Conventions

This page provides brief explanation of the conventions used in the descriptions. It is presently under construction and we welcome feedback on what you would find helpful to include here.

Dating:

The ‘Ker’ system for approximate dates is used. Neil Ker set this out in his Medieval Manuscripts in British Libraries, 5 vols (Oxford, 1969 – 2002) [hereafter MMBL], iii, p. vii (a modification of that in MMBL, i, pp. vii – xiii). As he described it, in characteristically succinct fashion: ‘s. xiii in’, ‘s. xiii1’, ‘s. xiii med.’, ‘s. xiii2’, ‘s. xiii ex.’, ‘s. xiii / xiv’ denote respectively the beginning, first half, middle, second half, end, and turn of the thirteenth century. ‘s. xiii ex. – xv in.’ indicates that part of the manuscript is late thirteenth-century and part of it early fifteenth-century, or of various dates up to the early fifteenth century.

Subject

Each fragment and Babel manuscript has a subject field. You may find it helpful to search by this field. Here is a list of the terms presently in use:

Astronomy

Bible

Documentary

Ecclesiastical

Grammatical

Hagiography

Law (sub-divisions: English, Canon and Civil)

Liturgy

Medicine

Music

Patristics

Theology

Unidentified

Note: if an identification by subject is tentative, the uncertainty is recorded by also listing it under 'unidentified'.