Office of the Dead from BL YT 13, f. 151

Miniature of the Virgin Mary interceding on behalf of a dying man, at the beginning of the Office of the Dead, with St Michael holding scales and two devils vying for the soul of the man, with a bas-de-page scene of a lion passant guardant, holding a shield gules, a saltire argent (the arms of Neville of Raby), with a hood of the same arms, painted over the arms of St George, argent, a cross gules. Image taken from f. 151 of Book of Hours, Use of Sarum ('The Taymouth Hours'). Written in Latin and French.

Henry Yates Thompson (1838-1928) was a British collector and philanthropist who assembled this remarkable collection over his lifetime. The collection is now housed at the British Library in London.

Henry Yates Thompson was born into a wealthy family in 1838. Thompson began collecting manuscripts and other items in the 1870s. His collection quickly gained recognition for its exceptional quality and breadth. He had a keen eye for illuminated manuscripts, which are manuscripts decorated with intricate illustrations and calligraphy. The collection has a particular emphasis on medieval manuscripts.