Medieval Manuscripts in Bristol Collections: A Descriptive Catalogue

The first complete descriptive catalogue of the medieval manuscripts in Bristol area collections.


Bristol has a rich but unsung body of manuscripts dating from the Middle Ages: an especially precious heritage in a city that lost much of its medieval architecture to the Second World War. Held by several area libraries, including Bristol Central Library, founded in the 1620s and one of the oldest public libraries in the country, and in archives, these volumes stretch from the twelfth to the early sixteenth centuries, and include a copy of John Lydgate's Troy Book, an illustrated guide to surgery, Ricart's Kalendar with its unique illustration of Bristol, c.1480, books of hours owned by Bristol merchants, and more. Together and separately, they offer exceptional insights into local religious practices, book production networks and English book decoration styles and practices.


This book presents the first complete descriptive catalogue of these manuscripts. Entries are grouped within thematic sections, ranging from late medieval devotional culture to sermon preparation materials, each preceded by an introductory essay by an expert in the field. The descriptions provide size, age, script, decoration and a detailed listing of contents.

Until 2025, KATHLEEN E. KENNEDY is a British Academy Global Professor at the University of Bristol, where she researches the materiality of early books.

MELEK KARATAŞ is a Research Associate at the University of Bristol. Her research operates at the intersection of medieval literature, visual culture, and gender theory, with a focus on the production of French illuminated manuscripts.

LIZ HERBERT MCAVOY FLSW is Professor Emerita of Medieval Literature at Swansea University and Honorary Senior Research Associate at the University of Bristol.