Missal, use of York

4to (199 x 127mm.), printed in red and black throughout, title with woodcut and within woodcut border incorporating Regnault’s device at foot, woodcut initials and illustrations (two full-page in the canon missae), typeset music, eighteenth-century English speckled calf, red morocco lettering-piece on spine, nineteenth-century bibliographical notes in pencil opposite start of text, title-leaf somewhat soiled, other occasional light soiling, n2 torn with slight loss of text, last quire slightly damaged at foredge and dampstained at foot, joints very worn

Nicholas Jackson (of Leeds?), early annotations on title-page and next page, including four lines of verse in both Latin and English about purchasing the book; John Towneley (1731-1813), of Corney House, Chiswick (the heir of Charles Towneley, the antiquarian of Towneley Hall, Lancashire), armorial bookplate, whose library contained a notable collection of Caxtons and other early English printing, including the York Manual printed for Wynkyn de Worde (STC 16160; lot 1608 in 1883 sale), his sale, Evans, 8 June 1814, lot 710, sold to Heber for £2-3-0 (further sales of his library took place at Evans on 9 June 1815 and 22 May 1817, and at Sotheby's on 18 June 1883); Richard Heber (1773-1833, but without the usual Bibliotheca Heberiana stamp), sale of his library, Evans, part VI, 3 April 1835, lot 2363, sold to Thorpe for £4 (and then bought by Mendham from Thorpe; there is the note "very rare 5/15/6" above the Towneley bookplate which may be the price Thorpe asked); Law Society, armorial bookplate and stamp on flyleaf and A5

STC 16224; Weale-Bohatta 363

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A rare and complete Missal for the use of York, which was commonly used across the north of England. This is the fifth (and final) York Missal listed by STC; the first was printed in [1509?]. Regnault also printed a Sarum Missal that same year (see lots 38  and 107 for other liturgical works printed by Regnault). This date marked the end of the trade in books from the Continent destined for the English market, and not because of the Act of Supremacy of 1534; it was another Act passed that same year to restrict the activities of foreigners in the English book trade that was the real cause. Regnault, as the primary importer, was the most affected and he wrote to Thomas Cromwell in 1536 to plead his case.