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The Parker Library
@parkerlibcccc.bsky.social
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Special collections library at Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge
https://www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/parker-library

Parker Library On the Web - our medieval and early modern MSS digitised
https://parker.stanford.edu/parker
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Earliest extant portrait of an English king: Aethelstan (r. 924–927) with St Cuthbert from the Parker Library copy of Bede's two Lives of St Cuthbert (CCCC MS 183)

Prof David Woodman of @camhistory.bsky.social highlights Aethelstan's impact on England's history
www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/articles/new...
Opening of a 10th-century manuscript that is now in the Parker Library as CCCC MS 183. Opening shows a full page portrait of King Aethelstan (d. 939) presenting a book to St Cuthbert, or rather the community of St Cuthbert, then already in exile from Lindisfarne. The full page image has a floral border in red, king under an arch on the left and St Cuthbert in front of a brick structure topped with a cross. Right of the image contains the beginning of Life of St Cuthbert, written in Latin. First three lines in red (rubric) is followed by two lines of monumental script in multiple colours, after which the text itself continues in usual brown ink.
September 8, 2025 at 3:04 PM
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Parker Library tours are on! 📖 👀
Hole-y parchment, pricking, ruling, complex layouts, scribes and painters, colours and gold - we have it all bound in nice covers
www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/articles/mak...

Book you place on our weekly tour through our Evenbrite page: www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/parker-lib...
Full-page illumination to start a psalter, capital B on blue background, outlined mainly in red and infilled with plant swirtls and twisted white lions; some writing in gold lettering; five roundels of human heads on gold background, some crowned; two half-circles of angels; two half circules of full-lenght humans; all framed with red and gold border Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 272: The Psalter of Count Achadeus https://parker.stanford.edu/parker/catalog/gv751fq0828
September 1, 2025 at 8:50 AM
parkerlibcccc.bsky.social
Join @corpuscambridge.bsky.social alumnus Dr James Freeman @theul.bsky.social this evening for an online discussion inspired by the 'Curious Cures' exhibition
www.lib.cam.ac.uk/whats/mediev...

The 4 panellists will discuss some of the fascinating and complex remedies used to treat various ailments
August 12, 2025 at 2:55 PM
parkerlibcccc.bsky.social
Have you ever seen angel's wings used to picture confession? How about a 'tree of consanguinity' drawn on the figure of a man? Perhaps you're a fan of calendars, genealogies, doodles & indexes?

If you missed our exhibition, you can always find it online!
www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/parker-libra...
Opening from medieval manuscript (Cambridge, Corpus Christi College MS 10, fol. 330v) displaying a painting of a bearded and long-haird man with open arms (palms out) on the left, and canon law text on the right. The man is painted on deep blue background with red and partial green frame. A chart of multiple circles (empty) is superimposed on him. Opening from a medieval manuscript (Cambridge, Corpus Christi College MS 66, p. 100) with text on the right, and a painting of a six-winged angel on the left. Small-headed angel has bare feet and legs, and all six wings spread in pairs; first two as a modesty shield, second two at the side, and last pair of two wings over the head. A border with floral motif surrounds the angel, and contains four golden circles, one at each corner of the frame.
July 21, 2025 at 4:59 PM
parkerlibcccc.bsky.social
"Stonhenges iuxta ambesbury in anglia sita"

Stonehenge pictured in full circle in a 14th-century chronicle 'Scala mundi' by Martin of Troppau OP (d. 1278)

The ms, now CCCC MS 194, came to us with Matthew Parker's donation
See for yourself: tinyurl.com/36xbvf88
#MedievalMSS
Outline of Stonehenge in brown ink, standing on green ground: drawn with 14 upright and 14 horizontal stones. Cambridge, Corpus Christi College MS 194, f. 57r
June 20, 2025 at 4:30 PM
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Galloping to the weekend - have a great one!

Detail from the magnificent mid 12th-century Bury Bible, formerly of Bury St Edmunds Abbey,
now in the Parker Library as CCCC MS 2i, f. 1v
parker.stanford.edu/parker/catal...

