bands or title-piece; coloured endbands; the edges of the leaves and boards gilt. Boxed.</p> </bindingDesc>
Within a binding description, the element <decoNote> is available, as an alternative to <p>, for paragraphs dealing exclusively with information about decorative features of a binding, as in the following example:
<binding>
<p>Bound, s. XVIII (?), in <material>diced russia leather</material>
retaining most of the original 15th century metal ornaments (but with
some replacements) as well as the heavy wooden boards.</p>
<decoNote>
<p>On each cover: alternating circular stamps of the Holy Monogram,
a sunburst, and a flower.</p>
</decoNote>
<decoNote>
<p>On the cornerpieces, one of which is missing, a rectangular stamp
of the Agnus Dei.</p>
</decoNote>
<p>Rebacked during the 19th century.</p>
</binding>
The <sealDesc> element supplies information about the seal(s) attached to documents to guarantee their integrity, or to show authentication of the issuer or consent of the participants. It may contain one or more paragraphs summarizing the overall nature of the seals, or may contain one or more <seal> elements.
<sealDesc>
<seal n="1" type="pendant" subtype="cauda duplex">
<p>Round seal of <name>Anders Olufsen</name> in black wax:
<bibl>
<ref>DAS 930</ref>
</bibl>. Parchment tag, on which is written:
<q>pertinere nos predictorum placiti nostri iusticarii precessorum dif</q>.</p>
</seal>
<seal n="2" type="pendant" subtype="cauda duplex">
<p>The seal of <name>Jens Olufsen</name> in black wax:
<bibl>
<ref>DAS 1061</ref>
</bibl>. Legend: <q>S IOHANNES OLAVI</q>.
Parchment tag on which is written: <q>Woldorp Iohanne G</q>.</p>
</seal>
</sealDesc>
The circumstance may arise where material not originally part of a manuscript is bound into or otherwise kept with a manuscript. In some cases this material would best be treated in a separate <msPart> element (see 1.10 Manuscript parts below). There are, however, cases where the additional matter is not self-evidently a distinct manuscript: it might, for example, be a set of notes by a later scholar, or a file of correspondence relating to the manuscript. The <accMat> element is provided as a holder for this kind of information.
| type | further characterizes the accompanying material, for example as letter, note, paste-in, etc. | |
Here is an example of the use of this element, describing a note by the Icelandic manuscript collector Árni Magnússon which has been bound with the manuscript:
<accMat>
<p>A slip in Árni Magnússon's hand has been stuck to the
pastedown on the inside front cover; the text reads:
<q lang="is">Þidreks Søgu þessa hefi eg
feiged af Sekreterer Wielandt Anno 1715 i Kaupmanna høfn. Hun er,
sem eg sie, Copia af Austfirda bókinni (Eidagás) en<expan>n</expan>
ecki progenies Brædratungu bokarinnar. Og er þar fyrer eigi i
allan<expan>n</expan> máta samhlioda þ<expan>eir</expan>re er
Sr Jon Erlendz son hefer ritad fyrer Mag. Bryniolf. Þesse Þidreks
Saga mun vera komin fra Sr Vigfuse á Helgafelle.</q>
</p>
</accMat>
The formal definition for the <physDesc> element and its constituents is as follows:
physDesc =
## () contains a full physical description of a
## manuscript, either as a sequence of paragraphs, or as a series of more
## specialised elements.
element physDesc { physDesc.content, physDesc.attributes }
physDesc.content = empty
physDesc.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "physDesc" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
objectDesc =
## () contains a description of the physical
## components making up the object which is being described.
element objectDesc { objectDesc.content, objectDesc.attributes }
objectDesc.content = empty
objectDesc.attributes =
## () a short project-specific name identifying the physical form of
## the carrier, for example as a codex, roll, fragment, partial leaf,
## cutting etc.
attribute form { datatype.Key }?,
[ a:defaultValue = "objectDesc" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
supportDesc =
## () groups elements describing the physical support for the written part of a manuscript.
element supportDesc { supportDesc.content, supportDesc.attributes }
supportDesc.content = empty
supportDesc.attributes =
## () a short project-defined name for the material composing
## the majority of the support
attribute material { datatype.Key }?,
[ a:defaultValue = "supportDesc" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
