The Parker Library

Of all the things we needed to consider, who would have thought that "paparazzi-cameras" were part of the answer! Professor Hatcher can now laugh at the hairy years of starting a large digitisation project as he tells us about the surprises along the way www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/articles/amb... #PLOW

18th October is the feast of St Luke the Evangelist who is here depicted in the initial 'Q'(uoniam) of his gospel. Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 004; The Dover Bible, Volume II.; 12th century; f.193v @parkerlibcccc.bsky.social @corpuscambridge.bsky.social

One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish Happy Fish Friday, as brought to you by our Psalter from c. 1240's Paris (most likely) CCCC MS 628, ff. 178r, 171v, 164r, and 139r parker.stanford.edu/parker/catal... #MedievalMSS #MedievalSky

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Next 3 days will be on From Skin to Script workshop with @crasshlive.bsky.social Starting with dehairing soaked skins #Skin2Script #medievalMSS

The journey to Jerusalem Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 026; Matthew Paris OSB, Chronica maiora I; 13th century; England (St Albans); f.ivr @parkerlibcccc.bsky.social @corpuscambridge.bsky.social

Tomorrow is today!

Curious what the exhibition is all about? Your chance to see some exceptional early medieval manuscripts - mainly from pre-1066 world & the #BayeuxTapestry, some even from the time before Charlemagne (d. 814) & King Alfred (d. c. 886) & the Viking invations! 📖 www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/articles/art...

Tomorrow we join #OpenCambridge with @cambridgefestival.bsky.social See our exhibition of #MedievalMSS + early printed books & meet conservation & college archivist too! 17 Sept, 10–12 & 2–4pm (queue capped 30min before closing) No need to book, but some queues expected More info: bit.ly/4oHWtpR

Catch a rare sighting of the earliest known copy of Richness of Desire (Ghunyat al-Munya), the earliest treatise on Hindustani music written in Persian (now CCCC Or. MS 219; c1425–50) A Mughal Songbook: Art, Music and Empire at The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/parker-libra...

Going to see the Bayeux Tapestry? Be sure to look out for the image that may well have been inspired by the 6thC Augustine Gospels (CCCC MS 286) parker.stanford.edu/parker/catal... The 11thC embroidery was probably made at Canterbury where the MS was then at St Augustine’s Abbey #bayeuxtapestry

Our MSS in this study Corpus Glossary, CCCC MS 144 parker.stanford.edu/parker/catal... Ieuan ap Sulien's Augustine on the Trinity, CCCC MS 199 parker.stanford.edu/parker/catal... Psalter of Count Achadeus, CCCC MS 272 parker.stanford.edu/parker/catal... The Article www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

VIRUS ALERT! Sheeppox virus found in our parchment! Luckily, it is the ancient kind, so no extra precautions needed 😅 What a multidisciplinary effort - congrats to everyone involved! (Incidentally, the culprit MS is currently on display in our exhibition) www.science.org/content/arti...

Join us for 'From Skin to Script', a hands-on workshop in traditional parchment-making – one of the UK's most critically endangered crafts Explore how living craft knowledge affects how we understand medieval manuscripts 29 Sep - 1 Oct 2026 https://bit.ly/4gcqbRn (limited places)

The presentation picture depicts Æthelstan, King of the English (r.924-939), presenting the book to St Cuthbert. Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 183: Bede the Venerable:Two Lives of St Cuthbert with Regnal Lists; mid-930s; f.1v @parkerlibcccc.bsky.social @corpuscambridge.bsky.social

Enjoy #OpenCambridge with us! What? Exciting display of mss & early printed books, book conservation in action, & College Archives display just for one day! When? Thu 17 Sept, 10–12pom & 2–4pm (queue closes 30min before closing) No need to book, but some queues expected More info: bit.ly/4oHWtpR

Today we say farewell to Professor John Hatcher (1942-2026), who directed successfully Parker Library's manuscripts to the web in 2002-2009 with charm and good humour - all very much evident in our 2025 interview www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/articles/pro...

