Sara Charles
@saracharles.bsky.social
Medieval manuscript practitioner, bringing the manuscript making process to life. Author of The Medieval Scriptorium. Cat lady.
www.teachingmanuscripts.com
PhD in medieval martyrologies. Editor of Historical Research journal.
www.teachingmanuscripts.com
PhD in medieval martyrologies. Editor of Historical Research journal.
Pinned
Sara Charles
@saracharles.bsky.social
· Jan 10
I recently prepared a page from a medieval manuscript (CCCC, MS 143, fol. 28r) for a TV programme. Here's a look behind the scenes at how it was prepared, using tradition techniques. I made four examples to show the different stages of production #bookhistory #medievalmanuscripts #medievalsky
Reposted by Sara Charles
I went down lots of rabbit holes on this one, but none so fun as chatting with @saracharles.bsky.social about hawthorn ink - which she then went and made/tested!
January 30, 2026 at 10:42 AM
I went down lots of rabbit holes on this one, but none so fun as chatting with @saracharles.bsky.social about hawthorn ink - which she then went and made/tested!
Reposted by Sara Charles
‘No wonder I got drunk that night. I’d been Chaucer for a week!’
- my article on Kipling’s Dayspring Mishandled, his entertaining and peculiar account of a Chaucerian forgery, is out now with the Review of English Studies! I absolutely *loved* working on this.
academic.oup.com/res/advance-...
- my article on Kipling’s Dayspring Mishandled, his entertaining and peculiar account of a Chaucerian forgery, is out now with the Review of English Studies! I absolutely *loved* working on this.
academic.oup.com/res/advance-...
‘I’d been Chaucer for a week!’: Forging the Medieval in Kipling’s ‘Dayspring Mishandled’
ABSTRACT. Rudyard Kipling’s ‘Dayspring Mishandled’ describes the creation of a Chaucerian forgery in immense detail. The short story, first published in 19
academic.oup.com
January 30, 2026 at 10:36 AM
‘No wonder I got drunk that night. I’d been Chaucer for a week!’
- my article on Kipling’s Dayspring Mishandled, his entertaining and peculiar account of a Chaucerian forgery, is out now with the Review of English Studies! I absolutely *loved* working on this.
academic.oup.com/res/advance-...
- my article on Kipling’s Dayspring Mishandled, his entertaining and peculiar account of a Chaucerian forgery, is out now with the Review of English Studies! I absolutely *loved* working on this.
academic.oup.com/res/advance-...
Reposted by Sara Charles
And bursaries are available thanks to @bibsoc.bsky.social ies.sas.ac.uk/study-traini...
January 21, 2026 at 9:52 PM
And bursaries are available thanks to @bibsoc.bsky.social ies.sas.ac.uk/study-traini...
We made ink, quills, paintbrushes, and pigments. We did scribing and illuminating while Hildegard von Bingen played in the background. We did early medieval interlacing and bookbinding. It was such FUN!!! And we’re doing it all again this summer ⬇️
Here are some photos from last year’s course: the only summer school group ever known to work through the lunch breaks #MedievalSky #Manuscripts @ies-sas.bsky.social @senatehouselib.bsky.social
January 23, 2026 at 10:34 AM
We made ink, quills, paintbrushes, and pigments. We did scribing and illuminating while Hildegard von Bingen played in the background. We did early medieval interlacing and bookbinding. It was such FUN!!! And we’re doing it all again this summer ⬇️
Reposted by Sara Charles
Returning to the London International Palaeography Summer School due to popular demand is our hands-on course that explores the materials and processes of manuscript production through experimentation 👇 #MedievalSky
ies.sas.ac.uk/study-traini...
ies.sas.ac.uk/study-traini...
Introduction to Making Medieval Manuscripts (Practice Based)
This course introduces students to the complicated and messy processes of production through which pre-modern manuscripts were created
ies.sas.ac.uk
January 21, 2026 at 6:12 PM
Returning to the London International Palaeography Summer School due to popular demand is our hands-on course that explores the materials and processes of manuscript production through experimentation 👇 #MedievalSky
ies.sas.ac.uk/study-traini...
ies.sas.ac.uk/study-traini...
Reposted by Sara Charles
I’ll be reviving my irrepressible double act with Katherine Hindley for London International Palaeography Summer School 2026. We provide an introduction to manuscript studies ideal for anyone starting graduate study. It’s a lot of fun. #MedievalSky 👇
ies.sas.ac.uk/study-traini...
ies.sas.ac.uk/study-traini...
