The Destruction of Medieval Manuscripts in England
It is generally accepted that the contingencies of manuscript survival have disproportionately destroyed some sorts of manuscripts and not others. But there is no consensus as to which sorts. Loosely-bound books, deluxe books, secular books, and purely liturgical books are all thought to have been d...
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| Format: | Online |
| Sprache: | Englisch |
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Oxford University Press
2025
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| Online-Zugang: | https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/100687 |
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| _version_ | 1869524228795006976 |
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| author | Milne, Krista A. |
| author_browse | Milne, Krista A. |
| author_facet | Milne, Krista A. |
| author_sort | Milne, Krista A. |
| collection | Directory of Open Access Books |
| description | It is generally accepted that the contingencies of manuscript survival have disproportionately destroyed some sorts of manuscripts and not others. But there is no consensus as to which sorts. Loosely-bound books, deluxe books, secular books, and purely liturgical books are all thought to have been disproportionately destroyed. Nor is there any consensus about how or when the bulk of this destruction happened. Although it is usually believed that the Dissolution of the Monasteries was the single most significant event in England’s history of medieval manuscript loss, it is not clear what mark it left on the record. How did Reformation-era losses compare to those that preceded the Reformation and to those that followed it? How did the kinds of losses caused by sectarian conflicts compare to more everyday kinds of loss, such as improper storage or deliberate deacquisition? Which manuscripts were targeted, when, and how can we expect the record to be skewed? These questions, which lie at the heart of this study, are important for researchers working in multiple fields, including literary studies, book history, and archival sciences. Blending more traditional book history approaches with methods drawn from quantitative codicology, this study explores the most significant moments of manuscript loss in the history of England. As this study shows, a focus on book lists from institutional libraries has led to a tendency to misrepresent and underestimate the destruction of medieval manuscripts. The evidence suggests that this destruction was much more limited in its targets, but far more extensive in scope, than is usually acknowledged. |
| format | Online |
| id | doab-20.500.12854ir-158343 |
| institution | Directory of Open Access Books |
| language | eng |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Oxford University Press |
| publisherStr | Oxford University Press |
| record_format | ojs |
| spelling | doab-20.500.12854ir-1583432025-06-03T05:04:23Z The Destruction of Medieval Manuscripts in England Milne, Krista A. book history, medieval manuscripts, Middle English, book destruction, medieval England, literary studies, digital humanities thema EDItEUR::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::DS Literature: history and criticism::DSB Literary studies: general::DSBB Literary studies: ancient, classical and medieval thema EDItEUR::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::DB Ancient, classical and medieval texts thema EDItEUR::1 Place qualifiers::1D Europe::1DD Western Europe::1DDU United Kingdom, Great Britain It is generally accepted that the contingencies of manuscript survival have disproportionately destroyed some sorts of manuscripts and not others. But there is no consensus as to which sorts. Loosely-bound books, deluxe books, secular books, and purely liturgical books are all thought to have been disproportionately destroyed. Nor is there any consensus about how or when the bulk of this destruction happened. Although it is usually believed that the Dissolution of the Monasteries was the single most significant event in England’s history of medieval manuscript loss, it is not clear what mark it left on the record. How did Reformation-era losses compare to those that preceded the Reformation and to those that followed it? How did the kinds of losses caused by sectarian conflicts compare to more everyday kinds of loss, such as improper storage or deliberate deacquisition? Which manuscripts were targeted, when, and how can we expect the record to be skewed? These questions, which lie at the heart of this study, are important for researchers working in multiple fields, including literary studies, book history, and archival sciences. Blending more traditional book history approaches with methods drawn from quantitative codicology, this study explores the most significant moments of manuscript loss in the history of England. As this study shows, a focus on book lists from institutional libraries has led to a tendency to misrepresent and underestimate the destruction of medieval manuscripts. The evidence suggests that this destruction was much more limited in its targets, but far more extensive in scope, than is usually acknowledged. 2025-04-11T04:20:03Z 2025-04-11T04:20:03Z 2025-04-10T08:44:48Z 2025 book https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/100687 9780198920229 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/158343 eng open access image/jpeg image/jpeg Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/100687/1/workid-ukac0038024.pdf https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/100687/1/workid-ukac0038024.pdf Oxford University Press 10.1093/9780198920250.001.0001 10.1093/9780198920250.001.0001 db4e319f-ca9f-449a-bcf2-37d7c6f885b1 Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek da087c60-8432-4f58-b2dd-747fc1a60025 9780198920229 Dutch Research Council (NWO) 329 Oxford VI.Veni.191C.021 / file no. 36.201.089 NWO Veni Grant / NWO Open Access Books Grant open access |
| spellingShingle | book history, medieval manuscripts, Middle English, book destruction, medieval England, literary studies, digital humanities thema EDItEUR::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::DS Literature: history and criticism::DSB Literary studies: general::DSBB Literary studies: ancient, classical and medieval thema EDItEUR::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::DB Ancient, classical and medieval texts thema EDItEUR::1 Place qualifiers::1D Europe::1DD Western Europe::1DDU United Kingdom, Great Britain Milne, Krista A. The Destruction of Medieval Manuscripts in England |
| title | The Destruction of Medieval Manuscripts in England |
| title_full | The Destruction of Medieval Manuscripts in England |
| title_fullStr | The Destruction of Medieval Manuscripts in England |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Destruction of Medieval Manuscripts in England |
| title_short | The Destruction of Medieval Manuscripts in England |
| title_sort | destruction of medieval manuscripts in england |
| topic | book history, medieval manuscripts, Middle English, book destruction, medieval England, literary studies, digital humanities thema EDItEUR::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::DS Literature: history and criticism::DSB Literary studies: general::DSBB Literary studies: ancient, classical and medieval thema EDItEUR::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::DB Ancient, classical and medieval texts thema EDItEUR::1 Place qualifiers::1D Europe::1DD Western Europe::1DDU United Kingdom, Great Britain |
| topic_facet | book history, medieval manuscripts, Middle English, book destruction, medieval England, literary studies, digital humanities thema EDItEUR::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::DS Literature: history and criticism::DSB Literary studies: general::DSBB Literary studies: ancient, classical and medieval thema EDItEUR::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::DB Ancient, classical and medieval texts thema EDItEUR::1 Place qualifiers::1D Europe::1DD Western Europe::1DDU United Kingdom, Great Britain |
| url | https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/100687 |
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