#medievalSky #medievalMSS
A detail of a full page illumination: a golden circle surrounds a galloping centaur while holding a spear with a frindged flag and a green shield Decoration from the Bury Bible, now in the Parker Library as Corpus Christi College, Cambridge MS 2i, fol. 1v
June 6, 2025 at 4:37 PM
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The receipe is a slightly later addition (10thC?) to a 9th-century manuscript, written at the abbey of Saint-Vaast in Arras & now in the Parker Library as CCCC MS 223, p. 2

parker.stanford.edu/parker/catal...
Digital image viewer showing two pages of a medieval manuscript, each side written with various notes in Latin in multiple hands and inks. Top of the image shows the manuscript shelfmark and a brief title description of the content of the manuscript.
June 3, 2025 at 1:00 PM
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Medieval angel is up!

Our Research Fellow curated summer-25 display in the Parker Library on 'Ordinary Encounters: Practical Books of Medieval Pastoral Care'

Eventbrite tours organised once a week - book your place now!
www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/parker-lib...
#medievalsky #medievalMSS
Full page drawing of a memory aid in a form of an angel coloured in red, blue, green, yellow and gold. Six wings marked in Latin as representing love of god, love of neighbour, purity of heart and of flesh, confession, and satisfaction; each wing has in additon five feathers that highlight different aspects of the main theme. Angel is framed in red and green decorative foliage wtih golden circles in the corners of the frame. The right edge of this image has one column of text in Latin from the next page. Image taken from Cambridge, Corpus Christi College MS 66, p. 100 https://parker.stanford.edu/parker/catalog/canvas-939c88d0dd067774e49ce19ba676031b
May 16, 2025 at 10:56 AM
parkerlibcccc.bsky.social
There's an elephant in the room? How about two! Less musical, more carrying castles & having fallen over

Our two bestiary elephants:
CCCC 022, f. 164v
parker.stanford.edu/parker/catal...

CCCC MS 053, f. 191r
parker.stanford.edu/parker/catal...
Medieval handwritten text in Latin above and below an image field with two elephants. The one on the left, having fallend, is on its back with feet in the air. The other on the right stands on four legs and carries an impressive castle-contraption with one knight on its back. Image from Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 22, f. 164v Medieval gray elephant trotting towards right and carrying a castle with three knights in chainmail on its back. Image is framed with half red and half blue frame decorated with line drawings in white ink. Backgrond is gold. Image from Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 53, f. 191r
May 12, 2025 at 3:26 PM
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This is our version of Matthew Paris's elephant 🐘 There's the elephant keeper too, Henry de Flor!

The one with floating trunk & no keeper is from BL Cotton MS Nero D.I & we agree, less cute 😉

CCCC MS 016i, f. ii recto:
parker.stanford.edu/parker/catal...
Image viewing window from The Parker Library On the Web, showing an image of an elephant and the animal keeper plus some text in Latin about the animal, taken of a medieval manuscript held at the Parker Library. On the left on white background is information about the image; the top line shows the source manuscript identification : Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 016i: Matthew Paris OSB, Chronica maiora II.
May 12, 2025 at 3:15 PM
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Our #medievalMSS have been online for over 15 years

Have we had any impact to the field? @stewartbrookes.bsky.social agrees with a resounding YES! www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/articles/ope...

Have you used parker.stanford.edu/parker? We'd love it has influenced you!
#medievalSky
May 9, 2025 at 4:04 PM
parkerlibcccc.bsky.social
A gift of white and red roses from the border decoration of an Ordinal and Martyrology on this St George's Day

A 15thC handbook for church services for the Mass and the Divine Office & listing of saints & martyrs with short readings

CCCC MS 093, ff. 21r, 132r
parker.stanford.edu/parker/catal...
Two white roses handpainted with red edging, separated frome each other with a green medley of stem and leaves. No thorns. Detail of upright border. On the left some letters are visible, strong vertical blue and gold bad splits the text area from decorative border. The border has two red roses, one on top of the other & with the upper one still as a bud. Tangle of green stemps and leaves fill in the space between the two flowers. No thorns.
April 23, 2025 at 8:55 AM
parkerlibcccc.bsky.social
Getting very sinister - Holy Wednesday a.k.a. Spy Wednesday

The day of the traitor Judas who is drawn greedily stretching toward an offered pile of coins in our early 15th-century picture bible (Biblia Pauperum)

CCCC MS 164, f. 73r
parker.stanford.edu/parker/catal...

#MedievalMSS #MedievalSky
Drawing in an early 15th-century 'Biblia pauperum' of a group of five men, two in pointy hats, one of them caresses a lap-ful of coins held by another man without a hat. A fourth man in a double-pointed hat (similar to bishop's mitre) looks on. A fifth man, with only a head visible, witnesses it all from the back of the composition.
April 16, 2025 at 5:12 PM
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Cats walking all over your work ever since the 16thC!