Introduction to Palaeography and Manuscript Studies
This course introduces students to key skills for the study of medieval manuscripts, from the making of parchment to reading text and imagery
ies.sas.ac.uk
January 21, 2026 at 6:15 PM
I’ll be reviving my irrepressible double act with Katherine Hindley for London International Palaeography Summer School 2026. We provide an introduction to manuscript studies ideal for anyone starting graduate study. It’s a lot of fun. #MedievalSky 👇
ies.sas.ac.uk/study-traini...
ies.sas.ac.uk/study-traini...
I'm really looking forward to the wonderful exhibition on the Hereford Gospels later this year. I'll also be giving a talk and hosting an ink making workshop if you are in the area in May! www.herefordcathedral.org/Event/from-p...
www.herefordcathedral.org/Event/making...
@bibliojenni.bsky.social
www.herefordcathedral.org/Event/making...
@bibliojenni.bsky.social
From Parchment to Binding - 29/05/2026 19:00:00
The Practical Processes of Making a Medieval Manuscript with Dr Sara Charles
www.herefordcathedral.org
January 10, 2026 at 1:53 PM
I'm really looking forward to the wonderful exhibition on the Hereford Gospels later this year. I'll also be giving a talk and hosting an ink making workshop if you are in the area in May! www.herefordcathedral.org/Event/from-p...
www.herefordcathedral.org/Event/making...
@bibliojenni.bsky.social
www.herefordcathedral.org/Event/making...
@bibliojenni.bsky.social
Reposted by Sara Charles
I’m looking forward to this at the end of the month. There are still a couple of places if anyone has students who would benefit. #MedievalSky @ihr.bsky.social palaeography.uk/study/short-...
Writing History c. 1000-1250: An Introduction to the Manuscript Sources – a short course taught by Charlie Rozier, Manuel Muñoz García and Laura Cleaver
The course will run online from 14:00-17:00: Monday 26 January – Thursday 29 January 2026. The past was a popular subject for writers in the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth centuries, partic…
palaeography.uk
January 7, 2026 at 10:38 AM
I’m looking forward to this at the end of the month. There are still a couple of places if anyone has students who would benefit. #MedievalSky @ihr.bsky.social palaeography.uk/study/short-...
I’ll be talking about my experiences of recreating medieval manuscript techniques at the IHR Medievalism seminar on 25 February (hybrid) @ihr.bsky.social #bookhistory #medievalsky
www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...
www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...
The challenges and constraints of making medieval manuscripts in the twenty-first century
www.history.ac.uk
January 5, 2026 at 11:53 AM
I’ll be talking about my experiences of recreating medieval manuscript techniques at the IHR Medievalism seminar on 25 February (hybrid) @ihr.bsky.social #bookhistory #medievalsky
www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...
www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...
Reposted by Sara Charles
Could you be our next Creative Practioner in Residence? For 2026 we are keen to support a practitioner with interests in creative writing, particulary poetry. Monthly stipend of £1000 (up to 3 months). Apply by 6 Feb 2026.
universityoflondon.smapply.io/prog/ihr_cre...
universityoflondon.smapply.io/prog/ihr_cre...
IHR: Creative Practitioner in Residence 2026 - School of Advanced Study
The Institute of Historical Research is offering an opportunity for a creative practitioner to join us for up to three months as a School of Advanced Study (SAS) Practitioner in Residence. A bursary…
universityoflondon.smapply.io
December 18, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Could you be our next Creative Practioner in Residence? For 2026 we are keen to support a practitioner with interests in creative writing, particulary poetry. Monthly stipend of £1000 (up to 3 months). Apply by 6 Feb 2026.
universityoflondon.smapply.io/prog/ihr_cre...
universityoflondon.smapply.io/prog/ihr_cre...
Reposted by Sara Charles
As we come towards the close of the year we at the Guild of Medievalist Makers wanted to share our 'Year in Review: 2025', written by Guild co-founder @hellomizk.bsky.social.
Thank you to all of the Guild members who have made 2025 an excellent inaugural year🎉
Thank you to all of the Guild members who have made 2025 an excellent inaugural year🎉
Year in Review: 2025 — The Guild of Medievalist Makers
On the 27th of April 2024, Eleanor Baker and I (Kristen) met at Oxford’s Vaults & Garden cafe to start scheming (image above taken from my comic diary). Laura Varnam joined in the scheming not lon...
www.guildmedmak.com
December 15, 2025 at 4:37 PM
As we come towards the close of the year we at the Guild of Medievalist Makers wanted to share our 'Year in Review: 2025', written by Guild co-founder @hellomizk.bsky.social.
