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of Medieval English Statute Books and
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HLS MS No. 173

England. Statutes, Magna Carta to 12 Edw. 2

ca. 1318

http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HLS.LIBR:13426230

 

 

<Preliminary introduction.>

The HOLLIS cataloguing may be found here. It incorporates Baker’s provenance and our Summary Contents, leaving the following items to reproduce here:

“Description : [125] leaves : vellum, geneal. table, coats of arms ; 9 cm.

“Notes : Rubricated in blue and red; illuminated initials; miniature of a king --leaf [11].”

The cataloguing in Baker’s English Legal Manuscripts, 1, no. 104, reads as follows:

“104 STATUTA VETERA
“MS. 173.

“C.xiv, 123 ff., illum, initials, miniature of a king, bound in old wooden boards with clasps. Includes a pedigree of Peytevyn, Bardolf and Hunt.

“Arms painted on fly (C.xv), Gules on a chevron azure between three cinquefoils or five molets pierced argent [BARDOLF]; and Or a chevron ermine between three escallops argent [PEYTEVYN] ; C.xvi inscription erased; sold at S. 2 July 1903, no. 291; obtained by Oswald Barron FSA (d. 1939); his wife’s sale, S. 3 June 1946, no. 181 to HLS; received on 25 July 1946.”

As will be seen below the foliation in both Baker and HOLLIS is misleading.

The manuscript is small, approximately 95 X 50 to 55 mm. The binding is definitely old, perhaps not so old as the manuscript, but probably pre-1500.

The manuscript has no foliation either ancient or modern. When the images were first placed in the Harvard PDS, we began a digital foliation on the first folio of Magna Carta, leaving the initial quires unfoliated. This foliation produced a count of 127 folios to the last folio that has writing on it, close to Baker’s count (123) and that in HOLLIS (125). Both of these foliations were probably done by hand. The last page of the main manuscript was on fol. 120v. Hence, neither of these previous foliations corresponded to anything that made complete sense. Rather than trying to reconcile these foliations with the actual one, it made more sense to refoliate the manuscript digitally. Since all of the folios date from some period in the Middle Ages, we foliated the manuscript fully. That gave us 139 folios.

The dorse of the initial folio (f. 1v) contains the pedigree. It is followed by what seems to be a bifolium that contains the arms that Baker notes, on the dorse of the first folio (f. 2v) and the recto of the second (f. 3r). There follow two duernions (f. 4–11) that contain a table of contents and a capitularia of Magna Carta, the charter of the Forest, the provisions of Merton, the statute of Marlborough, the statute of Gloucester, and Westminster I and II. There are no signature marks on the first quire of the main text, which appears to be a duernion. Signature marks are found in a rather unusual form beginning on fol. 16r, which is in the middle of the charter of the Forest. The last of these marks is found on fol. 99r. This quire ends on fol. 103v in the middle of the statute of Joint Tenants. As the signature marks indicate, and as is in fact the case, all the quires of the main text, except for the first, are quaternions. (Amost certainly, the first was originally one too; text is missing in Magna Carta from the end of c. 6 to the end of c. 35.) The quaternions continue to the end of the main manuscript, the last folios of the last quaternion being blank. The quiring of the remaining four folios is hard to discern. They may have originally been a duernion. There is later writing on one of them (fol. 138r–v).

Thus, with some uncertainty, we suggest the following collation:

Collation: i (f. 1), 12 (f. 2–3), 2–34 (f. 4–11), 48 (f. 12–15, 4 folios missing after f. 13v), 5–168 (f. 16–103 with signature markings), 17–208 (f. 104–135, no signature markings, f. 132–135 blank), ?214 (f. 136–139 blank except for f. 138). The first folio and the first quire are almost certainly later additions; the last quire probably is.

The main manuscript, beginning with Magna Carta, is laid out with penciled lines for the header and text block of 30 lines of text and a footer, which is not used. The hand is consistent throughout and is probably the work of the same scribe. After the statute of York, the final ‘statute’ (‘De defensione iuris’) is entered in a different, later, hand.

It is possible that the statute of York was added later, but the script is similar to the main text, and the hand may be the same. It has no decorated capital, but the decorated capitals end with the statute of Winchester and are not found on the final items in the previous quire.

