Full-time, fixed-term postdoc position for 6 months to work with Andrew Dunning on redeveloping the Medieval Libraries of Great Britain project as a sustainable, open-access digital resource for manuscript studies. Apply by 14 July 2025 Full job advert and Further Particulars
The Bodleian Libraries are seeking to appoint a researcher to join the Medieval Libraries of Great Britain project, funded by the British Academy.Based in Bodleian Special Collections at the Weston Library, the successful applicant will contribute to the redevelopment of MLGB as a sustainable, open-access digital resource for manuscript studies. This is an exceptional opportunity to work with a leading team in historical bibliography, digital humanities, and medieval library history.You will take a leading role in the reconciliation, enhancement, and integration of the MLGB dataset, working with legacy print, manuscript, and digital sources. You will apply and adapt digital methods (especially TEI XML), analyse provenance data, disambiguate historical agents, and contribute to collaborative scholarly outputs. You will present your findings at conferences and help shape the project’s intellectual direction and future development.
This is a full-time, fixed-term post for 6 months. The role is based in the Weston Library, Oxford, with up to two days of remote working per week by agreement with the line manager. The Chair of this recruitment panel will be Dr Andrew Dunning, R.W. Hunt Curator of Medieval Manuscripts, who can be contacted with enquiries relating to the role (andrew.dunning@bodleian.ox.ac.uk).
About You You will have a PhD/DPhil (or have submitted a thesis) in a field such as medieval studies, book history, or digital humanities. You will have excellent reading knowledge of Latin and expertise in manuscript studies, including palaeographical and codicological skills. You will be able to manage your own research activities independently and will have contributed to academic publications or digital research outputs. You will have excellent communication skills and be able to work collaboratively in a research team.
What We Offer: As an employee of the University of Oxford, you will enjoy a wide range of benefits, including 38 days’ paid annual leave, membership of a generous pension scheme, family-friendly policies, access to childcare services, and opportunities for flexible and hybrid working. You will have access to the University Club and sports facilities, professional development through the Researcher Hub, and a vibrant academic and cultural environment in central Oxford. More information is available at https://hr.admin.ox.ac.uk/staff-benefits
Diversity: Our staff and students come from all over the world, and we proudly promote a friendly and inclusive culture. Diversity is positively encouraged through diverse groups and champions, as well as a number of family-friendly policies, such as the right to apply for flexible working and support for staff returning from periods of extended absence, for example, shared parental leave.We are committed to ensuring that our recruitment processes are inclusive and accessible. If you require the job description or any other materials in an alternative format, or if you would like to request any adjustments to support you through the application or interview process, please contact the recruitment team at recruitment@glam.ox.ac.uk.How to applyYou will be required to upload your CV and a supporting statement. Your supporting statement should list each of the essential and desirable selection criteria, as listed in the job description, and explain how you meet each one. Both documents must be submitted to be considered.We aim to provide a supportive working environment and are happy to discuss training and professional development opportunities.
Only applications received online before 12:00 midday (BST) on Monday 14 July 2025 can be considered. Interviews are expected to take place during the week commencing 28 July 2025.
Contact Person : GLAM Recruitment, Vacancy ID : 180432 Closing Date & Time : 14-Jul-2025 12:00 Pay Scale : RESEARCH GRADE 6 Contact Email : recruitment@glam.ox.ac.uk Salary (£) : £34,982 – £40,855 per annum
Consult the Holding page: Medieval Libraries of Great Britain. The Bodleian Libraries write: In October 2024, we had to take a number of specialist digital resources offline. This was a precautionary step in line with University guidance to ensure we were protected from a hostile cyber-attack.
Alternative ways to access the material
Digitised copies of the print catalogue can be found on HathiTrust:
An archived static version of the site is available at the Internet Archive, which allows you to browser the records. Date when website was withdrawn: 24 October 2024
Welcome to Week 7: the full Medieval Studies booklet is available here. First, a number of important reminders.