Thank you to all of the Guild members who have made 2025 an excellent inaugural year🎉
Thank you to all of the Guild members who have made 2025 an excellent inaugural year🎉
Reposted by Sara Charles
An interim version of the Explore Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue is now available through the BL website: searcharchives.bl.uk
It contains all the catalogue data from the eve of the 2023 cyberattack, and features embedded links to all currently available digitised content within the records.
It contains all the catalogue data from the eve of the 2023 cyberattack, and features embedded links to all currently available digitised content within the records.
December 15, 2025 at 1:40 PM
An interim version of the Explore Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue is now available through the BL website: searcharchives.bl.uk
It contains all the catalogue data from the eve of the 2023 cyberattack, and features embedded links to all currently available digitised content within the records.
It contains all the catalogue data from the eve of the 2023 cyberattack, and features embedded links to all currently available digitised content within the records.
Reposted by Sara Charles
A press release from the University of Bristol about an exciting new article by @benpohl.bsky.social and published by Historical Research: www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2025/de...
December: Bayeux Tapestry could have been originally designed as mealtime reading for medi | News and features | University of Bristol
New research by an historian from the University of Bristol offers an intriguing suggestion about one of history’s biggest mysteries – the original purpose of the world-famous Bayeux Tapestry.
www.bristol.ac.uk
December 15, 2025 at 11:50 AM
A press release from the University of Bristol about an exciting new article by @benpohl.bsky.social and published by Historical Research: www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2025/de...
Reposted by Sara Charles
My tasty take (pun intended) on the Bayeux Tapestry—a subject on which I had vowed never to publish. Available Open Access with @ihr.bsky.social. See what you make of it, and bon appetit! academic.oup.com/histres/adva...
Chewing over the Norman Conquest: the Bayeux Tapestry as monastic mealtime reading*
Abstract. This article offers a new contextualization of the Bayeux Tapestry by exploring its use as mealtime reading in a monastic refectory. This concept
academic.oup.com
December 15, 2025 at 10:59 AM
My tasty take (pun intended) on the Bayeux Tapestry—a subject on which I had vowed never to publish. Available Open Access with @ihr.bsky.social. See what you make of it, and bon appetit! academic.oup.com/histres/adva...
Reposted by Sara Charles
A 🧵on all the courses on offer for our London International Palaeography Summer School.
All information about the summer school, bursaries and booking information can be found here: buff.ly/WP2GKLD
All information about the summer school, bursaries and booking information can be found here: buff.ly/WP2GKLD
December 12, 2025 at 1:35 PM
A 🧵on all the courses on offer for our London International Palaeography Summer School.
All information about the summer school, bursaries and booking information can be found here: buff.ly/WP2GKLD
All information about the summer school, bursaries and booking information can be found here: buff.ly/WP2GKLD
This is going to be such a great addition to #bookhistory!
Very happy to have signed the contract for my next book with @reaktionbooks.bsky.social! ✍️
December 11, 2025 at 8:35 PM
This is going to be such a great addition to #bookhistory!
Christmas choir at Senate House 🥰
December 9, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Christmas choir at Senate House 🥰
Reposted by Sara Charles
Reading Rooms at the British Library are closed *all week* because so many of its workers refuse to work for pitiful wages in a contemptuously authoritarian and obliviously managed environment.
We need leaders who get it and are big enough to sort it out!
It’s a mess and a disgrace.
Lift it up!!
We need leaders who get it and are big enough to sort it out!
It’s a mess and a disgrace.
Lift it up!!
December 8, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Reading Rooms at the British Library are closed *all week* because so many of its workers refuse to work for pitiful wages in a contemptuously authoritarian and obliviously managed environment.
We need leaders who get it and are big enough to sort it out!
It’s a mess and a disgrace.
Lift it up!!
We need leaders who get it and are big enough to sort it out!
It’s a mess and a disgrace.
Lift it up!!
Booking is now open for Making Medieval Manuscripts! A practice-based course where we make ink, cut quills, illuminate, make pigments and bookbind, using #medieval techniques and materials. We also explore early medieval art. No experience necessary! #bookhistory ies.sas.ac.uk/study-traini...