The informal hand that put in the last statute may also be the hand that put in the quotation from pseudo-Bracton on the last leaves and the motto (fol. 138r–v). It may be the hand that put in the genealogy. It is, in any case, a script of the fifteenth century, probably later in the century rather than earlier. The curious quire signatures may have been put in when the manuscript was bound or rebound, also probably in the fifteenth century. There is no proof that all of this is the work of, or done at the direction of, Thomas Hunte jnr, of whom more below, but it could have been.

The pedigree to which Baker refers (fol. 1v) begins with two male lines on the right and left-hand sides. The one on the left-hand side records in successive generations John Peytevyn, his son John, his son William, and his son William. The one on the right-hand side records Drugo Bardolff, his son, Drugo, his son Drugo, and a John Hunte, who is probably not related. The middle line, which begins parallel with the first William Peytevyn and the third Drugo Bardolff, records Agatha Peytevyn, Margery Bardolff, Thomas Hunte, and another Thomas Hunte. It all makes sense if we assume that Agatha Peytevyn married the third Drugo Bardolff. Their daughter Margery married John Hunte. They had a son Thomas Hunte, who had a son Thomas Hunte jnr.

The Peytevyns are hard to find. There are many people with this surname, and the Christian names are also very common. Bardolff, however, is not that common a surname and Drugo (Drew) is fairly rare. There was a Drugo Bardolff, sometimes described as Drugo Bardolff snr, a man of Dorset, who along with his wife Alice gave land to Hide abbey in 16 Edward III and who by himself gave land to Twynham priory in 29 Edward III.1 A Drugo Bardolff of Dorset entered into a recognizance in the staple court in London with John Fauntelory, citizen and mercer of London, for £23 22d in 1409. He was dead by March 1422 when execution was ordered against his land in Dorset.2 It is tempting to think that this Drugo is Drugo III of the genealogy. If that is right, then his daughter Margery was the grandmother of Thomas Hunte jnr, which would date the last-named in the mid- to late-15th century.

1. See 17 Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Proceedings. He may be same as the Drew Bardolf, who was removed from office as a coroner in Dorset in 1357, or it may be his son. Cal. Close R. (1354–1360) 367. (Thanks to JHB for this reference.)

2. See TNA C 131/60/17.

It seems likely that Thomas Hunte jnr was the owner of the manuscript. It seems unlikely that he was any of the three Thomas Hunts in Baker, Men of Court.3 That a man who was probably a member of the Dorset gentry in the second half of the fifteenth century had such a manuscript may tell us something. That he had ancestors on the female side of his family who boasted heraldic devices may indicate that the manuscript had been in the family for some time. There is nothing in the main manuscript that needs be later than the first Drugo Bardolff, early in the reign of Edward III. Indeed, there is nothing in the manuscript that needs be later than 1318, the statute of York of 12 Edw. 2, which we have used for our dating.

3. Id., 911–12.

More could be done. The erased 16th century indications of ownership may be visible under ultraviolet light. The quotation from pseudo-Bracton can probably be found. The heraldry of Peytevyn and Bardolff, however, is likely to prove a dead end. We now have a quite comprehensive dictionary of medieval English heraldry. It does contain the Peytevyn (misspelled on the basis of an auction catalogue) and Bardolff shields, but only from our manuscript.4

4. Dictionary of British Arms, D. H. B. Chesshyre and T. Woodcock ed., 4 vols. ([London]: Society of Antiquaries of London, 1992–2014) 3:334 (Peytevyn), 469 (Bardolf). (Thanks to JHB for these references.)

 

Summary Contents

Clicking on the item in question will open the first sequence for the item in the PDS in a new tab or window.

 