The Centre for Early Medieval Britain and Ireland is hosting an online exhibition of artefacts and manuscripts that explore the lives of early medieval women. To submit an item, or to attend the even, follow this link.
The Medieval History research seminar in Week 8 (16 June) has been moved to the Old Library in All Souls. There will be a drinks reception afterwards, 6.30-7.30pm, in the Great Quad, to mark Julia’s retirement. For catering purposes, people planning to attend should RSVP using this form: https://forms.office.com/e/Mr92xB66jh
Monday
French Palaeography Manuscript Reading Group – 10:30 pm in the Weston Library.
Medieval History Seminar – 5pm at All Souls College. Andrew Dunning (Bodleian Library Oxford) will be speaking on ‘The Cult of Saint Frideswide in Medieval Oxford’.
Tuesday
The Latin Palaeography Reading Group meets 2-3.30pm. Please email Laure Miolo for more information.
EMBI ‘Women in Early Medieval Britain and Ireland’ online exhibition – 3.30pm, Massey Room, Balliol College.
Medieval Church and Culture – 5pm in the Wellbeloved Room. Francesca Peacock (Lincoln) will be speaking on ‘Thu and thi wyff arn barrany and bare!’: the experience of infertility and the cult of St Anne in medieval East Anglia, c. 1100 – 1500′; Isabelle Amy Job (St Anne’s) will be speaking on ‘Blanche of Castile and Le Miroir de l’Ame’; Molly Bray (Lincoln) will be speaking on ‘Conspicuous Materiality, Collective Devotion: making and exchanging textiles in the Lüneburg Heath c. 1500’.
Medieval French Research Seminar – 5pm in the Maison française d’Oxford. Bastien Racca (Université de Fribourg, Switzerland) will be speaking on ‘‘L’amour rêvé: des métalepses dans le Songe Vert ?’’
Wednesday
The Medieval German Graduate Seminar meets Wednesdays 11.15am–12.45pm in Oriel College, Harris Lecture Room. The topic for this term is the ‘Alexanderroman’. If you are interested to be added to the teams group for updates, please contact Henrike Lähnemann.
The ‘science of the stars’ in context: an introduction to medieval astronomical and astrological manuscripts and texts – 2pm in the Horton Room (Weston Library). Session 6: Horoscope: dating and interpretating medieval horoscopes.
Medieval Latin Document Reading Group – 4pm, online, please contact Michael Stansfield.
June & Simon Li Lecture in the History of Art – 5pm at Lincoln College. Aden Kumler (University of Basel) will be speaking on ‘Vera mensura. Dimensional realism in medieval manuscripts’.
Late Antique and Byzantine Seminar – 5pm in the Ioannou Centre. John-Francis Martin (Oriel) will be speaking on ‘“The Last Byzantine Controversy” — Politics, Rhetoric, and Religion from the Council of Ferrara-Florence to the Fall of Constantinople’.
Medieval Society and Landscape Seminar Series – 5pm in the Department for Continuing Education. Simon Townley (Victoria County History of Oxfordshire) will be speaking on ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once: Exploring Medieval Place and Society through Local History’. Book here.
Oxford Centre of Islamic Studies Seminar – 5pm in the Oxford Centre of Islamic Studies. Dr Sophia Vasalou (University of Birmingham) will be speaking on ‘Al-Ghazālī and the Ideal of Godlikeness’.
Medieval Women’s Writing Research Seminar– 5pm, Lower Lecture Room, Lincoln College. Kat Smith (University of Oxford) will be speaking on ‘The Virgin Mary in Medieval and Early Modern Women’s Writing’.
Thursday
Oxford Environmental History Working Group – 12:30 online. Bill Smith (DPhil History) will be speaking on “Chains of Control and Reins of Resistance: Nonhuman Animals and the Plantationocene in the American South”.
‘Big Data’ and Medieval Manuscripts – 1–5pm.
