Disgruntled scribes, protective owners, powerful female patrons, artists interrupted — medieval manuscripts contain a host of fascinating human stories if we take the time to uncover them.
With an emphasis on both the Winchester Bible and the life of Queen Emma of Normandy, Dr Mary Wellesley will trace the stories of the people who made, loved and sometimes destroyed medieval manuscripts, which are some of the most engaging artefacts ever made by human hands.
Dr Mary Wellesley is a writer and historian, who teaches courses on medieval language and literature as part of the British Library’s adult learning programme. She completed her PhD at University College London while working in the department of Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern Manuscripts at the British Library.
Her book, ‘Hidden Hands: the Lives of Manuscripts and Their Makers’ was published in October 2021. It was chosen as one of the history books of the year by both The Times and BBC History Magazine.
This talk will take place in the cathedral (Presbytery) at 7pm on 14th July and will be available to attend in person or online. The duration of the talk is 1 hour and there will be an opportunity for questions at the end.