support =
## () contains a description of the materials
## etc. which make up the physical support for the written part of a manuscript.
element support { support.content, support.attributes }
support.content = empty
support.attributes = [ a:defaultValue = "support" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
collation =
## () contains a description of how the leaves or bifolia are physically
## arranged.
element collation { collation.content, collation.attributes }
collation.content = empty
collation.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "collation" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
foliation =
## () describes the numbering system or systems used to
## count the leaves or pages in a codex.
element foliation { foliation.content, foliation.attributes }
foliation.content = empty
foliation.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "foliation" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
condition =
## () contains a description of the physical
## condition of the manuscript.
element condition { condition.content, condition.attributes }
condition.content = empty
condition.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "condition" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
layoutDesc =
## () collects the set of layout descriptions applicable to a manuscript.
element layoutDesc { layoutDesc.content, layoutDesc.attributes }
layoutDesc.content = empty
layoutDesc.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "layoutDesc" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
layout =
## () describes how text is laid out on the page,
## including information about any ruling, pricking, or other evidence of
## page-preparation techniques.
element layout { layout.content, layout.attributes }
layout.content = empty
layout.attributes =
## () specifies the number of columns per page
attribute columns { datatype.Key }?,
## () specifies the number of ruled lines per column
attribute ruledLines { datatype.Key }?,
## () specifies the number of written lines per colum
attribute writtenLines { datatype.Key }?,
[ a:defaultValue = "layout" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
handDesc =
## () contains a description of all the different kinds of writing used in a manuscript.
element handDesc { handDesc.content, handDesc.attributes }
handDesc.content = empty
handDesc.attributes =
## () specifies the number of distinct hands identified within the manuscript
attribute hands { datatype.Key }?,
[ a:defaultValue = "handDesc" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
handNote =
## (note on hand) describes a particular style
## or hand distinguished within a manuscript.
element handNote { handNote.content, handNote.attributes }
handNote.content = empty
handNote.attributes =
## () gives a standard name or other identifier for the scribe
## believed to be responsible for this hand.
attribute scribe { datatype.Key }?,
## () characterizes the particular script or writing style used by
## this hand, for example secretary, copperplate, Chancery, Italian, etc..
attribute script { datatype.Key }?,
## () describes the tint or type of ink, e.g. brown, or other
## writing medium, e.g. pencil,
attribute medium { datatype.Key }?,
## () specifies how widely this hand is used in the manuscript.
attribute scope { datatype.Key }?,
[ a:defaultValue = "handNote" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
musicNotation =
## () contains description of type of musical notation.
element musicNotation { musicNotation.content, musicNotation.attributes }
musicNotation.content = empty
musicNotation.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "musicNotation" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
decoDesc =
## () contains a description of the decoration of a manuscript, either as a sequence of paragraphs, or as a sequence of topically organised decoNote elements.
element decoDesc { decoDesc.content, decoDesc.attributes }
decoDesc.content = empty
decoDesc.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "decoDesc" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
decoNote =
## () contains a note describing either a
## decorative component of a manuscript, or a fairly homogenous class of
## such components.
element decoNote { decoNote.content, decoNote.attributes }
decoNote.content = empty
decoNote.attributes =
## () specifies the kind of decorative feature being described
attribute type { datatype.Key }?,
## () supplies a further sub-categorization of the value specified by the
## type
## attribute.
attribute subtype { datatype.Key }?,
[ a:defaultValue = "decoNote" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.msItemPart |= decoNote
bindingDesc =
## () describes the present and former bindings of a manuscript, either
## as a series of paragraphs or as a series of distinct binding elements,
## one for each binding of the manuscript.
element bindingDesc { bindingDesc.content, bindingDesc.attributes }
bindingDesc.content = empty
bindingDesc.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "bindingDesc" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
binding =
## () contains a description of one binding, i.e. type of covering, boards, etc. applied to a manuscript
element binding { binding.content, binding.attributes }
binding.content = empty
binding.attributes =
tei.datable.attributes,
## () specifies whether or not the binding is contemporary with the majority of its contents
attribute contemporary { datatype.UBoolean }?,
[ a:defaultValue = "binding" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.datable |= binding