Friday
Medievalists Coffee Morning – 10.30am at the Weston Library. All welcome, coffee and insight into special collections provided.
Medieval Manuscripts Support Group – 11:30 in the Horton Room. Readers of medieval manuscripts can pose questions to a mixed group of fellow readers and Bodleian curators in a friendly environment. Come with your own questions, or to see what questions other readers have!
Anglo-Norman Reading Group – 5pm in the Farmington Institute in Harris Manchester College and online. For more information on the texts, email Jane Bliss.
Research Workshop: Working with modern theory on Medieval Women’s Writing – 5pm in the Lower Lecture Room, Lincoln College.
Oxford Translation Day 2025 – 6pm at the Taylor Institute. More info here.
London Medieval Society’s 80th anniversary colloquium on ‘Memory and Commemoration’ is being held at on Saturday 28th June at The Warburg Institute.
‘Big Data’ and Medieval Manuscripts Exploring the Potential of Large-Scale Catalogue Data – Thursday 26th June, 1–5pm, Weston Library. More information here.
The Terence Barry Prize for Best Graduate Paper in Irish Medieval Studies – deadline May 30, 2025. More information here.
Anglo-Israeli Archaeological Society Travel Grant – more info here.
Call for Submissions: Taube Prizes for Student Writing in Hebrew & Jewish Studies – see blog post.
CfP for ‘Staging Silence from Antiquity to the Renaissance’ – more information here.
CfP for ‘Music and Reformation: A Symposium at Lambeth Palace Library, 16 September 2025’
A regular pub trip is being organised on a Friday at 6pm at the Chequers, from 0th week to 8th week, for all medievalists at Oxford. Email maura.mckeon@bfriars.ox.ac.uk
Additional spaces are available on the ‘Big Data’ and Medieval Manuscripts workshop – please sign up here.
Registration for the Masterclass by Patrick Boucheron – Pourquoi des médiévistes ? Penser le contemporain depuis le Moyen Âge – 29 May, 2:30pm, Maison Française d’Oxford.
Registration for Patrick Boucheron’s lecture entitled ‘The Birth of the Black Death: New Approaches in World History’ – 29 May, 5:00pm, Pembroke College.
The Digital Medieval Studies Institute is hosting a set of workshops on digital scholarly methods specifically tailored for medievalists as part of the International Medieval Congress at the University of Leeds. More information can be found here.
Friday 13 June 2025, 12 noon–5PM Lecture Room 4, New College, Oxford
New College Library is pleased to announce our exhibition for Trinity Term!
Clockwise: New College Library, Oxford, BT3.275.1, MS 281, MS 369
In ‘Art of the Book’, we explore the beauty of all things bibliographical through our wonderful special collections—from the medieval period to the present day. Expect fabulous illumination, exquisite illustrations, beautiful bindings, and some outstanding private press works.
The items will be on display in Lecture Room 4 in New College on 13 June, between 12pm and 5pm. For those unfamiliar with New College, just head to the Porters’ Lodge (located halfway down Holywell Street). There will be signs to direct visitors to the exhibition.
The exhibition is free and open to all, so please do spread the word . . .
Watch the release of the films of the Mystery Plays and celebrate the end of the academic year with Oxford Medieval Studies! Since OMS was just awarded a prize for the Mystery Plays from the ‘Engagement with Research’ fund, there will be liberal quantities of drinks (including the famous Tiddly Pommes applejuice) and nibbles as well as discussions on how to continue the dramatic adventures in the future. Do come along to have your say whether, when, and how to stage the next Mystery Cycle!
When? Thursday, 19 June 2025, 4.30-6pm Where? Farmingdon Institute, Harris Manchester College
Film premiere will start on 19 June 2025, 4:45pm. Join us from anywhere in the world to comment live on the premiere!
