For those of you just tuning in, LMU student Michael Madrinkian is writing to us from London, England where he is conducting research for his senior thesis on a manuscript from LMU's Archives & Special Collections called The Riche Cheyne. We're absolutely thrilled that Michael is taking on this project, and are looking forward to adding his findings to our records, so that future researchers can benefit from his hard work. You can read Michael's first post here, and his second here.
I am now well into my journey abroad, and there is no end to the amazing discoveries that my search has revealed! Continuing on my quest to identify the Ryche Cheyne, I next wanted to research its provenance. The only thing that is known about where the Cheyne comes from is what can be discerned from a little note that is pasted to the inside cover. The note is, however, extremely vague, only saying that it was “discovered in Errary (underground cellars) of Saint George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.” Intrigued by this statement, I decided to investigate, and traveled to Windsor myself to see if I could find any evidence of the Cheyne.
When I got to Windsor Castle it was, of course, flooded with tourists. But, as an archival researcher, I was ushered to the restricted areas behind St. George’s Chapel, the church where the manuscript is said to have been found. At the chapel archives I met Dr. Claire Rider, who lent a great deal of help to my search. First, Dr. Rider brought me a list of all the Deans and Canons of the College of St. George during the time the Cheyne was written. I looked through to see if any might have the initials E. C., but with no luck.
More importantly, however, I wanted to see handwriting samples, to see if I could find any that might be similar. The library at St. George’s, however, was entirely printed works, with no literary manuscripts. Yet there were manuscript materials in their extensive archival records, containing formal documents from the chapel’s history. I was brought an entire box full of ancient-looking scrolls containing accounts of all the mundane accounts from the chapel in the 16th century (paying the plumber his wages, purchasing a new bucket for the well, etc.) Many of these documents showed similar hands, but none of them struck me in any particular way.
What I was most interested in at St. George’s, however, was the “Errary” where the manuscript was found. But, I learned that the “Errary” (actually spelled Aerary) was off limits to almost everyone, even the staff, for preservation purposes. The Aerary, which means treasury, is one of the oldest parts of St. George’s Chapel, built in the mid-14th century. Originally, it was used as a storeroom for the valuable goods of all the Deans of the college of St. George, as well as many formal, administrative documents. It was not, however, a library; books and manuscripts would have been kept elsewhere. Dr. Rider told me that it would have been unusual for a manuscript such as the Cheyne to appear there.
Along with this information, I found an even stranger inconsistency. Because of the note, I was under the expectation that the Aerary would be in the “underground cellars” as the note parenthesized. Upon learning more, however, I realized that, on the contrary, the Areary is actually up in a tower. In fact, Dr. Rider assured me that St. George’s Chapel does not have any underground cellars at all! This discovery led me to realize that perhaps the note of provenance is not entirely reliable. Certainly whoever wrote it had very little knowledge of St. George’s let alone the Aerary.
I was still not satisfied, however, and was still intrigued by the mysterious Aerary. Finally, despite the exclusivity of the Aerary, Dr. Rider, who seemed genuinely interested in the manuscript, arranged access for us to tour the room. The Aerary is truly as marvelous as its mystique. To get to the room, we went through the Deans’ meeting room, which is still in use today. A door opened that led to a dark, winding stone staircase. At the top there was a heavy wooden door that opened with a huge iron key. The room was smaller than expected, and was in an immaculate state of preservation. The intricately carved ceiling, which survives from the 14th century, looked as though it was crafted yesterday. The floor was made of individually painted tiles, which still held a vibrant color. The walls were lined with wooden cabinets, filled with drawers. On each drawer was painted the name of one of the chapel Deans, which was where they would have stored their treasures, yet all now lie empty.
Although it was an amazing experience, I did not find any clues in the Aerary itself. It did show me, however, that ‘discovering’ something in such a secure room and carrying it off would be quite difficult and unlikely. Having discovered the inconsistencies of the note, however, is a very important step in understanding the whole context of the Cheyne. It may well be that the Cheyne was taken from St. George’s, perhaps found in the general library and stolen. The story of the Aerary is likely the product of the manuscript being handed down along with imaginative embellishments.
With my newfound information, I intend to investigate further into who the Cheyne’s donor might have been, and attempt to track down the real story of its provenance. Continuing on, I can’t wait to see what will be revealed!
Exterior of Saint George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. Photo by Michael Madrinkian.
The Riche Cheyne (along with everything else in the Archives & Special Collections) is available by appointment in the Department of Archives & Special Collections. To make an appointment, simply give us a call at 310-338-5710, email us at Special.Collections@lmu.edu, or drop by in person. We're located on Level 3 of the William H. Hannon Library.
