The Lyme Park Missal: Missale ad usum Sarum incipit feliciter, Paris, William Caxton & William Maynyal

The unique copy of the first edition of the Sarum text of the Mass, printed for Caxton in 1487 by the Parisian printer Guillaume Maynyal, who was known for his mastery of red and black printing. The book has been in the possession of the Legh Family since at least 1508, and in all probability since its publication. Its first owner was probably Sir Piers Legh (d.1527), who fought for the Duke of Gloucester (afterwards Richard III) in the Scottish campaign of 1482. He changed sides at the battle of Bosworth in 1487, and was rewarded by Henry VII with the profitable Stewardship of Blackburnshire. He retired from this office in 1511, retired to Lyme and entered the priesthood. The Missal is a working volume, richly annotated with many contemporary notes and corrections, including changes adapting it for use after the Reformation. This bibilographical treasure has now returned to Lyme Park, its home for so many centuries