A medieval prayer book has been transferred to the University of Nottingham, making it available to researchers for the first time in almost 800 years.
The Mansfield Psalter dates from the late 13th century and is believed to have been produced in France. It was previously held privately but is now in the care of the university’s Manuscripts and Special Collections.
The volume contains the Book of Psalms, six ferial canticles featuring biblical lyrics, a litany of saints and a collection of prayers.
Nearly all its 133 parchment pages are decorated with illuminated capital letters, images of creatures including eagles and dragons, and designs in red, blue, white and gold leaf.
The book is thought to have belonged to Dame Cecilia, or Cecily, Flogan, who left land and money in her will in 1521 to establish a chantry in Mansfield.
It was later transferred to Queen Elizabeth’s Endowed School following its foundation in 1561.
Corrections, additions and notes found on its pages were made by generations of students between the 15th and 19th centuries. Some illuminated miniatures were also cut out and entire pages removed.
The Psalter has now been reunited with the remainder of the school’s historic library, which is also held by the University of Nottingham.
Around half of the collection’s 75 volumes of classical and theological texts were printed before 1600. The books were transferred to the university’s care after they were no longer used for teaching by the school in the 1980s.
John Carter, chair of the Queen Elizabeth’s Endowed School Trust, said: “We are absolutely delighted at the Trust that the Mansfield Psalter is now held in the University of Nottingham archives.
“We know that in their capable hands this historic document will be preserved and accessible to many future generations, along with the many other books and documents placed by the Trust at these archives.”
The Mansfield Psalter joins other medieval illuminated manuscripts held by Manuscripts and Special Collections, including the Rushall Psalter, the Wollaton Antiphonal and the Wollaton Library Collection.
Researcher Haf Merrifield, who is studying how medieval manuscripts were created and deciphered, said: “I was very excited to learn that the Psalter is now part of the collections and was available to be studied — digital images are helpful but it makes such a difference to experience the physical artefact and see the little details which reveal how the manuscript was created.
“It was a great privilege and a real thrill to be able to spend time looking close up at the Psalter and appreciate the beautiful work of the scribes who created it 800 years ago.”
The Mansfield Psalter can be viewed by appointment in the Reading Room at the university’s King’s Meadow Campus.
