ContentsThis is the home page for pre-c. 1500 western manuscripts, which form one part of the Department of Special Collections and Western Manuscripts at the Bodleian Library; it therefore deals only with matters directly relating to such manuscripts, and does not include more general information, such as how to obtain a reader's card, opening hours, the rules of the manuscripts reading rooms, etc.; for matters such as these you should consult the home pages of the Library, the Department, and Western manuscripts.
Since the 'c. 1500' date is an arbitary dividing-line, these pages encompass many post-c. 1500 items which are nonetheless medieval/renaissance in character, such as 16th century illuminated and liturgical manuscripts, pre-dissolution English monastic works; etc. There will inevitably be areas of overlap between these web pages and those covering the period from c. 1500 onward.
This page provides links to information both about the manuscript collections themselves, and links to information about other related resources available at the Bodleian.
There are essentially two ways of finding information about Bodleian manuscripts using these web pages:
Note. There is a vast amount of information available at the Bodleian concerning its manuscripts, but only a tiny fraction is currently available online; we intend progressively to make more information available at this website, as and when resources permit.
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For a brief overview of the Bodleian system of shelfmarks, and how to cite them, see the western manuscripts page; a more detailed explanation of the language-based shelfmarks is also available.
At present, most of the links below will simply take you to references
to one or more published catalogues, and in some cases to a checklist of
manuscripts acquired since 1916, for which there is as yet no published
official Library catalogue description. (A
project is
currently underway to provide descriptions and digital images of the latter.)
In due course these links will be updated so that they provide additional
information.
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In addition to the Bodleian's own collections, the Library has the medieval manuscripts of the following Oxford colleges on long-term deposit:
In addition, All Souls College has deposited most of its archives in the Bodleian, and Christ Church and Queen’s College have deposited their medieval deeds.
The illuminated manuscripts of these colleges are described briefly, and many are illustrated, in J. J. G. Alexander and Elzbieta Temple, Illuminated manuscripts in Oxford college libraries, the University Archives and the Taylor Institution (Oxford, 1985).
For a list of Oxford University institutions whose medieval manuscripts are not on deposit at the Bodleian, follow this link.
For an overview of the holdings of the libraries of the Oxford colleges and other institutions, including their printed books, post-medieval manuscripts, and archives, see Paul Morgan, Oxford libraries outside the Bodleian: a guide (2nd. edn., Bodleian Library, Oxford, 1980). [Available from the Library]
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It is our intention to make a large number of images of the Library's medieval manuscripts available on the web. These will be added continuously, as resources allow; they may be reached by following links to individual shelfmarks, and many are also available from this page.
A considerable number of manuscripts, including some of the Library's greatest treasures, have been digitized at high resolution in their entirety: they may be reached from http://image.ox.ac.uk/.
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A search engine will be here in the near future. In the meantime, you
may visit the Site index for a list of the major
subjects covered by the site.
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Western manuscripts
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Page created December 1999 by PJK;
last modified 25 March 2006 by LwM
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