

Magna Carta

A medieval death

Laws of Forests

Illustrated Tiger and a Knight

Medieval illuminator

Early English Song
Matthew Paris's Map of Britain

Medieval Bestiary

Decorated initial with musicians
Chronicle of Mann
Medieval world map

A medieval siren
French Hebrew Manuscript

Expulsion of Jews

Surviving book of Jewish Law

Women in power
This map is one of the most important surviving examples of 13th-century map-making. It tells us much about the way English men and women viewed the world at this time. Jerusalem is in the centre of the map, and the whole world is looked upon by Christ who is attended by angels. This shows that medieval people looked at geography in relation to the Bible and to earth’s creation by God. But the map also shows an interest in local places: you can see the British Isles, and the rivers Thames and Severn. London is marked with a gold dot. The map was not intended, like a modern atlas, to guide someone in their travels, but to show important places in an overall scheme.
Shelfmark: Add. MS 28681, f.9