22 December 2015
Bins, Books and Bodian (Preaching): Ælfric and Christmas
For reformed Anglo-Saxon monks, the year began with Advent and Christmas.
The Nativity, from the Benedictional of St Æthelwold, England, c. 963-984, Add MS 49598, f. 15v.
Although Easter was considered the more important holiday by Anglo-Saxon churchmen, Christmas and Advent liturgies feature at the start of the year in liturgical manuscripts produced by the monks in the late 10th century in England, as elsewhere. Many of these manuscripts are now preserved at the British Library. For example, in two series of Old English sermons, written by Ælfric of Eynsham, the first sermons were devoted to Christmas. A sermon for December 25th is the first sermon in his Lives of the Saints (Cotton MS Julius E VII), and the second sermon in his first series of the Catholic Homilies (Royal MS 7 C XII). Both these manuscripts are now available online, via Digitised Manuscripts.
The beginning of the sermon for Christmas, Ælfric’s Lives of the Saints, Southern England, 1st half of the 11th century, Cotton MS Julius E VII, f. 5v
In the sermon in the Catholic Homilies, Ælfric summarizes the story of Christ’s birth as it is found in the Gospels for his Old English-speaking audience, describing how Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem, how they had to stay in a stables, and how Christ was born in a stable and placed in a binn (the Old English word for a manger or basket which is the root of the modern English word ‘bin’). He then provides context for his listeners by discussing some Roman history, the etymology of the name ‘Bethlehem’, the different ways angels appeared to humans in the Old and New Testaments, and compared the shepherds of the Biblical story to contemporary teachers and preachers.
The beginning of the sermon for Christmas, the First Series of Ælfric’s Catholic Homilies, Cerne, 990s, Royal MS 7 C XII, f. 9v
Ælfric was a monk and the most prolific Old English author whose works still survive. He lived in the late tenth and early eleventh centuries. As a boy, he had been trained at Winchester in the school of Bishop Æthelwold, the church reformer whose Benedictional appears above. By about 987, Ælfric had come to the attention of the Anglo-Saxon equivalent of the literati, because he was sent to the church which the thegn (important layman) Æthelmaer had founded or refounded at Cerne. There, around 990, Ælfric wrote a series of sermons for two whole liturgical years: the first and second series of the Catholic Homilies. The manuscript which has just been put online is believed to have been written at Cerne: in fact, some of the marginal notes might even be in Ælfric’s own handwriting, as he apparently edits the text and tries to avoid repeating himself. For example, in the image below, Ælfric appears to have put a box around the text he would like to be deleted from future copies of this sermon. A note at the side explains that this information is repeated, in more detail, in the ‘other book’ (presumably his second series of the Catholic Homilies).
Annotations on a sermon, possibly by Ælfric, Royal MS 7 C XII, f. 64r
Ælfric’s career was only just taking off at that point. The Catholic Homilies were copied and distributed with the help of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sigeric. Later in the 990s, Æthlmaer and his father, Ealdorman (senior government official) Æthelweard asked Ælfric to write a further series of homilies about the lives of various saints. The earliest manuscript of this series, Cotton Julius E VII, is now also available on Digitised Manuscripts.
Ælfric’s name begins with a colourful initial in this preface to his Lives of the Saints, Cotton MS Julius E VII, f. 3v
The quality of the colourful and ornate initials in this, slightly later manuscript shows how Ælfric had attracted the attention of patrons and scriptoria with better resources than the scriptoria at Cerne, where the earliest surviving manuscript of the Catholic Homilies is believed to have been written.
In addition to his sermon series, Ælfric wrote several instructional works, including a grammar and a colloquy (an imaginary dialogue between men of different professions, designed to teach young monks Latin). Even judging from the number of surviving copies, Ælfric’s Grammar was a popular work in late Anglo-Saxon England, even a bestseller. Eventually, Ælfric became abbot of Eynsham, just outside of Oxford.
