Survivors of time, neglect, and sometimes disasters, medieval manuscripts are the work of countless authors, scribes, artists, and craftspeople, many of whom remain anonymous. This week, Mary Wellesley shares the stories behind some of the most famous manuscripts of the Middle Ages and the hidden hands behind them.
Mary Wellesley studied English Language and Literature at Lincoln College, Oxford, before gaining a PhD from University College, London in 2017. She worked in the department of Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern Manuscripts at the British Library, during which time she was also writing and broadcasting. She is now a full time free-lance writer but continues to teach courses on medieval language and literature as part of the British Library’s Adult Learning programme. To find out more about Mary’s work, you can follow her on Twitter @marywellesley or on Instagram @mary_wellesley. Her book is Hidden Hands: The Lives of Manuscripts and their Makers.
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Top Image: Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal, Ms-5190 réserve, fol. 1r