  Seq. Fol. No. Item  
10–21f. 5r–9v0Contents and Capitularia 
26–30f. 12r–14r1Magna Carta, as confirmed 25 Edw. 1 (S.R. 1:114–19) 
31–38f. 14v–18r2Forest Charter, as confirmed 25 Edw. 1 (S.R. 1:120–2) 
39–45f. 18v–21v3Provisions of Merton, 20 Hen. 3 (S.R. 1:1–4) 
46–63f. 22r–30v4Statute of Marlborough, 52 Hen. 3 (S.R. 1:19–25) 
64–104f. 31r–51r5Statute of Westminster I, 3 Edw. 1 (S.R. 1:26–39) 
105–116f. 51v–57r6Statute of Gloucester, chapters, 6 Edw. 1 (S.R. 1:47–50) 
117–194f. 57v–96r7Statute of Westminster II, 13 Edw. 1 (S.R. 1:71–95) 
195–196f. 96v–97r8Statute of Westminster III (Quia emptores), 18 Edw. 1 (S.R. 1:106) 
197–202f. 97v–100r9Statute of Fines, 27 Edw. 1 (S.R. 1:126–30) 
203–204f. 100v–101r10De viris religiosis, 7 Edw. 1 (S.R. 1:51) 
205–207f. 101v–102v11De bigamis, 4 Edw. 1 (S.R. 1:42–3) 
208–212f. 103r–105r12Statute of Joint Tenants, 34 Edw. 1 (S.R. 1:145–7) 
213–220f. 105v–109r13Prerogativa regis, temp. incert. (S.R. 1:226–7) 
221–229f. 109v–113v14‘Statutes of the Exchequer’, temp. incert. (S.R. 1:197 [semel] – [ter]) 
230–232f. 114r–115r15Districtiones scaccarii, temp. incert. (S.R. 1:197 [ter] – 198) 
233–234f. 115v–116r16Circumspecte agatis, 13 Edw. 1 (S.R. 1:101–2) 
235–237f. 116v–117v17De presentibus vocatis ad warrantum, 20 Edw. 1 (S.R. 1:108–9) 
238f. 118r–v18Statutum de quo warranto, 18 Edw. 1 (S.R. 1:107) 
239–240f. 118v–119r19Statute of Conspirators, temp. incert. (S.R. 1:216) 
241–245f. 119v–121v20Statute of Merchants, 13 Edw. 1 (S.R. 1:98–100) 
246–252f. 122r–125r21Statute of Winchester, 13 Edw. 1 (S.R. 1:96–8) 
253–254f. 125v–126r22Articles of inquiry on the statute of Winchester, temp. incert. (S.R. 1:245–6) 
255f. 126v23Dies communes in banco, temp. incert. (S.R. 1:208) 
256–257f. 127r–v24Dies communes in placito dotis, temp. incert. (S.R. 1:208) 
258–264f. 128r–131r25Statute of York, 12 Edw. 2 (S.R. 1:177–9) 
265f. 131v26De defensione iuris, 20 Edw. 1 (S.R. 1:110) 

 

Detailed Contents

Clicking on the sequence number will open that sequence in the PDS in a new tab or window.

 