So, whether you are looking for a sermon for Christmas, for key texts by the most prolific Old English author, or simply the root of the word ‘bin’, you can click over Digitised Manuscripts to see all these works in more detail.
Alison Hudson, Project Curator, Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts
20 December 2015
Medieval Festive Survival Guide
To help you negotiate the festive season, medieval writers, illustrators and patrons had some useful tips …
1. Ensure the prompt delivery of your Christmas greetings by hiring a messenger.
Detail of a messenger from Guillaume de Lorris’s and Jean de Meun’s Roman de la Rose, Low Countries (Bruges), c 1490-c 1500, Harley MS 4425, f. 137v
2. If you’re stuck for gift ideas, books always make great presents. The Bedford Hours was once a Christmas gift.
The Wise Men offering Christ gifts, from the Bedford Hours, France (Paris), c. 1410-1430, Add MS 18850, f. 75r
3. On the subject of gifts, if you can’t find a partridge for your pear tree, a king will do…
Image of King Mark in a pear tree, from a series of drawings illustrating the Tristan romance, England (London?), 2nd or 3rd quarter of the 13th century, Add MS 11619, f. 8r
4. At Christmas parties, don’t get caught out under the mistletoe: timing is everything!
Detail of Pygmalion kissing the statue, from Roman de la Rose, Northern France (Artois or Picardy), c. 1340, Royal MS 20 A XVII , f. 171r
5. Know when you have had enough to drink.
Ebrietas (Drunkenness) from Omne Bonum (Ebrietas-Humanus), England (London), c. 1360-c. 1375, Royal MS 6 E VII , f. 1r
6. If you discover you have a headache, though, try tying some crosswort to your head with a red cloth or smearing your temples with pennyroyal boiled in oil or butter or placing ‘stones’ from three young sparrows on your head. This allegedly also works for nightmares, temptations and ‘evil enchantments by song’ (for an edition and translation, see Leechdoms, Wortcunning, and Starcraft of Early England, ed. by T. O. Cockayne, Rolls Series, 3 vols (London: Longmans, 1864-66), vol II (1864), pp. 304-07).
Remedies of headaches, from Bald’s Leechbook, England (Winchester?), mid-10th century, Royal MS 12 D XVII, f. 111r.
7. Enjoy Christmas dinner.
Detail of feasting from Histoire Universelle, Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem (Acre), c. 1275-91, Add MS 15268, f. 242v
8. Enjoy some seasonal music.
Part of the liturgy for Christmas, from the Leofric Collectar, England (Exeter), c. 1050-c. 1072, Harley MS 2961, f. 12v
9. And remember, a dog is for life not just for Christmas.
Miniature of the resurrected Christ with Margaret of York and a dog, from Nicolas Finet, Dialogue de la duchesse de Bourgogne, Low Countries (Brussels), c. 1468, Add MS 7970, f. 1v
Detail of King John with a hunting dog, from a collection of drawings with various inscriptions and poems, Northern England, c. 1307-1327, Royal MS 20 A II, f. 8v
15 December 2015
Help Us Choose our 2016 Calendar
It has long been a tradition on our blog, hailing back to the distant days of 2011, to highlight pages from a medieval calendar throughout the year. We have been privileged to bring you the Isabella Breviary, the Hours of Joanna of Castile (or if you prefer, the Hours of Joanna the Mad), the Golf Book, the Huth Hours, and most recently, the London Rothschild Hours.