Our latest exhibition features Animals in (and on!) Books
Tours availabe on Eventbrite & long-distant close-ups available on Parker Library On the Web: parker.stanford.edu/parker/catal...

Use the side panel in the viewer to navigate to p. 433
Snapshot of digital image viewer showing list of pages on the left and a 16th-century paper with writing and a cat's pawprints
February 25, 2025 at 6:59 PM
parkerlibcccc.bsky.social
The Apostolic Nuncio represents the Pope to the Church in the UK

His role is equivalent to that of an ambassador, representing the Holy See to the UK Government

#catholicchurch
February 5, 2025 at 6:09 PM
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Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain, His Excellency Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, along with visitors from Fisher House Cambridge came for a visit this weekend

'nuncio'='messenger'

#manuscripts #AugustineGospels
@corpuscambridge.bsky.social
February 5, 2025 at 6:07 PM
parkerlibcccc.bsky.social
People from all over the country - and the world - visit the Parker Library to view the collection of our MSS

This weekend Fellow Librarian Prof Philippa Hoskin, Prof Chris Howe, and the College Chaplain Matthew Bullimore welcomed a visitor from Rome.

#ParkerLibrary #CorpusCambridge
February 5, 2025 at 6:06 PM
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Who should have access to medieval manuscripts?

Digitisation opens doors to students and teachers worldwide (among anyone else who is interested in them)

Parker Library On the Web - 200,000 images, all available online, for free

www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/articles/tea...
#PLOW #ParkerLibrary
February 4, 2025 at 10:57 AM
parkerlibcccc.bsky.social
Of all the things we needed to consider, who would have thought that "paparazzi-cameras" were part of the answer!

Professor Hatcher can now laugh at the hairy years of starting a large digitisation project as he tells us about the surprises along the way

www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/articles/amb...
#PLOW
January 27, 2025 at 6:01 PM
parkerlibcccc.bsky.social
Oh, it's #LibraryShelfieDay!

Does a ShelfieVideo count? We had one made for a special reason:
www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/articles/cel...

#PLOW #ParkerLibrary
January 22, 2025 at 4:54 PM
parkerlibcccc.bsky.social
The Parker Library 📖 📜 🏰

15 years Parker Library On the Web

100s of years in Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge @corpuscambridge.bsky.social

Discover our history and legacy:
youtu.be/1dsvMieq01o?...
January 21, 2025 at 12:33 PM
parkerlibcccc.bsky.social
How small can you go?

The miniature in the middle, St George and the Dragon, is 15mm tall

The head of the horse? 2mm
The letters? 1mm

Imagine that. 🤯

CCCC MS 645: parker.stanford.edu/parker/catal...
Detail of a manuscript on the right, with two concentric ovals in blue and lined with gold with a picture of St George and the Dragon in the inner oval. On the left a ruler showing 17mm Image from Corpus Christi College Cambridge MS 645
January 16, 2025 at 6:12 PM
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One of the known issues with digitized MSS is the difficulty of grasping the scale

The newly digitised roundel MS is 127mm x 127mm, or c. 3 matches

www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/articles/par...
Nine conjoined roundels with a ruler on the left and three images of matches lined up on top of each other on the right. Corpus Christi College Cambridge MS 645
January 16, 2025 at 6:06 PM
parkerlibcccc.bsky.social
Time for holidays .... almost!

Our annual winter closure starts on Fri 20 December 2024 at 15:00. We will re-open for readers Monday 6 January 2025 at 9:45.

Image: CCCC MS 158, f. 3r
Fully digitised at bit.ly/3ZBa1Ja
#MedievalMSS
Frayed dragon screaming, or a stylised yellow creature with two legs, branches for upper half and a head with a tongue sticking out of open mouth. Creature is wrapped around golden letter C on blue and red background. Text starts: Liber primus (first book) in red ink
December 3, 2024 at 6:06 PM
parkerlibcccc.bsky.social
Tough love

This Sunday 24 November 2024, 7am to 2pm GMT we're forcing you to have a break

Planned maintenance will take the site offline
parker.stanford.edu/parker
but we will be back! 📜 #MedievalSky
November 22, 2024 at 11:22 AM