Seq. Fol. Label Header Sig.  
1no fol., no sig.Spine 
2no fol., no sig.Front cover 
3no fol., no sig.Inside front cover. ‘?Frandi Martin no. 10 Lange’ 
  Note: ‘No. 10’ in different hand. The script of both is probably 19th c. ‘No. 10 Lange’ looks like an address and may indicate that the manuscript was at one time in Germany.
41rLibrary reference marks. 
51vPedigree of Thomas Hunte jnr (?mid- to late 15th c.) 
  Note: Pedigree from Johannes Peytevyn and Drugo Bardolff to Thomas Hunte jnr through female line.
62rLibrary reference marks 
72vHeraldic device of Bardolff 
83rHeraldic device of Peytevyn 
93vBlank 
104rTable. Magna carta to Statutum Ebor’ 
  Note: Script contemporary with rest of main text.
114vBlank 
125rCapitularia 
  Heading: Incipiunt capitula magne carte.
135v 
  Heading: Expliciunt capitula magne carte Incipiunt carta foreste.
146r 
  Heading: (1) Explicunt capitula foreste. Incipiunt capitula de Mertone. (2) Explicunt capitula de Mertone. Incipiunt capitula de Marlbr’.
156v 
167r 
  Heading: Explicunt capitula de Marlebr’. Incipiunt capitula Gloucestr’.
177v 
  Heading: Explicunt capitula gloucestr’. Incipiunt capitula Westm’ primum.
188r 
198v 
  Heading: Explicunt capitula Westm’ primi. Incipiunt capitula Westm’ scdi’.
209r 
219v 
  Heading: Explicunt capitula W’ scdi’.
2210rBlank 
2310vBlank 
2411rBlank 
2511vErased indications of ownership 
2612rMagna Carta, as confirmed 25 Edw. 1. (S.R. 1:114–19)Magna carta 
  Note: Elaborately decorated initial, floral, with image of king in the ‘E’ of ‘Edwardus’.
2712vmagna 
2813rcarta 
2913vMagna 
  Note: As many as 4 fols. may be missing between fol. 2v and fol. 3r. The text skips from the middle of c. 6 to the end of c. 35.
3014rcarta 
  Note: Tear on right hand side of page damaging last lines of c. 37 and first lines of c. 38.
3114vForest Charter, as confirmed 25 Edw. 1. (S.R. 1:120–2)Carta 
  Heading: Incipit carta de foresta.
  Note: (1) Illuminated (floral) initial ‘E’. (2) Tear on left hand side of page, last 8 lines partially missing.
3215rforeste 
  Note: Tear on right hand side of page damaging last 8 lines.
3315vcarta 
  Note: Tear on left hand side of page damaging last 8 lines.
3416rforestej d 
3516vCarta 
3617rforesteij d 
3717vCarta 
3818rforesteiij d 
  Heading: Incipiunt provisiones de mertonie.
  Note: Heading on last line of page.
3918vProvisions of Merton, 20 Hen. 3. (S.R. 1–4)Provisiones 
  Note: Elaborated initial ‘P’ in ‘Provisum est’.
4019rde mertonieiiij d 
4119vProvisiones 
4220rde mertonie 
4320vProvisiones 
4421rde mertonie 
4521vprovisiones de mertonie 
4622rStatute of Marlborough, 52 Hen. 3. (S.R. 1:19–25)Marleb’ge 
  Heading: Incipit statutum de Marleb’ge.
  Note: Elaborately decorated initial ‘A’, floral.
4722vMarl’ 
4823rberge 
4923vMarl’ 
5024rberged 
5124vMarl’ 
5225rberged ij 
5325vMarl’ 
5426rberged iij 
5526vMarl’ 
5627rberged iiij 
5727vMarle 
5828rberge 
5928vMarle 
6029rberge 
6129vMarle 
6230rberge 
6330vMarleberg’ 
6431rStatute of Westminster I, 3 Edw. 1. (S.R. 1:26–39)Westm’ 
  Heading: Incipit statutum Westm’ primum.
  Note: Elaborately decorated initial ‘C’, floral.
6531vWestm’ 
6632rprimume j 
6732vWestm’ 
6833rprimum?e ij 
6933vWestm’ 
7034rprimum 
7134vWestm’ 
7235rprimumd 
7335vWestm’ 
7436rprimum 
7536vWestm’ 
7637rprimum 
7737vWestm’ 
7838rprimum 
7938vWestm’ 
8039rprimum 
8139vWestm’ 
8240rprimum?j dash 
8340vWestm’ 
8441rprimumij dash 
8541vWestm’ 
8642rprimumiij dash 
8742vWestm’ 
8843rprimumiiij dash 
8943vWestm’ 
9044rprimum 
9144vWestm’ 
9245rprimum 
9345vWestm’ 
9446rprimum 
9546vWestm’ 
9647rprimum 
9747vWestm’ 
9848rprimumj macron 
9948vWestm’ 
10049rprimumij macron 