For 2016, we’d like to do something a little different – we’d like for you to help us decide which calendar to feature. We have selected 4 potential manuscripts, all listed below. Please let us know which one you’d like to see throughout 2016! You can leave your favourite in the comments below, or tell us on Twitter @BLMedieval. Without any further ado, here are the contenders:
Add MS 18850: The Bedford Hours, France (Paris), c. 1410 – 1430 (this manuscript was also included in Turn the Pages)
Calendar page for January from the Bedford Hours, Add MS 18850, f. 1r
Add MS 36684: The St Omer Hours, France (Saint-Omer or Therouanne), c. 1320 (for more on this fabulous manuscript, see our posts Apes Pulling Shapes and Something for Everyone)
Calendar page for February from the St Omer Hours, Add MS 36684, f. 2v
Egerton MS 1070: The Hours of René of Anjou, France (Paris), 15th century
Calendar page for March from The Hours of René of Anjou, Egerton MS 1070, f. 8r
Cotton MS Galba A XVII: The Athelstan Psalter (or Galba Psalter), northeast France, 1st half of the 9th century (more on this one: King Athelstan’s Books and Athelstan Psalter Online)
Calendar page from the Athelstan Psalter, Cotton MS Galba A XVII, f. 3r
- Sarah J Biggs
19 November 2015
Anglo-Saxon Digitisation Project Now Underway
The British Library possesses the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon manuscripts in the world. Many of these manuscripts are already available via our Digitised Manuscripts website, and we are delighted to announce that dozens more will be added in the coming months as part of a new digitisation project. These manuscripts will include the B, D, and F versions of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, manuscripts with early musical notation, Archbishop Wulfstan’s letter book, laws, saints’ lives, early manuscripts of Ælfric’s writings, charms, and medical recipes. This digitisation has been generously funded by a donation made in memory of Melvin R Seiden.
Zoomorphic pen-drawn initial from the beginning of a book in an Old English translation and compilation of Orosius, from the Tollemache Orosius, Add MS 47967, f. 48v
The first five manuscripts have gone already gone online. These include the earliest copy of the Old English version of Orosius’s Historia adversus paganos, an early eleventh-century schoolbook, and two manuscripts associated with Bishop Leofric of Exeter. So click over to Digitised Manuscripts for images of fantastical creatures in interlace initials, an imaginary dialogue between a monk, a cook, and a baker, and early musical notation!
Zoomorphic initial ‘H’ at the beginning of a text, Harley MS 110, f. 3r
Add MS 28188: Pontifical with litanies and benedictional (imperfect), England (Exeter), 3rd quarter of the 11th century
Add MS 32246: Fragment of Excerptiones de Prisciano with the 'Elegy of Herbert and Wulfgar', glossaries, and Ælfric's Colloquy, England (Berkshire?), 1st half of the 11th century
Add MS 47967: Orosius, Historia adversus paganos ('The Old English Orosius' or 'The Tollemache Orosius' ), England (Winchester), 900-1000
Harley MS 110: Glossed copy of Prosper, Epigrammata ex sententiis S. Augustini, Versus ad coniugem, Isidore, Synonyma de lamentatione animae peccatricis; two leaves from a gradual, England, 975-1060
Harley MS 2961: Leofric Collectar, England (Exeter Cathedral), 1050-1072
Text page with musical neumes, from the Leofric Collectar, Harley MS 2961, f. 10r
Additionally, as this project continues, some manuscripts may be unavailable as they are being digitised. Readers intending to consult Anglo-Saxon manuscripts that have not already been made available on Digitised Manuscripts should therefore please contact the British Library's Manuscripts Reference Team ([email protected]) before planning a visit.
Detail of a text page with a sheep drawn around a hole in the parchment, from the Tollemache Orosius, Add MS 47967, f. 62v
- Alison Hudson, Project Curator, Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts
06 October 2015
Collaborative Doctoral Studentships at the British Library
Last year we advertised the opportunity for an Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Collaborative Doctoral Partnership on the theme of ‘Understanding the Anglo-Saxons: the English and Continental Manuscript Evidence’. Joanna Story, Professor of Early Medieval History at the University of Leicester and Principal Investigator on ‘The Impact of Diasporas on the Making of Britain’ project, submitted the successful proposal. When the doctoral award was advertised, Becky Lawton, who has just finished an M.Litt. at the University of St Andrews, was chosen to be the award-holder.