16:45 – Opening 16:48 – The Fall of the Angels 17:00 – Adam and Eve 17:21 – The Flood 17:42 – Abraham and Isaac 17:58 – The Annunciation 18:06 – The Nativity 18:32 – The Wedding at Cana 18:47 – The Crucifixion 19:02 – The Lamentation & The Harrowing of Hell 1 19:17 – The Harrowing of Hell 2 19:20 – The Resurrection 19:42 – The Martyrdom of the Three Holy Virgins 20:07 – The Last Judgement
Deadline for Social Media Officer expanded! Calling Graduate Students. We are looking for a successor for Ashley Castelino; check out Ashley’s report (and the report of his predecessor Llewelyn Hopwood) on what the role entails. Please do send in your application to Lesley Smith and Henrike Lähnemann under medieval@torch.ox.ac.uk by Friday, 16 May 2025, 12noon, with your CV and your ideas how to built on the social media presence in the future.
Monday
French Palaeography Manuscript Reading Group – 10:30 pm in the Weston Library.
Medieval History Seminar – 5pm at All Souls College. Stephen Mossman (Manchester) will be speaking on ‘Lessons for Late Medieval Literary History from Strasbourg’.
Tuesday
Medieval English Research Seminar – 12.15 in the English Faculty. Eleni Ponirakis (University of Nottingham) will be speaking on ‘Greek Mystical Theology in Old English Texts’.
The Latin Palaeography Reading Group meets 2-3.30pm. Please email Laure Miolo for more information.
Medieval Church and Culture – 5pm in the Wellbeloved Room. Umberto Bongianino (AMES) will be speaking on ‘Nuggets of Ancient Wisdom’: an early Andalusi fragment of the Almagest and its context’.
Medieval French Research Seminar – 5pm in the Maison française d’Oxford. Phil Knox (Cambridge) will be speaking on ‘Imagining Sexual Politics in Late Medieval France: Aristotle, Giles of Rome, Jean de Meun, Christine de Pizan’.
Wednesday
Curating Medieval and Early Modern Women’s Lives Today – 11am online. Booking required.
NO Medieval German Graduate Seminar this week. Instead, Irene Van Eldere will present her project on Middle Dutch prayer books this Friday (15 May) 5pm at the Medieval Women’s Writing seminar in the Lincoln Lower Lecture Room (see below) (with the added advantage of snacks!). The Alexanderroman will then commence in week 3. If you are interested to be added to the teams group for updates, please contact Henrike Lähnemann.
The ‘science of the stars’ in context: an introduction to medieval astronomical and astrological manuscripts and texts – 2pm in the Horton Room (Weston Library). Session 3: The daily rotation: understanding the stereographic projection of the celestial sphere [2/2]
Medieval Latin Document Reading Group – 4pm, online, please contact Michael Stansfield.
Late Antique and Byzantine Seminar – 5pm in the Ioannou Centre. Lorenzo Saccon (Wolfson) will be speaking on ‘Pro Meliori et pro Utilitate Terre: Venetian Crete and the Exploitation of the post-Byzantine Aegean’.
Medieval Society and Landscape Seminar Series – 5pm in the Department for Continuing Education. Tom Johnson (Oriel College) will be speaking on ‘Building a Church out of Herring: Doles, Shares, and Maritime Community in a Fifteenth-Century Fishing Village’. Book here.
Oxford Centre of Islamic Studies Seminar – 5pm in the Oxford Centre of Islamic Studies. Mr Ali Allawi (Former Minister of Finance, Defense, and Trade of Iraq) will be speaking on ‘Rich World, Poor World: The Struggle to Escape Poverty in Muslim Societies’.
Centre for Manuscript and Text Cultures Seminar – 5.30pm in the Memorial Room, The Queen’s College. Tamara Atkin (English Faculty & The Queen’s College) will deliver a paper titled ‘On Fragments’.
Middle English Reading Group (MERG) – 2pm in the Beckington Room (Lincoln College). Join us to read the ‘double sorwe’ of Troilus and Criseyde in a weekly reading group. We will be reading from the end of Book IV. For more information or to be added to the mailing list, please email rebecca.menmuir@lincoln.ox.ac.uk.
