Northumberland Manuscript Part 1: Flyleaf Handwriting

Topic: Northumberland Manuscript Part 1: Flyleaf Handwriting

1. Verified Sourced Facts

• This packet preserves a large local image set from Ken Feinstein’s 26 Oct. 2019 Northumberland Manuscript post.

• The preserved post points readers to three external witness paths:
• the Folger Library facsimile
• a 1904 printed descriptive book
• a Lost Plays Database article

• Within the current Northumberland sequence, this Part 1 packet functions primarily as a flyleaf-survey packet rather than as the strongest standalone handwriting-attribution packet.

2. Ken Feinstein Twitter and Blog Information

• A Ken Feinstein blog post dated 26 Oct. 2019 states:

“The Northumberland Manuscript has confounded researchers for over a century.”

• The same post states that the flyleaf contains:

“the name of William Shakespeare written on it several times as well as the names of two Shakespeare plays (Richard II and Richard III) and a quote from Rape of Lucrece.”

• The same post states:

“The name ‘Nevill’ appears to be written twice on the top left”

• The same post states that:

“the Neville family motto ‘ne vile velis’ is also written twice”

• The same post states:

“it has long been suggested that the collection of manuscripts might have belonged to Henry Neville.”

• The same post states:

“it appears that the names might actually say ‘Nevills’.”

• The same post states:

“A large number of scribbles and pen trials cover the flyleaf.”

• The same post states:

“Through my archival research, I have found many correspondences between these scribbles and the handwriting of Henry Neville.”

• The same post states:

“Henry Neville also was a standard secretary hand that varied a great deal within those norms.”

• The same post states of one comparison:

“The word ‘your’ also occurs many times on the flyleaf”

• The same post states of another:

“There is a curious capital ‘I’ on the back cover of the manuscript”

• The same post states:

“One of the most interesting aspects of the flyleaf is a quote written out which almost exactly matches a line from Rape of Lucrece.”

• The same post gives the flyleaf reading as:

“revealing day through euery crany peepes and”

• The same post compares that with Lucrece:

“Revealing day through every cranny spies, And”

• The same post concludes:

“It's a good start at establishing that Henry Neville did, indeed, write the scribbles on the Northumberland Manuscript.”

3. Quoted Source Text

Ken Feinstein blog post, 26 Oct. 2019

• “The Northumberland Manuscript has confounded researchers for over a century.”
• “the name of William Shakespeare written on it several times as well as the names of two Shakespeare plays (Richard II and Richard III) and a quote from Rape of Lucrece.”
• “the Folger Library Website for a high res facsimile.”
• “this book from 1904 which offers a detailed description of the flyleaf and included documents.”
• “This article from the Lost Plays Database also has a lot of valuable information.”
• “The name ‘Nevill’ appears to be written twice on the top left”
• “the Neville family motto ‘ne vile velis’ is also written twice”
• “it has long been suggested that the collection of manuscripts might have belonged to Henry Neville.”
• “it appears that the names might actually say ‘Nevills’.”
• “A large number of scribbles and pen trials cover the flyleaf.”
• “Through my archival research, I have found many correspondences between these scribbles and the handwriting of Henry Neville.”
• “Henry Neville also was a standard secretary hand that varied a great deal within those norms.”
• “The word ‘your’ also occurs many times on the flyleaf”
• “There is a curious capital ‘I’ on the back cover of the manuscript”
• “One of the most interesting aspects of the flyleaf is a quote written out which almost exactly matches a line from Rape of Lucrece.”
• “revealing day through euery crany peepes and”
• “Revealing day through every cranny spies, And”
• “It's a good start at establishing that Henry Neville did, indeed, write the scribbles on the Northumberland Manuscript.”

4. Citations

• Feinstein, Ken. “Part 1: Henry Neville, Shakespeare, and the Northumberland Manuscript.” kenfeinstein.blogspot.com, 26 Oct. 2019, https://kenfeinstein.blogspot.com/2019/10/new-evidence-henry-neville-shakespeare.html. Local preservation: blog_northumberland_part1_2019-10-26.md.
• northumberland_manuscript.md, umbrella packet.
• northumberland_manuscript_part2_pen_trials.md, related follow-up packet.
• northumberland_manuscript_part3_1590_letter.md, related follow-up packet.

5. Notes on Access

• This packet preserves a Ken Feinstein blog post and its local image set.
• The post names the Folger Library facsimile, a 1904 printed book, and a Lost Plays Database article, but the locally preserved export does not retain stable outbound URLs for those resources.
• The flyleaf readings and paleographic conclusions in this packet are preserved as Ken Feinstein blog-post claims rather than independently re-extracted witness text.
• Within the current Northumberland sequence, northumberland_manuscript_part2_pen_trials.md is the stronger evidentiary packet because it introduces the Berkshire Record Office comparison document and the specific pen-trial parallels.
• This Part 1 packet should therefore be read as the broader flyleaf and comparison survey, not as the strongest standalone documentary proof in the series.

6. Local Images