The beginning of Bede's verse Life of St Cuthbert, England, late 10th or early 11th century (Harley MS 1117, f. 45r)
We are delighted to welcome Becky to the Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern Manuscripts Section at the British Library this week. Her research on ‘Experiencing the city of Rome in Anglo-Saxon England’ will be jointly supervised by Joanna Story and Claire Breay, Head of the Library's Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern Manuscripts Section. The award runs for three years from this October to September 2018. During this time we will be digitising many more of our Anglo-Saxon manuscripts and preparing for an exhibition on the Anglo-Saxons which will open in the autumn of 2018, giving Becky the opportunity to contribute to the Library’s public programmes as well as working on her thesis.
A page from Priscian's Excerptiones, England, 11th century (Add MS 32246, f. 5r)
This AHRC collaborative doctoral award is one of five starting this autumn at the British Library. The four other students will be working on: maps and the Italian grand tour; the religious music of South Asia; Ruth Rawer Jhabvala and constructions of identity in the Anglo-Indian novel; and the music of Thea Musgrave. They will be jointly supervised by British Library curators and academics based at Royal Holloway, SOAS, Exeter and Glasgow Universities respectively.
The AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships scheme has been running for three years and the Library is now advertising opportunities for new partnerships for a fourth round of awards to begin in October 2016. The Library provides the students holding a collaborative doctoral award with staff-level access to the collections, expertise and facilities of the Library, as well as financial support for research-related costs of up to £1000 a year. The student also benefits from the dedicated programme of professional development events delivered by the Library in tandem with the other museums, galleries and heritage organisations affiliated to the CDP scheme. So if you are based in a UK Higher Education Institution and would like to co-supervise an AHRC-funded doctoral student in one of the three research themes selected for next year, apply by 27 November 2015.
Claire Breay
Head of Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern Manuscripts
22 August 2015
Anglo-Saxon Charters Internship
In addition, the intern will be involved in other aspects of the work of Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern Manuscripts Section, including responding to enquiries and engaging with the public through this Blog, and they will gain insight into various curatorial duties and aspects of collection care. The intern will enjoy privileged access to printed and manuscript research material, and will work alongside specialists with wide-ranging and varied expertise.
This internship is designed to provide an opportunity for the student to develop research skills and expertise in early medieval history, and in presenting manuscripts to a range of audiences. Previous interns have provided feedback that they felt a valued member of the team, gained professional confidence and developed their career by carrying out a 'real' job with specific duties.
Charter of King Edgar granting Æthelflæd, matrona, land at Chelsworth, Suffolk, 962 (British Library Harley Charter 43 C 3)
The programme is only open to students who are engaged actively in research towards, or have recently completed, an MA, MPhil or PhD in a subject area relevant to the study of Anglo-Saxon charters or manuscripts, and who have a right to work in the United Kingdom. The selection process may include questions about the date and origin of a particular charter to be shown at the interview.
The term of this internship is full time (36 hours per week over 5 days) for 6 months or to 31 March 2016, depending on the start date. The salary is £9.15 per hour. The internship will ideally start on 5 October 2015 or as soon as relevant security checks have been completed.
To apply, please visit www.bl.uk/careers quoting vacancy ref: COL00231 and upload a CV and Cover Letter. The Cover Letter should include answers to the following three questions:
1. Please give examples of your experience in cataloguing or describing Anglo-Saxon charters or manuscripts.
2. Please provide examples of your experience in writing about your research for a general audience.
3. Please give an example of how you have adapted your own communicating style to deal with different people and situations.
25 June 2015
Getting Under the Covers of the St Cuthbert Gospel
This week has seen the launch at the British Library on Monday and at Trinity College, Dublin on Wednesday of a new book, The St Cuthbert Gospel: Studies on the Insular Manuscript of the Gospel of John, edited by Claire Breay, Head of Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern Manuscripts at the British Library, and Bernard Meehan, Head of Research Collections and Keeper of Manuscripts at Trinity College, Dublin.