Friday
Digital Byzantine Studies: Current Methods and Future Applications – 9:30am – 7:30pm in the Maison Française d’Oxford.
Medievalists Coffee Morning – 10.30am at the Weston Library. All welcome, coffee and insight into special collections provided.
Medieval Manuscripts Support Group – 11:30 in the Horton Room. Readers of medieval manuscripts can pose questions to a mixed group of fellow readers and Bodleian curators in a friendly environment. Come with your own questions, or to see what questions other readers have!
Exploring Medieval Oxford through Lincoln & Magdalen Archives – 2pm in the EPA Centre (Museum Road) Seminar room 1. Please contact Laure Miolo for more information.
Anglo-Norman Reading Group – 5pm in the Farmington Institute in Harris Manchester College and online. For more information on the texts, email Jane Bliss.
Medieval Women’s Writing Research Seminar – 5pm, Lower Lecture Room, Lincoln College. Irene Van Eldere (University of Leiden) will be speaking on the Middle Dutch Books of Hours.
Saturday
Chant Workshops and a Service in Iffley Church – 11.00 – 19.00, Iffley Church. Whole day £15 (students £7.50), service FREE. See https://livingstonesiffley.org.uk/events
***
Opportunities (new additions in bold)
Social Media Officer: See announcement at the start of this post and apply by this Friday!
Call for Submissions: Taube Prizes for Student Writing in Hebrew & Jewish Studies – see blog post.
Queen Mary London New Research on Late Medieval England – more information here.
CfP for ‘Staging Silence from Antiquity to the Renaissance’ – more information here.
CfP for ‘Music and Reformation: A Symposium at Lambeth Palace Library, 16 September 2025’
A regular pub trip is being organised on a Friday at 6pm at the Chequers, from 0th week to 8th week, for all medievalists at Oxford. Email maura.mckeon@bfriars.ox.ac.uk
Additional spaces are available on the ‘Big Data’ and Medieval Manuscripts workshop – please sign up here.
Registration is open for the Masterclass by Patrick Boucheron – Pourquoi des médiévistes ? Penser le contemporain depuis le Moyen Âge – 29 May, 2:30pm, Maison Française d’Oxford.
Registration is open for Patrick Boucheron’s lecture entitled ‘The Birth of the Black Death: New Approaches in World History’ – 29 May, 5:00pm, Pembroke College.
The Digital Medieval Studies Institute is hosting a set of workshops on digital scholarly methods specifically tailored for medievalists as part of the International Medieval Congress at the University of Leeds. More information can be found here.
Colin Matthew Room, Radcliffe Humanities, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG Register via Eventbrite.
Registration is required only for those who would like lunch. In order to prevent food waste, PLEASE cancel your registration at least 72 hours in advance if you are unable to attend.
A roundtable with Ling Zhang (Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge); John Sabapathy (History, University College London); and Amanda Power (History, University of Oxford)
Concert: ‘The Oxford Troubadors Return to the Maison Française’
9 May, 7:00pm, Maison Française d’Oxford
We are delighted to welcome back The Oxford Troubadors for an evening of medieval and modern songs in Occitan. The ensemble will perform iconic medieval troubadour pieces, including La Sestina by Arnaut Daniel and Lo riu de la Fontana by Jaufre Rudel, as well as popular modern songs from the repertoires of Peiraguda and Nadau. Expect an interactive experience with audiences often joining in the choruses of these catchy tunes. This event is free, but registration on TicketSource is required.
Lecture: ‘The Birth of the Black Death: New Approaches in World History’ by Patrick Boucheron
29 May, 5:00pm, Pembroke College
We are delighted to welcome Professor Patrick Boucheron for the 2025 Collège de France – Maison Française d’Oxford – Pembroke College lecture. Professor Boucheron will give a lecture on ‘The Birth of the Black Death : New Approaches in World History’. For more details and to register for this lecture, visit this page.