10149vWestm’ 
10250rprimumiij macron 
10350vWestm’ 
10451rprimumiiij macron 
10551vStatute of Gloucester, 6 Edw. 1. (S.R. 1:47–50) 
  Heading: Incipit statutum Gloucestr’.
  Note: Elaborately decorated initial ‘P’, floral.
10652rGlouc’ 
10752vStatutum 
10853rGlouc’ 
10953vStatutum 
11054rGlouc’ 
11154vStatutum 
11255rGlouc’ 
11355vStatutum 
11456rGlouc’dash j 
11556vStatutum 
11657r‘Explanation’ of statute of Gloucester, 6 Edw. 1. (S.R. 1:50)Glouc’dash ij 
  Heading: Incipit explanaciones Glouc’.
  Note: Elaborately decorated initial, floral.
11757vStatute of Westminster II, 13 Edw. 1. (S.R. 1:71–95)Expl’ Glouc’ 
  Heading: Incipit statutum Westm’ scdi’.
11858rWestm’dash iij 
  Note: Elaborately decorated initial ‘C’, floral.
11958vWestm’ 
12059rsecundumdash iiij 
12159vWestm’ 
12260rsecundum 
12360vWestm’ 
12461rsecundum 
12561vWestm’ 
12662rsecundum 
12762vWestm’ 
12863rsecundum 
12963vWestm’ 
13064rsecundum? 
13164vWestm’ 
13265rsecundum?ij line thru 
13365vWestm’ 
13466rsecundumiij line thru 
13566vWestm’ 
13667rsecundumiiij line thru 
13767vWestm’ 
13868rsecundum 
13968vWestm’ 
14069rsecundum 
14169vWestm’ 
14270rsecundum 
14370vWestm’ 
14471rsecundum 
14571vWestm’ 
14672rsecundum?j underlined 
14772vWestm’ 
14873rsecundum?ij underlined 
14973vWestm’ 
15074rsecundumiij underlined 
15174vWestm’ 
15275rsecundumiiij underlined 
15375vWestm’ 
15476rsecundum 
15576vWestm’ 
15677rsecundum 
15777vWestm’ 
15878rsecundum 
15978vWestm’ 
16079rsecundum 
16179vWestm’ 
16280rsecundum?d single underline 
16380vWestm’ 
16481rsecundumd double underline 
16581vWestm’ 
16682rsecundum 
16782vWestm’ 
16883rsecundum?d quadruple underline 
16983vWestm’ 
17084rsecundum 
17184vWestm’ 
17285rsecundum 
17385vWestm’ 
17486rsecundum 
17586vWestm’ 
17687rsecundum 
17787vWestm’ 
17888rsecundum?d single line thru 
17988vWestm’ 
18089rsecundum?d double line thru 
18189vWestm’ 
18290rsecundum?d triple line thru 
  Note: Triple line thru on sig in different ink.
18390vWestm’ 
18491rsecundumd quadruple line thru 
  Note: Quadruple line thru on sig in different ink.
18591vWestm’ 
18692rsecundum 
18792vWestm’ 
18893rsecundum 
18993vWestm’ 
19094rsecundum 
19194vWestm’ 
19295rsecundum 
19395vWestm’ 
19496rsecundumd single line over 
19596vStatute of Westminster III (Quia emptores), 18 Edw. 1. (S.R. 1:106)Westm’ 
  Heading: Incipit Westm’ tertium.
  Note: Elaborately decorated initial ‘Q’, vaguely floral.
19697rtertiumd double line over 
19797vStatute of fines, 27 Edw. 1. (S.R. 1:126–30)Statutum 
  Heading: Incipit statutum de finibus.
  Note: Elaborately decorated initial ‘Q’, vaguely floral.
19898rde finibusd triple line over 
19998v 
20099rd quadruple line over 
20199v 
202100r 
203100vStatute De viris religiosis, 7 Edw. 1. (S.R. 1:51)Statutum 
  Heading: Incipit statutum de Religiosis.
  Note: Elaborately decorated initial ‘C’, vaguely floral.
204101rRelig’ 
205101vStatute De bigamis, 4 Edw. 1. (S.R. 1:42–3)Statutum 
  Heading: Incipit statutum de Bigamis.
  Note: Elaborately decorated initial ‘I’, vaguely floral.
206102rde bigamis 
207102vStatutum 
208103rStatute of Joint Tenants, 34 Edw. 1. (S.R. 1:145–7)de coniunct’ feoff’ 
  Heading: Incipit de coniunctim feoffatis.
  Note: Elaborately decorated initial ‘C’, vaguely floral.
209103vde coniunctim 
210104rfeoffatis 
211104vDe coniunctim 
212105rfeoffatis 
213105vPrerogativa regis, temp. incert. (S.R. 1:226–7)Prerogativa 
  Heading: Incipiunt prerogativa Regis.
  Note: Elaborately decorated initial, floral.
214106rRegis 
215106vPrerogativa 
216107rRegis 
217107vPrerogativa 
218108rRegis 
219108vPrerogativa 
220109rRegis 
221109v‘Statutes of the Exchequer’, temp. incert. (S.R. 1:197 [semel] – [ter])Statutum 
