Bernard James | Akateeminen Kirjakauppa

Prayer book probably written by and for women at Nunnaminster, Winchester

The editor maintains the opinion that these two British Library manuscripts were formerly one. The Cotton Galba MS was badly burned and damaged by water in a fire at Ashburnham House on 23 October 1731. The probable provenance is Winchester in the first half of the 11th century, the book being an informal devotional collection written for use at Nunnaminster, a monastery of women with a sizeable community of chaplains, c. 1029-1043. Some 10-15% of the text is in Old English, but even here is close to Latin models. The edition has multiple indexes and appendices.