Masterclass: ‘Pourquoi des médiévistes? Penser le contemporain depuis le Moyen Âge’
29 May, 2:30pm, Maison Française d’Oxford
Earlier that day, Patrick Boucheron will be teaching a masterclass at the Maison Française on what medieval history teaches us. Please note that the masterclass will be given in French. Fore more details and to register for this event, visit this page.
The Oxford Medieval Mystery Plays 2025 are over – thank you to everyone who made this day possible! Read on for some pictures and impressions of a wonderful day. You can access the full programme, scroll through film stills by the camera team, and watch it on the OMS Youtube channel.
The fourth iteration of the Oxford Medieval Mystery Plays took place on 26 April at St Edmund Hall. And it was a truly marvellous day! A total of 13 plays were put on by about 150 participants – actors, directors, singers, costume designers, musicians, and many more. Throughout the day, about 350 audience members popped in and out of Teddy Hall, some staying for shorter periods, others for several hours or the whole day. Audience members and participants included a wonderful range: undergraduate and graduate students and academics from within and without Oxford, a full children’s choir, tourists, and members of the public found their way to Teddy Hall and partook in the medieval shenanigans.
And what shenanigans they were! This year, we are particularly proud of the incredible diversity of languages, plays, and different approaches on display. But see for yourself … (All photo credits are at the bottom of the post)
The day started – how could it be otherwise – with a trumpet blast from Henrike Lähnemann herself (Picture 1).
Once again, we were expertly guided through the day by Jim Harris, the Master of Ceremonies. Armed with Bruce Mitchell’s doctoral gown and the ceremonial scroll (consisting of the baking roll to the chaplain of St Edmund Hall, half a coat hanger and numerous layers of paper and sellotape), he introduced each play with a modern English prologue (Picture 2).
We began at the beginning, with the creation of the world and The Fall of the Angels,performed mostly in Middle English, but with modern English elements, and in a modern office setting.
Picture 3: The Holy Trinity is being fawned over by the two good angels … but trouble awaits: the two bad angels are getting arrogant, before their inevitable ejection from Heaven.
From the angels, we moved swiftly on to humans: next was the German Adam and Eve play by Hans Sachs, featuring a particularly good use of the well (the two humps underneath the spare green coat are Adam and Eve, about to be created).
Picture 4: All could be well in Eden, if it wasn’t for Lucifer, Belial, Satan, and the Serpent conspiring.
Picture 5: Adam and Eve might have fallen into desperation, but the cast have good reason to be proud of themselves, having made it to the front page of both the Oxford Mail and Oxford Times.
Skipping a few biblical ages, we next saw the Flood, presented in the Middle English Chester version.
Picture 6: The flood has come! Luckily, Noah and his family are safe on the ark, together with the animals – expertly made and portrayed by the children of St Giles’ and St Margaret’s churches.
The Old Testament concluded with the Middle English York version of Abraham and Isaac.
Will he really do it? Abraham is getting ready to sacrifice his oldest son, Isaac (Picture 7) … but fear not! The angel of the lord approaches and shows him a sheep to sacrifice instead – the little guy, hand-crocheted by one of the cast members, rapidly became the true star of the day (Picture 8).
After a refreshing tea break, we moved from the Front Quad into the Churchyard, and from the Old to the New Testament. The fifth play of the day was the Annunciation, or rather Die Eerste Bliscap van Maria (‘The First Joy of Mary’). It was performed in Middle Dutch: a first (but hopefully not last) for the Oxford Medieval Mystery Plays!
Picture 9: The angel Gabriel announces the happy news to the reading Mary.
True to the Gospels, the Annunciation was followed by the Nativity. It was a particular pleasure to welcome back Les Perles Innocentes, who travelled all the way from Fribourg to wow us with their expert performance of the Comédie de la Nativité, written by none other than Marguerite de Navarre.