Introduction to Making Medieval Manuscripts (Practice Based)
This course introduces students to the complicated and messy processes of production through which pre-modern manuscripts were created
ies.sas.ac.uk
December 3, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Booking is now open for Making Medieval Manuscripts! A practice-based course where we make ink, cut quills, illuminate, make pigments and bookbind, using #medieval techniques and materials. We also explore early medieval art. No experience necessary! #bookhistory ies.sas.ac.uk/study-traini...
Reposted by Sara Charles
📣Booking is now open for the London International Palaeography School 2026 📣
We are running five 5-day courses, from practical hands-on 'making medieval manuscripts' to an introduction to Arabic manuscripts - don't miss out!
10% discount if you book before 23 Jan!
ies.sas.ac.uk/study-traini...
We are running five 5-day courses, from practical hands-on 'making medieval manuscripts' to an introduction to Arabic manuscripts - don't miss out!
10% discount if you book before 23 Jan!
ies.sas.ac.uk/study-traini...
London International Palaeography School
The London International Palaeography School is a series of intensive courses in Palaeography and Manuscript Studies.
ies.sas.ac.uk
December 3, 2025 at 10:13 AM
📣Booking is now open for the London International Palaeography School 2026 📣
We are running five 5-day courses, from practical hands-on 'making medieval manuscripts' to an introduction to Arabic manuscripts - don't miss out!
10% discount if you book before 23 Jan!
ies.sas.ac.uk/study-traini...
We are running five 5-day courses, from practical hands-on 'making medieval manuscripts' to an introduction to Arabic manuscripts - don't miss out!
10% discount if you book before 23 Jan!
ies.sas.ac.uk/study-traini...
Reposted by Sara Charles
#DigiBodAdvent day 2, the so-called Amesbury Psalter (All Souls College MS 6). Come for the prefatory miniatures, stay for notated antiphons and extensive evidence of the book's use by John Grandisson bishop of Exeter (d. 1369)
digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/4c70...
digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/4c70...
December 2, 2025 at 2:43 PM
#DigiBodAdvent day 2, the so-called Amesbury Psalter (All Souls College MS 6). Come for the prefatory miniatures, stay for notated antiphons and extensive evidence of the book's use by John Grandisson bishop of Exeter (d. 1369)
digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/4c70...
digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/4c70...
Reposted by Sara Charles
Are you bored of advent calendars yet? I hope not, because I'll be highlighting 25 of the amazing medieval manuscripts added to Digital Bodleian @bodleian.ox.ac.uk this year. #DigiBodAdvent
December 1, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Are you bored of advent calendars yet? I hope not, because I'll be highlighting 25 of the amazing medieval manuscripts added to Digital Bodleian @bodleian.ox.ac.uk this year. #DigiBodAdvent
So excited to be among such eloquent writers for this panel on writing books for a general audience #IMC2026
#IMC2026, Weds, 8 July, 7pm! Four medievalists who've published 'trade' books will discuss the process - from finding an agent to working with publishers & beyond. Sponsored by @ihr.bsky.social. @realmandeville.bsky.social @saracharles.bsky.social @eleanormaybaker.bsky.social @imc-leeds.bsky.social
November 29, 2025 at 1:25 PM
So excited to be among such eloquent writers for this panel on writing books for a general audience #IMC2026
Reposted by Sara Charles
#IMC2026, Weds, 8 July, 7pm! Four medievalists who've published 'trade' books will discuss the process - from finding an agent to working with publishers & beyond. Sponsored by @ihr.bsky.social. @realmandeville.bsky.social @saracharles.bsky.social @eleanormaybaker.bsky.social @imc-leeds.bsky.social
November 29, 2025 at 1:19 PM
#IMC2026, Weds, 8 July, 7pm! Four medievalists who've published 'trade' books will discuss the process - from finding an agent to working with publishers & beyond. Sponsored by @ihr.bsky.social. @realmandeville.bsky.social @saracharles.bsky.social @eleanormaybaker.bsky.social @imc-leeds.bsky.social
You can't beat a bit of practice-based research!
Follow along with TeamNun Dublin and TeamNun St Andrews as we use experimental archaeology to see how wool fibre and dyer's madder ended up in ELS215's mouth. We'll go from preparing fleece to embroidering on linen -- exploring the materials and motions of ELS215's fibre artistry.
November 26, 2025 at 4:18 PM
You can't beat a bit of practice-based research!