In the Bigynnyng: Manchester Middle English Manuscripts

The John Rylands University Library’s collection of medieval, or Middle English, manuscripts contain some of the finest surviving examples of illuminated texts, with archived work produced by some of the period’s well-known figures, including John Lydgate and Geoffrey Chaucer. The collection’s name is taken from the opening of John Wycliffe’s 14th century translation of the New Testament.

The medieval period spanned more than four centuries, from the invasion of the Normans in the latter part of the 11th century to the dawning of the Renaissance and the eventual emergence of the great Tudor and Elizabethan writers. This collection holds 41 priceless medieval manuscripts, many of which are not available for public study, and has been rendered into 12,000 separate images.

How can this collection be used in teaching, studying and research?

This collection is of specialist interest to those teaching, studying or researching Middle English literature at undergraduate level and beyond. It is also of interest to those studying the history of art and literature in general, as well as the wider background history of the Middle Ages.

Key subject areas include history, art, theology, literature, language and the history of science and medicine.