Picture 10: Mary and Joseph are desperately looking for a place for Mary to give birth. – Picture 11: If the stable looked as gorgeous as the library of Teddy Hall, it surely wasn’t the worst place to be born in!
Our next play skipped ahead, showing us the grown-up Christ at the Wedding at Cana. This play was a world premiere, reconstructed from only 1.5 surviving lines in the York cycle!
Picture 12: Panic at Cana – the wine has run out at the wedding! What to do?
Picture 13: Christ is there to save the day and transforms the water into wine. The servants are amazed!
From Cana, we moved straight to Golgotha and a Middle English performance of the Crucifixion. The York Crucifixion, strangely, is a comedy, and the four soldiers crucifying Christ were accordingly equipped with ‘Cross flatpack instructions’ and giant inflatable hammers. Certainly not inflatable, however, was the cross, which was purpose-built just for this production and turned into a much-coveted prop for numerous plays.
Picture 14: The poor, overworked soldiers struggle to lift up the heavy cross.
Once the soldiers had vacated the grassy mound in Teddy Hall’s Churchyard, the mourners came: the three Marys (the Virgin, Mary Magdalen, and Mary, Mother of John) and John arrived for the Lamentation, represented by the Bordesholmer Marienklage and beautifully sung in a mixture of Latin and Low German.
Picture 15: Owe, owe nu ys he dot…
Moving directly from the cross to the crypt, we were told about the Harrowing of Hell by the Choir of St Edmund Hall through sung Latin sequences.
Hell having been harrowed, it was time for another tea break, after which we were welcomed back by the angelic hosts of the Choir (Picture 16). And then it was time for some good news: the Resurrection! Performed in the Middle English of the York version, this play truly had it all: sleeping soldiers, lamenting Marys, bickering priests, and a highly enthusiastic angel.
Picture 17: An outraged Pilate commands the soldiers to find out the truth about the rumours concerning Christ’s resurrection. At least Caiaphas and Annas, the extremely well-dressed high priests, are there to back him up. Picture 18: Mary lamenting at the tomb – thankfully, she, too, receives moral support from the angel.
Leaving the Gospels behind, we moved on to the only non-biblical story of the day: The Martyrdom of the Three Holy Virgins by Hrosvitha of Gandersheim, performed mostly in (absolutely flawless!) Latin, with a few bits in modern English.
Picture 19: Governor Dulcitius has been ridiculed by his prisoners, the holy virgins Agape, Chionia, and Irena … his embarrassment will not go unpunished.
Picture 20: The two older sisters are burned, while the youngest is forced to watch. But never fear: all three will be rewarded in Heaven for their martyrdom.
Last, but by no means least, it was time for … the Last Judgement! Performed in a modern English adaptation of different Middle English versions, this wonderfully cheerful and funny play was the perfect end for a fantastic day.
Picture 21: Hey guys, it’s Gabe! The archangels Gabriel and Michael open Judgement day, while the soon-to-be-raised souls rest in the ditch between library wall and lawn.
Picture 22: Who will get more souls? Jesus and the angels, or Lucifer and the demons?
And … that was it! Thirteen plays, five languages, two tea breaks, and five hours later, we had travelled all the way from the Creation to Judgement Day, from Heaven to Hell, from Bethlehem to Golgotha, and from Front Quad to the far side of the library.
Our heartfelt thanks goes to everyone who made this day possible: on and off stage, casts, crews, organisers, helpers, and so many more. We are particularly grateful to Jim Harris, our Master of Ceremonies; David Maskell, who wrote the modern English prologues; and Tristan Alphey and the other helpers for their support during the day. This year’s Medieval Mystery Plays are by far the best-documented yet: Ben Arthur, James May, Archie Dimmock, and Tea Smart filmed the entire day; their recordings will be released on the St Edmund Hall Mystery Cycle page at a film launch party at the end of Trinity Term. Ashley Castelino took many fantastic pictures, and Robert Crighton and Liza Graham recorded impressions from audiences and participants for their podcast Beyond Shakespeare.
