Manuscript Treasures of Lindisfarne and Canterbury

Churches Committee Report

Some 150 people attended a full-day conference in the International Study Centre at Canterbury Cathedral on April 29 to hear Professor Michelle Brown and Dr. Richard Gameson talking about manuscripts from Lindisfarne and Canterbury in their early medieval context. Both proved to be lively, witty speakers with excellent visual aids who held their audience captive and the linked exhibition in the Cathedral library was interesting and well-displayed.

Dr. Gameson, currently at the University of Kent but soon to be a Professor at Durham, started appropriately enough with the arrival of St Augustine in Canterbury. First, he talked about the 6th century Canterbury Gospels now in Cambridge but still at the enthronement of archbishops. The Gospels are currently insured for £65m, despite their having relatively few illustrations and not being of the very highest quality of book production. If the Gospels were not brought by St Augustine when he arrived in 597, Dr. Gameson said that they were certainly in England shortly after that and were among the books Bede said were here in 601.

The second part of Dr. Gameson’s lecture dealt with early English book culture in Kent. He told us that books were produced in Kent in the 8th century. There were three major book production centres in Kent: Canterbury Christ Church Priory, St Augustine’s Abbey and Minster-in-Thanet (a ‘double’ house for both monks and nuns). The Codex Aureus (now in Stockholm) was one of the largest and grandest produced at this time. Anglo-Saxon manuscripts were written on much better quality vellum than those in southern Europe because the animal skins were of higher quality. Furthermore, there was a thriving culture of visual and decorative art in England.

Professor Brown started by linking her subject with Canterbury before setting before us a feast of information about the northern English books of the 8th, 9th, and 10th centuries. First, she listed the various contenders for the producer of the Lindisfarne Gospels. It was very helpful to see Lindisfarne in its geographical context on a number of main routes in the medieval period and not as the isolated island that it is often thought to be. Professor Brown also supplied some useful background by explaining the role of the northern church at this time. She discussed the differences between the Christian traditions of southern and northern England, including the timing of Easter and attitudes to Europe.

Professor Brown described the Lindisfarne Gospels as a book to be seen rather than used as a lectionary in a monastic context. The work is particularly interesting because it is the work of one scribe, who was also the artist who made the illustrations. It was, however, not finished. Was this because he died and it was felt that no-one else should finish it? We will never know! Luckily, the Gospels were nearing completion when work stopped and Professor Brown was able to show us some marvellous slides to demonstrate its glory.

Thanks to widespread publicity many non-KAS members attended the conference and were impressed by the high quality of the event. Fortunately, Margaret Lawrence had the foresight to bring along membership leaflets. A good day, enjoyed by all – including the speakers.

Mary Berg