More than two hundred precious manuscripts produced in England, France, Italy and northwestern Europe, dating back to the 9th century, have been shared online. This is the first time this has happened. The National Library of Scotland digitized them. The collection boasts a 15th century medical almanac, printed illustrations and a 12th century manuscript of the order of the Knights Templar. A donation from Alexander Graham, creator of “Who Do You Think You Are?” from the Bbc made the job possible.
Due to the 16th century reform, it is extremely rare to find documents of the time, especially those used by the Roman Catholic Church. Ulrike Hogg, manuscript curator at the National Library in Edinburgh, said: “This fascinating digitized collection is of international origin, although most of the volumes were written in Scotland.” “The survival rate of medieval Scottish manuscript volumes is generally low.”
“For example – explained Hogg – it is believed that only 1% of the religious manuscripts of Roman Catholic use – many of which were systematically destroyed during and after the Scottish Reformation – still exist”. Indeed, «it is difficult to estimate how many cultural treasures have been lost in these times. The collection presented here includes some of these very rare surviving pieces of history that have endured the following centuries ».
Hogg added that “Digital imagery offers a new opportunity to gain insight into medieval Scottish bookmaking.” The collection can be viewed at the National Library of Scotland.