Book of hours

Presumably made for a woman, who is represented by the figure kneeling in devotion on f.131r; the de Lombelon, Seigneurs des Essarts: the birth and baptism in 1592 of Alexandre, son of Louis de Lombelon is recorded on the front flyleaf. Alexandre, Gouverneur des Villes et Château de Verneil married Madeleine de Saint-Aignan in 1609 and the births and baptisms of their children between 1611 and 1618 are recorded in the lower borders of the Calendar, as are those of the children born between 1630 and 1633 of Louise de Lombelon, daughter of Alexandre and wife of Pierre de Montmorency, Baron de Lauresse, Chevalier des Ordres du Roi. The latest birth recorded on fols.13v and 14r is that in 1643 of Pierre-François, son of Tanneguy de Lombelon, Baron des Essarts and Grand-Sénéchal de la Province du Maine. The third of Alexandre's children was Madeleine, wife of François de la Rivière, and it seems probable that she was responsible for the record of the births of her siblings' children. Her own daughter was Louise-Madeleine-Josèphe; Louise-Madeleine-Josèphe de la Rivière de Vaux who married Joseph de Mailly d'Haucourt, Seigneur, Marquis de Mailly-Haucourt, Assigny, St-Léger etc in 1704. Their eldest son was Joseph Augustin, Comte de Mailly, Maréchal de France who, after Louis XVI's flight from Paris, was charged by the king with the defence of his château at Varennes. In spite of being 86 his loyalty cost the Comte de Mailly his life; he was guillotined in 1794; Louis Marie, Comte de Mailly d'Haucourt, Duc de Mailly and Maréchal des camps, son of Joseph-Augustin, Comte de Mailly: an inscription inside the upper cover records both the gift of the manuscript from Louis Marie in 1774, and the fact that he had had the book from his grandmother; John Sweetman (?), his signature on the verso of the rear fly-leaf; Thomas Weld-Blundell (d.1887), his bookplate on the inside of the lower cover. Thomas Weld added Blundell to his name in 1837 after inheriting Ince Blundell Hall and the collections there formed by Henry Blundell and his son Charles. Thomas Weld-Blundell was the grandson of Thomas Weld of Lulworth Castle (1750-1810), founder of Stonyhurst College, who owned the Bedford Psalter and Luttrell Psalter before their acquisition by the British Library. It is yet to be established whether this manuscript descended from Thomas Weld of Lulworth Castle or from the Blundells; remained at Ince Blundell Hall by descent until sold (London, Christie's, November 23, 1998, lot 10).