The St Cuthbert Gospel is the earliest intact European book and a landmark in the cultural history of western Europe. Now dated to the early eighth century by Richard Gameson and Leslie Webster, the manuscript contains a beautifully written copy of the Gospel of John in Latin and is famous for the craftsmanship and outstanding condition of its contemporary decorated leather binding. Found in Cuthbert's coffin when it was opened in Durham Cathedral in 1104, the Gospel was acquired for the national collection following a major fundraising campaign in 2011-12.
One of the most exciting aspects of the long preparation for the new book on the Gospel was the day that we took the manuscript to the Natural History Museum for a CT scan. The videos produced from this scan have allowed us to look inside the book as never before, to appreciate the many remarkable features of this manuscript. We were able to examine the extraordinary refinement and careful shaping of the wooden boards, establishing that at their maximum the left (front) board measures only 2.4mm thick and the right (back) board only 1.5mm. We could see the cords beneath the raised frames in the decoration and we could examine for the first time the much-debated foundation material lying beneath the raised plant-motif decoration in the centre of the left cover. Roger Powell had suggested that the foundation material might be cord or leather, while Jim Bloxam and Kristine Rose found more recently (in making a facsimile of the binding which they generously made available to the project) that gesso could be used to produce comparable results. It was immediately apparent from the CT scan that neither cord nor leather had been used for the foundation of the central motif, as it is a clay-like material which completely fills the space between the leather and the board.
In the CT scan and in an X-ray image this clay-like material shows as a dull grey, completely different from the gesso used in the most accurate modern facsimile by Rose and Bloxam, which shows as black in the X-ray image.
Christina Duffy, Imaging Scientist at the British Library, has produced videos of the St Cuthbert Gospel from the CT scan which show the manuscript, its wooden boards, the cords which lie under the raised frames in the decoration and a cross-section through the whole manuscript showing the structure of the book and the raised decoration. You can watch the video (courtesy of Christina Duffy) here:
In his chapter in the new book launched this week, Nicholas Pickwoad explains in detail how the central motif on the binding appears to have been made using a matrix, carved with the plant design, to impress the wet leather over the clay-like material on to the wooden board.
This new collection of essays is the most substantial study of the book since the 1960s, and is the culmination of our work to promote new research on the Gospel since its acquisition by the British Library. As well as Nicholas Pickwoad's chapter on the structure and production of the binding, the book includes detailed commentary on: Cuthbert in his historical context by Clare Stancliffe; the codicology, text, script and medieval history of the manuscript by Richard Gameson; the decoration of the binding by Leslie Webster; the Irish pocket Gospels by Bernard Meehan, the other relics found in Cuthbert's coffin by Eric Cambridge; and the post-medieval ownership of the book by Arnold Hunt. The book, which significantly revises the existing scholarship on one of the British Library's most recent acquisitions, is now available through the Library's online shop.
- Claire Breay
17 June 2015
Project Curator, Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts
The British Library is recruiting for a Project Curator, Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts. This is a full time, fixed term position, from 1 September 2015 to 31 December 2018. Full details of the post and how to apply can be found here.
A page from the Vespasian Psalter, in the British Library's collections (Cotton MS Vespasian A I, f. 12r)
The post will provide curatorial support for a major exhibition on the Anglo-Saxons, to be held at the British Library in 2018–19. The successful candidate will be part of a small team within the Library’s Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern Manuscripts Section. Key responsibilities of the post-holder will include: researching manuscripts and drafting text for the exhibition catalogue; contributing to the Library’s online manuscripts catalogue; assisting in the preparation of learning materials; promoting the exhibition on social media; and supporting the organisation of the conference associated with the exhibition.
You will have a post-graduate degree, or its equivalent, in Anglo-Saxon studies or a related discipline. You must have specialist experience of researching Anglo-Saxon manuscripts, a good knowledge of Latin and knowledge of Old English, and have expertise in early medieval palaeography and codicology. Excellent organisation skills are essential, as is the ability to communicate effectively to a wide range of audiences and to meet strict deadlines. Candidates must be able to work independently and as part of a team.
The deadline for aplications is 28 June 2015, and interviews will take place in the week beginning 20 July 2015.
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