Leaf from a Book of Hours

One leaf from a Book of Hours from French Flanders, ca. 1450-75. Text is arranged in one column. French annotations are written below the text block on the recto that lists part of the family history of the Dumesnil family.Book of Hours ("Livre de Raison'). One folio on vellum. French Flanders, ca. 1450-75. 1450-75: approx. 157 x 105 mm (written area 90 x 58 mm). Single column, 15 lines. This folio comes from an undistinguished, worn, and stained Book of Hours, but each records births and deaths in the Dumesnil family, doubtless from the Loire town of St.-Georges-du-Cher, since Joseph (d. 1548) was born in Montrichard close by. Eamon Duffy's Marking the Hours describes how Books of Hours were annotated. He remarks, "transmission within families ... might go on for generations or even centuries" (23). This prayer book was used by at least four generations of Dumesnils. These entries were made in the prayer book shortly after the events they record. The writers identify themselves with expressions like "my father Louis Richard died in Paris" or "my only son, issue of me Louis Richard." This is the lineage as reconstructed from the annotations: Joseph Richard (b. 18 April 1548) m. Catherine Cere, have issue Louis Richard (b. 17 June 1576, d. 4 March 1642); Louis Richard (d. 1 March 1642) m. Su-sanne Ladire (d. 6 September 1659) have issue Charles (b. 29 May 1626); Charles Richard m. Madeleine de Montigny have issue Louise (b. 22 June 1657, d. 1 June 1737), Madeleine (b. 25 August 1660), and Charles (b. 1672). Additional reference to Pierre (b. 18 June 1666) and Susanne (b. 25 August 1676). The Richard line terminated with the death of Louise in 1737