We rely on the fantastic support from Cambridge Colleges' Conservation Consortium whenever one of our MSS leaves on loan Sometimes the loan item is exceptionally special 📖⛪🤩 Head of Conservation, Flavio Marzo, offers a peak to the back-stage: www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/articles/bri... #medievalMSS

Blooming borders! 🏵️🌺🌼💮🌹 Ordinal and Martyrology of Exeter, CCCC MS 93 fully digitised and available with CC BY-NC 4.0 licensing: parker.stanford.edu/parker/catal...

It is with sadness that we note the passing of Professor John Hatcher (1942-2026), Life Fellow of our College and such an important figure for the successful delivery of Parker Library On the Web Just recently we had a chance to hear him remember the early days: www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/articles/amb...

Friendship that spans over two millenia! Two @uoftcms.bsky.social colleagues catching up in the best library for medieval manuscript enthusiasts @parkerlibcccc.bsky.social

We’re rewriting Archetype[1] and one of the joys of that is introducing new developers to palaeography. Today’s fun was: the first *p* is actually a *wynn* and not a *p* — only the second *p* is a *p* 😏 [1] the framework that powers Models of Authority, DigiPal & at least 30 other projects.

Our new exhibition (June&July) opened on Corpus Christi Day 'Travellers and Scriptures: Looking East at the Parker' gives an impression of European engagements with the Arabic & Persianate east through our medieval & early modern books www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/parker-libra... #BookSky #MedievalMSS

Journalist Christopher Donlan paid us a vist & wrote a lovely piece reflecting on the long view of the past and how our task (as entrusted to us by Matthew Parker) is to combat against loss of knowlege: The Archbishop’s Library - An audit against entropy #Booksky 📖 www.nybooks.com/online/2026/...

What a day! Feast of Corpus Christi on 4 June: showing College silver along with new exhibition: Travellers and Scriptures: Looking East at the Parker Choral Eucharist & Evensong, motets on New Court, feast in Hall & admission of Baroness Katherine Willis CBE and Murray Gold as Honorary Fellows 🎵🎉

Soon be time to sleep. 😴 Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 004: The Dover Bible, Volume 2; 12th century; f.277r @parkerlibcccc.bsky.social @corpuscambridge.bsky.social

Two returns, two leaves Two of our manuscripts are now on loan to @sainsburycentre.bsky.social in Norwich for the current exhibition 'Living by the Rule: Contemporary meets Medieval' www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/parker-libra... Definitely worth a visit! #MedievalMSS

Listen and write what I tell you: "Omnis sapientia a Domino Deo est" Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 004: The Dover Bible, Volume II; 12th century; f.66v @parkerlibcccc.bsky.social @corpuscambridge.bsky.social

Initial 'V'(erbum) at the beginning of the prophet Jeremiah: "A A A, Dominus Deus, ecce nescio loqui, Qui puer ego sum." Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 003; The Dover Bible, Volume I; 12th century; f.195r @parkerlibcccc.bsky.social @corpuscambridge.bsky.social

Ha! Always a pleasure to see one of ours in action 📖🎵😍 CCCC MS 391, a.k.a. St Wulfstan's Portiforium (breviary from c. 1060s) is digitised & free to view (along with all our medieval and early-modern mss) on Parker Library On the Web: parker.stanford.edu/parker/catal... #MedievalMSS

Initial 'P'(raevaricatus) at the beginning of 4 Kings depicting Christ in a chariot of fire holding Elijah, Elijah's mantle falling below, and Elisha beneath Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 003; Dover Bible, Volume I; 12th c; f.159v @parkerlibcccc.bsky.social @corpuscambridge.bsky.social

Postdoc opportunity! The Dictionary of Old English invites applications for two grant-funded postdoctoral fellowships. 1. Postdoctoral Fellow, Editorial, DOE - deadline June 12. 2. Postdoctoral Fellow, DEfOE / Ansund project - deadline June 19. www.medieval.utoronto.ca/news/postdoc...