sealDesc =
## () describes the seals or other external items attached to a manuscript, either
## as a series of paragraphs or as a series of distinct seal elements,
## possibly with additional decoNotes.
element sealDesc { sealDesc.content, sealDesc.attributes }
sealDesc.content = empty
sealDesc.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "sealDesc" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
seal =
## () contains a description of one seal or similar
## attachment applied to a manuscript
element seal { seal.content, seal.attributes }
seal.content = empty
seal.attributes =
tei.datable.attributes,
## () specifies whether or not the seal is contemporary with the
## item to which it is affixed
attribute contemporary { datatype.UBoolean }?,
[ a:defaultValue = "seal" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.typed |= seal
tei.datable |= seal
additions =
## () contains a description of any significant additions found
## within a manuscript, such as marginalia or other annotations.
element additions { additions.content, additions.attributes }
additions.content = empty
additions.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "additions" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
accMat =
## (accompanying material) contains details of any significant additional
## material which may be closely associated with the manuscript being
## described, such as non-contemporaneous documents or fragments bound in
## with the manuscript at some earlier historical period.
element accMat { accMat.content, accMat.attributes }
accMat.content = empty
accMat.attributes =
## () further characterizes the accompanying material, for example as letter, note, paste-in, etc.
attribute type { datatype.Key }?,
[ a:defaultValue = "accMat" ] attribute TEIform { text }?The following elements are used to record information about the history of a manuscript:
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
The three components of the <history> element all have the same substructure, consisting of one or more paragraphs marked as <p> elements. Each of these three elements is also a member of the datable attribute class, and thus also carries the following optional attributes:
| notBefore | specifies the earliest possible date for the event in standard form, e.g. yyyy-mm-dd. | |
| notAfter | specifies the latest possible date for the event in standard form, e.g. yyyy-mm-dd. | |
| evidence | indicates the nature of the evidence supporting the reliability or accuracy of the dating. | |
Information about the origins of the manuscript, its place and date of writing, should be given as one or more paragraphs contained by a single <origin> element; following this, any available information on distinct stages in the history of the manuscript before its acquisition by its current holding institution should be included as paragraphs within one or more <provenance> elements. Finally, any information specific to the means by which the manuscript was acquired by its present owners should be given as paragraphs within the <acquisition> element.
Here is a fairly simple example of the use of this element:
<history>
<origin>
<p>Written in <origPlace>Durham</origPlace> during <origDate notBefore="1125" notAfter="1175">the mid-twelfth century</origDate>.</p>
</origin>
<provenance>
<p>Recorded in two medieval catalogues of the books belonging
to <name type="org">Durham Priory</name>, made in <date>1391</date> and
<date>1405</date>.</p>
<p>Given to <name type="person">W. Olleyf</name> by <name type="person">William
Ebchester, Prior (1446-56)</name> and later belonged to <name type="person">Henry
Dalton</name>, Prior of Holy Island (<name type="place">Lindisfarne</name>)
according to inscriptions on ff. 4v and 5.</p>
</provenance>
<acquisition>
<p>Presented to <name type="org">Trinity College</name> in
<date>1738</date> by <name type="person">Thomas Gale</name> and
his son <name type="person">Roger</name>.</p>
</acquisition>
</history>
<history>
<origin notBefore="1225" notAfter="1275" evidence="attributed">
<p>Written in Spain or Portugal in the middle of the 13th century
(the date 1042, given in a marginal note on f. 97v, cannot be correct.)</p>
</origin>
<provenance>
<p>The Spanish scholar <name type="person">Benito Arias
Montano</name> (1527-1598) has written his name on f. 97r, and may be
presumed to have owned the manuscript. It came somehow into the
possession of <foreign lang="da">etatsråd</foreign>
<name type="person">Holger Parsberg</name> (1636-1692), who has written his
name twice, once on the front pastedown and once on f. 1r, the former dated
<date>1680</date> and the latter <date>1682</date>. Following Parsberg's
death the manuscript was bought by <foreign>etatsråd</foreign>
<name type="person">Jens Rosenkrantz</name> (1640-1695) when Parsberg's
library was auctioned off (23 October 1693).</p>
</provenance>
<acquisition notBefore="1696" notAfter="1697">
<p>The manuscript was acquired by Árni
Magnússon from the estate of Jens Rosenkrantz, presumably at
auction (the auction lot number 468 is written in red chalk on the
flyleaf), either in 1696 or 97.</p>
</acquisition>
</history>
The <history> element and its immediate component elements are formally defined as follows:
history =
## () groups elements
## describing the full history of a manuscript or manuscript part.
element history { history.content, history.attributes }
history.content = empty
history.attributes = [ a:defaultValue = "history" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
origin =
## () contains any descriptive or other information
## concerning the origin of a manuscript or manuscript part.
element origin { origin.content, origin.attributes }
origin.content = empty
origin.attributes =
tei.datable.attributes,
[ a:defaultValue = "origin" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.datable |= origin
provenance =
## () contains any descriptive or other information
## concerning a single identifiable episode during the history of a manuscript
## or manuscript part, after its creation but before its acquisition.
element provenance { provenance.content, provenance.attributes }
provenance.content = empty
provenance.attributes =
tei.datable.attributes,
[ a:defaultValue = "provenance" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.datable |= provenance
acquisition =
## () contains any descriptive or other information
## concerning the process by which a manuscript or manuscript part entered the holding
## institution.
element acquisition { acquisition.content, acquisition.attributes }
acquisition.content = empty
acquisition.attributes =
tei.datable.attributes,
[ a:defaultValue = "acquisition" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.datable |= acquisitionThree categories of additional information are provided for by the scheme described here, grouped together within the <additional> element described in this section.
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
None of the constituent elements of <additional> is required. If any is supplied, it may appear once only; furthermore, the order in which elements are supplied should be as specified above.
The <additional> element is formally defined as follows:
additional =
## () groups additional information relating to the
## modern bibliography for a manuscript, its current curatorial status, and
## and other associated materials.
element additional { additional.content, additional.attributes }
additional.content = empty
additional.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "additional" ] attribute TEIform { text }?A variety of information relating to the curation and management of a manuscript may be recorded as simple prose narrative tagged using the standard <p> element. Alternatively, different aspects of this information may be presented grouped within one or more of the following specialized elements:
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
The <recordHist> element, if supplied, must contain a <source> element, followed by an optional series of <change> elements.
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
The <source> element is used to document the primary source of information for the record containing it, in a similar way to the standard TEI <sourceDesc> element within a TEI Header. If the record is a new one, made without reference to anything other than the manuscript itself, then it may simply contain a <p> element, as in the following example:
<source> <p>Directly catalogued from the original manuscript.</p> </source>
Frequently, however, the record will be derived from some previously existing description, which may be specified using the standard TEI <bibl> element, as in the following example:
<recordHist>
<source>
<p>Information transcribed from <bibl>
<title>The index of Middle English verse</title>
<biblScope>123</biblScope>
</bibl>.</p>
</source>
</recordHist>
If, as is likely, a full bibliographic description of the source from which cataloguing information was taken is included within the <listBibl> element contained by the current <additional> element, or elsewhere in the current document, then it need not be repeated here. Instead, it should be referenced using the standard TEI <ref> element, as in the following example:
<additional>
<adminInfo>
<recordHist>
<source>
<p>Information transcribed from
<bibl>
<ref target="#IMEV">IMEV</ref> 123</bibl>.</p>
</source>
</recordHist>
</adminInfo>
<listBibl>
<bibl id="IMEV">
<author>Carleton Brown</author> and <author>Rossell Hope Robbins</author>
<title level="m">The index of Middle English verse</title>
<imprint>
<pubPlace>New York</pubPlace>
<date>1943</date>
</imprint>
</bibl>
<!-- other bibliographic records relating to this manuscript here -->
</listBibl>
</additional>
The <change> element is a standard TEI element, which may also appear within the <revisionDesc> element of the standard TEI Header; its use here is intended to signal the similarity of function between the two container elements. Where the TEI Header should be used to document the revision history of the whole electronic file to which it is prefixed, the <recordHist> element may be used to document changes at a lower level, relating to the individual description, as in the following example:
<change> <date value="2005-03-10">10 March 2005</date> <respStmt> <name>MJD</name> </respStmt> <item>converted to P5</item> </change>
The <availability> element is a standard TEI element, which should be used here to supply any information concerning access to the current manuscript, such as its physical location (where this is not implicit in its identifier), any restrictions on access, information about copyright, etc.
