Librarian

A medieval historian & librarian/archivist. Worcester Cathedral's library and archive holds manuscripts, rare books, archive documents used by researchers.

[Librarian @WorcCathLibrary]

The cathedral tower and exterior of the chapter house in the sunshine a couple of weeks ago.

[Librarian @WorcCathLibrary]

Peter Lombard's commentary on the Psalms. This is a 1200's manuscripts. All the capital letters have decorative long tails extending down the columns of text, except the letter I. It has flourishes going upwards. (WCL F47 f.98r)

[Librarian @WorcCathLibrary]

This 14th century manuscript has various things in it including sermon outlines, an alphabetical table of morals, a tract on the vices and virtues and a theological/ philosophical work by Peter Bersuire (WCL F19, folio 168r).

[Librarian @WorcCathLibrary]

A strange stylized human face with a leaf stick out of its mouth in the inner margin of a tightly bound medieval manuscript. This is in a 1200's copy of a collection of sermons on the Saints copied in England and used at Worcester (WCL Q53 fol.169r).

[Librarian @WorcCathLibrary]

The view from the south-east corner of the Lady Chapel towards the reredos. The Lady Chapel was constructed from 1224 to c.1270 supported in part by King Henry III. Have a Great weekend!

[Librarian @WorcCathLibrary]

A 4A page! This is the opening of James of Voragine's work "Tabula super Historias Biblie". James was the archbishop of Genoa. This copy was made in the fifteenth century (WCL F89 f.1r).

[Librarian @WorcCathLibrary]

An engraving of a Bishop Saint Epiphanius an early Church Father. He became the Bishop of Salamis in Cyprus and lived in the 4th century AD. Although a Bishop he was also a monk and gave much to the poor.

[Librarian @WorcCathLibrary]

One of the cathedral's archive scrapbooks from 1910 has these wonderful pictures of buildings in Droitwich (Worcestershire).

[Librarian @WorcCathLibrary]

The opening of a Worcester monastic register at the time of Prior John Weddesbury or Wednesbury. He was prior of Worcester in 1507-1518.

[Librarian @WorcCathLibrary]

The face of a man with a couple of heraldic shields drawn very close to it in this 1200's copy of an Italian author's legal text. This copy was also made in Italy. (WCL f159 f.138v)

[Librarian @WorcCathLibrary]

The medieval Guesten hall ruin. This was where visitors to the Cathedral stayed in medieval times. They were looked after by the monk hosteller. Have a great weekend!

[Librarian @WorcCathLibrary]

A busy title page from a 1648 book about natural philosophy (WCL UG2).

[Librarian @WorcCathLibrary]

The music collection has documents that tell us about the music and services in earlier times. These two sheets give the music for next week in 1890 and 1915. They record the composers chosen, anthem numbers, and whether it was for Matins and Evensong.

[Librarian @WorcCathLibrary]

A zig-zag pattern red and blue letter P starts this page from a copy of a legal manuscript dating to the 1300's by Goffredo di Trani. Goffredo was a canon lawyer who lived in the 13th Century.

[Librarian @WorcCathLibrary]

This week's cartoon shows a man with a cap or beret and his faithful dog or some sort of creature. This is in a medieval manuscript copy of Justinian's Codex glossed in the thirteenth century (WCL F78).

[Librarian @WorcCathLibrary]

Queen's Own Worcestershire Hussars memorials in Worcester Cathedral. On the right from 1914 to 1918 and on the left from 1939 to 1945. Remembering those who gave their lives for their country today.

[Librarian @WorcCathLibrary]

A nice bird of prey cartoon in a 13th Century manuscript copy of a legal text 'Casus to Compilatio IV' - a brief introduction on part of the Papal Decretals. (WCL F159 f49r)

[Librarian @WorcCathLibrary]

The view towards the High Altar and the East End. Have a great weekend!

[Librarian @WorcCathLibrary]

Alice widow of William Hale of Bedwordyn (Bedwardine) makes a gift of a tenement to the monks of Worcester in the Parish of St. Johns in the suburbs of Worcester in the late 1200's. (WCM B1474)

[Librarian @WorcCathLibrary]

This red and blue letter A is from Thomas of Ryngstede on the Book of Proverbs, which was part of a collection of items from the 15th century and used by one of the Worcester monks Thomas of Blokley (WCL F80 f.138r)