May is the time for sitting on the grass among the flowers. #MedievalCalendar Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 053; The Peterborough Psalter & Bestiary; 14th century; Peterborough; f.3r @parkerlibcccc.bsky.social @corpuscambridge.bsky.social

Our collection of MSS and early-printed books have reached us in a variety of ways Matthew Parker (obvsly) bequethed us his large library but there's been many smaller donations too In honour of equippers of libraries 🏛️📖😍: www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/articles/don... #MedievalMSS #BookHistory #EarlyModern

King Offa (d. 796) portrayed c. 1435 in the Register of Benefactors of the Monastery of St Albans There are numerous illustrations that represent the benefactors, a few as full figures but mostly as busts or heads CCCC MS 7, f. 103r tinyurl.com/yhx9m4y4 #MedievalMSS

Easter-week delight: bunnies & roosters hiding in plain sight A Psalter likely made in c. 1240 Paris contains the Book of Psalms with colourful and sparkly illuminations @parkerlibcccc.bsky.social CCCC MS 628, ff. 104v, 134v, 138r & 153r parker.stanford.edu/parker/catal... #MedievalMSS

Diligite iustitiam qui iudicatis terram / Love justice you who judge the earth (Wisdom 1:1) Christ hangs a scroll containing the advice over a group of men debating the fate of a man tied in the middle 12thC Dover Bible, CCCC MS 4, f. 59r tinyurl.com/4mstn23d

Annunciation and its fullfilment on the same book opening The full-page images precede Peterborough Psalter c. 1310-20 Now CCCC MS 53, ff. 7v-8r tinyurl.com/mwxuw3bn You can catch a view of the real deal at Courtauld Gallery in London until 27 May! www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/parker-libra... #MedievalMSS

The Cotton Genesis (Cotton MS Otho B VI, 5th century) was left barely legible after the Ashburnham House Fire in 1731. Multispectral imaging on the MS has now uncovered texts and images unseen for hundreds of years. Join us at our upcoming conference to learn more. events.bl.uk/events/multi...

Our current exhibition "Making of the Bible: Texts and Languages" closes at the end of the month 📖 👀 www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/articles/mak... Two more chances to visit it (23 & 31 March) - book your tickets via our Eventbrite site! www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/parker-lib... #MedievalMSS

Two monkeys That's all 12thC Bestiary, now CCCC MS 22, f. 163r tinyurl.com/yzjnpbdp #MedievalMSS #Bestiary

One of our treasures is the sole surving copy of Robert of Cricklade's (OSA, prior of St Frideswide, Oxford | d. after 1188) 'Speculum fidei' (Mirror of Faith) Christ is pictured with pensive eyes & an empty scroll; what could he be thinking? CCCC MS 380, f. 27r tinyurl.com/2am9zv2t #MedievalMSS

Peterborough Psalter and Bestiary is making a visit to London! Why not drop by to say hi The manuscript is on loan at a new exhibition: The Painted Tower: Conservation in Context at Longthorpe Courtauld Gallery, 26 Feb–27 May 2026 courtauld.ac.uk/whats-on/exh... CCCC MS 53, ff. 7v-8r #medievalMSS

Making of the Bible: Texts and Languages www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/articles/mak... Lent '26 exhibition offers a number of medieval MSS & early-print treasures from our shelves A wonderful chance to see various English bible translations: Wycliffe, Tyndale, Coverdale & Matthew Parker's Bishops' Bible

We're looking forward to the Medieval Worlds Residential, hosted here by @corpuscambridge.bsky.social on 9-10 April for Year 12 (Y13/S5) students What is it? Check College Outreach's Instagram: tinyurl.com/5n94vtk3 or www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/medieval-wor... DL for nominations: Monday 2 March at noon!