<availability> <p>Viewed by appointment only, to be arranged with curator.</p> </availability> <availability> <p>In conservation, Jan. - Mar., 2002. On loan to the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, April - July, 2002.</p> </availability> <availability> <p>The manuscript is in poor condition, due to many of the leaves being brittle and fragile and the poor quality of a number of earlier repairs; it should therefore not be used or lent out until it has been conserved.</p> </availability>
The <custodialHist> record is used to describe the custodial history of a manuscript, recording any significant events noted during the period that it has been located within its holding institution. It may contain either a series of paragraphs tagged with the standard TEI <p> element, or a series of <custEvent> elements, each describing a distinct incident or event, further specified by a type attribute, and carrying dating information by virtue of its membership in the datable class, as noted above.
| type | specifies the type of event, for example conservation, photography, exhibition, etc. | |
Here is an example of the use of this element:
<custodialHist>
<custEvent type="conservation" notBefore="1961-03-01" notAfter="1963-02-28">
<p>Conserved between March 1961 and February 1963 at Birgitte Dalls
Konserveringsværksted.</p>
</custEvent>
<custEvent type="photography" notBefore="1988-05-01" notAfter="1988-05-30">
<p>Photographed in May 1988 by AMI/FA.</p>
</custEvent>
<custEvent type="transfer" notBefore="1989-11-13" notAfter="1989-11-13">
<p>Dispatched to Iceland 13 November 1989.</p>
</custEvent>
</custodialHist>
The <adminInfo> element and its immediate component elements are formally defined as follows:
adminInfo =
## (administrative information) contains information about the present
## custody and availability of the manuscript, and also about the record
## description itself.
element adminInfo { adminInfo.content, adminInfo.attributes }
adminInfo.content = empty
adminInfo.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "adminInfo" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
recordHist =
## () provides information about the source and
## revision status of the parent manuscript description itself.
element recordHist { recordHist.content, recordHist.attributes }
recordHist.content = empty
recordHist.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "recordHist" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
source =
## () describes the original source for the information contained with a manuscript description.
element source { source.content, source.attributes }
source.content = empty
source.attributes = [ a:defaultValue = "source" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
custodialHist =
## () contains a description of a manuscript's custodial history, either
## as running prose or as a series of dated custodial events.
element custodialHist { custodialHist.content, custodialHist.attributes }
custodialHist.content = empty
custodialHist.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "custodialHist" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
custEvent =
## () describes a single event during the custodial history of a manuscript.
element custEvent { custEvent.content, custEvent.attributes }
custEvent.content = empty
custEvent.attributes =
tei.datable.attributes,
## () specifies the type of event, for example conservation, photography, exhibition, etc.
attribute type { datatype.Key }?,
[ a:defaultValue = "custEvent" ] attribute TEIform { text }?
tei.datable |= custEventThe <surrogates> element is used to provide information about any digital or photographic representations of the manuscript which may exist within the holding institution or elsewhere.
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
The <surrogates> element should not be used to repeat information about representations of the manuscript available within published works; this should normally be documented within the <listBibl> element within the <additional> element. However, it is often also convenient to record information such as negative numbers, digital identifiers etc. for unpublished collections of manuscript images maintained within the holding institution, as well as to provide more detailed descriptive information about the surrogate itself. Such information may be provided as prose paragraphs, within which identifying information about particular surrogates may be presented using the standard TEI <bibl> element, as in the following example:
<surrogates>
<p>
<bibl>
<title type="gmd">microfilm (master)</title>
<idno>G.neg. 160</idno> n.d.</bibl>
<bibl>
<title type="gmd">microfilm (archive)</title>
<idno>G.pos. 186</idno> n.d.</bibl>
<bibl>
<title type="gmd">b/w prints</title>
<idno>AM 795 4to</idno>
<date value="1999-01-27">27 January 1999</date>
<note>copy of G.pos. 186</note>
</bibl>
<bibl>
<title type="gmd">b/w prints</title>
<idno>reg.nr. 75</idno>
<date value="1999-01-25">25 January 1999</date>
<note>photographs of the spine, outside covers, stitching etc.</note>
</bibl>
</p>
</surrogates>
Note the use of the specialized form of title (general material designation) to specify the kind of surrogate being documented.
