Manuscript Workshop: A fourteenth-century psalter at Senate House Library

This seminar will be held in-person and online.

In March this year, Senate House Library received the exciting donation of an early 14th-century Psalter (MS1311) to join its small collection of medieval manuscripts. The Psalter was left to the Library by manuscript scholar Elspeth Yeo and was previously owned by Francis Wormald, the first Chair of Palaeography at the University of London and a former Director of the Institute of Historical Research. The Psalter has several unusual and intriguing features, among them the unusual use of Anglicana script and Arabic numerals to number the psalms.

To celebrate receiving the manuscript, the Library invites you to an afternoon workshop dedicated to examining various aspects of the Psalter, from the text and script to its use and provenance, with presentations from manuscript experts from the Institute of English Studies, School of Advanced Studies. Speakers include:

• Dr. Laura Cleaver on former owners Francis Wormald and Eric George Millar
• Dr. Cynthia Johnston on the manuscript's decorative features
• Pamela Robinson on the script
• Rowan Watson on the version of the psalms
• Closing remarks from Professor Clare Lees

As well as introducing the Psalter, the workshop will show different methods of approaching a manuscript book and what close study can reveal about it's production, use and history.

The event is open to all and will take place in person in the Library's seminar room, the Seng Tee Lee Room on the Library's 4th floor, and online via MS Teams. The Psalter will be on display aongside other manuscripts and documents that belonged to Francis Wormald. 

In-person attendees are invited to stay for refreshments, kindly provided by the University of London Development Office.