Of course, what a play really needs is its audience. We were delighted to see so many of you there, and overwhelmed by the amount of positive feedback we received. Here are just some of the comments we collected in our visitor book – many audience members had their favourite play from the host of performances:
“Brilliant! Loved the Nativity especially!”
“Great job! Love the Wedding feast!”
“Terrific! Thank you very much. I particularly enjoyed Adam and Eve, and Satan with his acolytes in [the Last Judgement]!”
“Really enjoyed the camp Satan!”
“The singing [in the Nativity, Lamentation, and Harrowing of Hell] was superb. Altogether a delightful event!”
The best audience members are naturally those who were themselves surprised by how much they enjoyed themselves: one person wrote that they had a “very unexpectedly enjoyable day supporting a friend in one play, but then enjoy[ed] all the others!” Many also appreciated the use of medieval languages in keeping these plays “alive” through modern performance and praised the “pace, diversity, and inventiveness” of the troupes, the beautiful medieval setting of St Edmund Hall, and the overall “vibrant and entertaining” environment of the Cycle. One particularly nice comment described our day of performances as “full of whimsy” – made even more whimsical by the little stars they drew around their comment. Thank you very much to each and everyone of you!
Are you sad you missed out? Can you not wait to get back into medieval drama? Watch this space! The Oxford Medieval Mystery Plays will be back …
Picture Credits
Pictures 2 and 8: Ashley Castelino
Picture 6: Rahel Micklich
Picture 17: Antonia Anstatt
Header and Pictures 1, 3, 4-6, 9-16, 18-22: Stills from the video recordings made by Ben Arthur, James May, Archie Dimmock, and Tea Smart.
With full term about to begin, I have three exciting developments for you all.
First, a final reminder that the Oxford Medieval Mystery Plays take place on the 26 April (this Saturday) from 12 noon at St Edmund Hall. The incredible booklet can be found at the end of this post, which illustrates just how many of our community are involved, and the feast of entertainment available on the day. See you all there!
Second, the first draft of the termly OMS booklet can be found here. If you have submitted an event, please cast a quick eye over the information to ensure that it is correct. If you are yet to submit your events but woul like them to be included, please do so ASAP.
Finally, OMS is seeking a new Social Media Officer. The Social Media Officer is in charge of connecting all of Oxford’s medievalists via the OMS Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts and also occasionally posting on here, the OMS blog. You will be responsible for posting across these platforms to advertise OMS events, opportunities and news. Familiarity with social media advertising is beneficial but not essential: this is an ideal way to gain technical know-how about social media, advertising and marketing that can be used in your academic career and beyond. The post usually comprises an hour or two a week. You can read a retrospective of the current Officer Ashley here. Those interested should reply to this email address before Saturday, where there will be the chance to shadow.
Are you curious about what manuscripts can tell us beyond their texts? Join Digital Scholarship @ Oxford and the Bodleian Libraries for a hands-on workshop using data from manuscript catalogues to explore trends and patterns in medieval manuscript production.
You’ll learn:
What kinds of data can be recorded about manuscripts
How to interpret and analyse manuscript catalogue entries
Ways to identify trends and patterns using simple tools like Excel
You’ll have the opportunity to work directly with manuscripts from the Bodleian’s collections, learning new skills that you can apply in your future studies and research. You’ll also get to contribute to the ongoing development of the manuscript catalogues, with your contributions credited on the Bodleian website.
No technical experience is required, just a basic familiarity with Excel.
Spaces are limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Workshop dates:
Thursday of 3rd week (15th May), 1–5pm – undergraduates
Thursday of 4th week (22nd May), 1–5pm – undergraduates
Thursday of 7th week (12th June), 1–5pm – postgraduates
Please still fill in the form if you are unavailable on these dates, as we may be able to make additional workshops available if there is demand.
Signup deadline: Midday, Friday of 2nd Week (9th May)