At a later revision, the content of the <surrogates> element is likely to be expanded to include elements more specifically intended to provide detailed information such as technical details of the process by which a digital or photographic image was made.
The <surrogates> element is formally defined as follows:
surrogates =
## () contains information about any digital or
## photographic representations of the manuscript being described which
## may exist in the holding institution or elsewhere.
element surrogates { surrogates.content, surrogates.attributes }
surrogates.content = empty
surrogates.attributes =
[ a:defaultValue = "surrogates" ] attribute TEIform { text }?The <msPart> element may be used in cases where what were originally physically separate manuscripts or parts of manuscripts have been bound together and/or share the same call number.
| No attributes other than those globally available (see definition for tei.global.attributes) |
Since each component of such a composite manuscript will in all likelihood have its own content, physical description, history, and so on, the structure of <msPart> is in the main identical to that of <msDescription>, allowing one to retain the top level of identity (<msIdentifier>), but to branch out thereafter into as many parts, or even subparts, as necessary. If the parts of a composite manuscript have their own identifiers, they should be tagged using the <idno> element, rather than the <msIdentifier> element, as in the following example:
<msDescription>
<msIdentifier>
<settlement>Amiens</settlement>
<repository>Bibliothèque Municipale</repository>
<idno>MS 3</idno>
<altName>Maurdramnus Bible</altName>
</msIdentifier>
<!-- other elements here -->
<msPart>
<altIdentifier>
<idno>MS 6</idno>
</altIdentifier>
<!-- other information specific to this part here -->
</msPart>
<msPart>
<altIdentifier>
<idno>MS 7</idno>
</altIdentifier>
<!-- other information specific to this part here -->
</msPart>
<msPart>
<altIdentifier>
<idno>MS 9</idno>
</altIdentifier>
<!-- other information specific to this part here -->
</msPart>
<!-- other msParts here -->
</msDescription>
The <msPart> element is formally defined as follows:
msPart =
## () contains information about an originally distinct manuscript or manuscript fragment now forming part of a composite manuscript.
element msPart { msPart.content, msPart.attributes }
msPart.content = empty
msPart.attributes = [ a:defaultValue = "msPart" ] attribute TEIform { text }?This chapter documents the following two modules:
Module msdescription-decl: Populates the classes used by the Manuscript Description module
Module msdescription: Manuscript Description
Here is an overview of the declarations documented by this chapter:
tei.measured = notAllowed
tei.measured.attributes = tei.measured.attribute.units, tei.measured.attribute.scope tei.measured.attribute.units = ## names the units used for the measurement. attribute units { text }? tei.measured.attribute.scope = ## specifies the applicability of this measurement, where ## more than one object is being measured. attribute scope { text }?
tei.datable = notAllowed
tei.datable.attributes = tei.datable.attribute.notBefore, tei.datable.attribute.notAfter, tei.datable.attribute.certainty, tei.datable.attribute.dateAttrib, tei.datable.attribute.evidence tei.datable.attribute.notBefore = ## specifies the earliest possible date for the event in ## standard form, e.g. yyyy-mm-dd. attribute notBefore { xsd:date | xsd:gYear | xsd:gMonth | xsd:gDay | xsd:gYearMonth | xsd:gMonthDay | xsd:time | xsd:dateTime }? tei.datable.attribute.notAfter = ## specifies the latest possible date for the event in ## standard form, e.g. yyyy-mm-dd. attribute notAfter { xsd:date | xsd:gYear | xsd:gMonth | xsd:gDay | xsd:gYearMonth | xsd:gMonthDay | xsd:time | xsd:dateTime }? tei.datable.attribute.certainty = ## specifies the general opinion as to the reliability or ## accuracy of the dating. attribute certainty { text }? tei.datable.attribute.dateAttrib = ## indicates whether the dating in question is definite, ## feasible, or has been assigned by the cataloguer. attribute dateAttrib { text }? tei.datable.attribute.evidence = ## indicates the nature of the evidence supporting the reliability or ## accuracy of the dating. attribute evidence { text }?
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