  Heading: Incipit statutum de scaccario.
  Note: Elaborately decorated initial ‘L’, vaguely floral.
222110rde scaccario 
223110vStatutum 
224111rde scaccario 
225111vStatutum 
226112rde scaccario 
227112vStatutum 
228113rde scaccario 
229113vStatutum 
230114rDistrictiones scaccarii, temp. incert. (S.R. 1:197 [ter])de scaccario 
  Heading: Incipit districciones scaccarii.
231114vDistricciones 
  Note: Elaborately decorated initial, floral.
232115rScaccarii 
233115vCircumspecte agatis, 13 Edw. 1. (S.R. 1:101–2)Regia 
  Heading: Incipit Regia prohibicio.
  Note: Elaborately decorated initial ‘C’, vaguely floral.
234116rprohibicio 
235116vStatute De presentibus vocatis ad warrantum, 20 Edw. 1. (S.R. 1:108–9)Regia prohibicio 
  Heading: Incipit de vocatis ad warrantum.
236117r 
  Note: Elaborately decorated initial ‘C’, floral.
237117v 
238118rStatutum de quo warranto, 18 Edw. 1. (S.R. 1:107) 
  Heading: Incipit quo warranto Quia brevia (sic).
  Note: Elaborately decorated initial ‘Q’, vaguely floral.
239118vStatute of conspirators, temp. incert. (S.R. 1:216) 
  Heading: Incipit statutum de conspiratoribus.
240119r 
  Note: Elaborately decorated initial ‘D’, floral.
241119vStatute of Merchants, 13 Edw. 1. (S.R. 1:98–100)Statutum 
  Heading: Incipit statutum de mercatoribus.
242120rde mercatoribus 
243120vStatutum 
244121rde mercatoribus 
245121vStatutum 
246122rStatute of Winchester, 13 Edw. 1. (S.R. 1:96–8)Wynton’ 
  Heading: Incipit statutum Wyntonie.
  Note: Elaborately decorated initial ‘P’, floral.
247122vStatutum 
248123rWynton’ 
249123vStatutum 
250124rWynton’ 
251124vStatutum 
252125rWynton’ 
253125vArticles of inquiry on the statute of Winchester, temp. incert. (S.R. 1:245–6)Statutum 
  Heading: Incipiunt articuli eiusdem.
254126rWynton’ 
255126vDies communes in banco, temp. incert. (S.R. 1:208)articuli 
  Heading: Incipiunt dies communes in banco.
256127rDies communes in placito dotis, temp. incert. (S.R. 1:208)Wynton’ 
  Heading: Incipiunt dies communes in placito dotis.
  Note: Spelled out in text form as it is in the translation in S.R. rather than in tabular form as in the Latin in S.R.
257127v 
  Note: No decorated initial capital. The scribe has added an ‘s’ where it ought to go.
258128rStatute of York, 12 Edw. 2. (S.R. 1:177–9)Ebor’ 
  Heading: Incipit statutum Ebor’.
  Note: No decorated initial capital. The scribe has added an ‘p’ where it ought to go.
259128vStatutum 
260129rEbor’ 
261129vStatutum 
262130rEbor’ 
263130vStatutum 
264131rEbor’ 
265131vStatute De defensione iuris, 20 Edw. 1. (S.R. 1:110) 
  Heading: Incipit statutum de defensione iuris.
  Note: Written in a different hand and script. Obviously a somewhat later addition.
266132rBlank 
267132vBlank 
268133rBlank 
269133vBlank 
270134rBlank 
271134vBlank 
272135rBlank 
  Note: Large chunk torn out at bottom of fol.
273135vBlank 
  Note: Large chunk torn out at bottom of fol.
274136rBlank 
275136vBlank 
276137rBlank 
277137vBlank 
278138rNotes 
  Note: ‘Veritas odium parit’. This may be the same hand that is responsible for writing surrounding the heraldry on the initial fols. This is also the page on which Baker saw the erased 16th cenutry indications of ownership. The quotation is from Terence, Andria, 1.1.18.
279138vNotes 
  Heading: Per Bracton.
  Note: ‘Bladum est illud quod [illegible] vel plantatur et de radice orietur quo rapto numquam aliud simile de dicto radice oreitur.’ Not found in these words in Bracton. Written in same hand as preceding page with ?notarial signs.
280139rBlank 
281139vBlank 
282no fol., no sig.Inside back cover 
283no fol., no sig.Back cover