English alphabet collection

Cotton MS Vitellius A XII, f. 45r

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Description

Alphabet collections were compiled with varying degrees of accuracy in medieval England. This example composed in the late 11th century features the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew alphabets accompanied by letter forms, descriptions of pronunciations, and numerical equivalents.

The collection appears in a miscellany featuring astrological treatises and calendars. The Lord’s Prayer has been inserted in Old English (Fader ure þe giert on heofena) underneath the main text of a Latin penitential work by Bartholomew of Exeter (d. 1184).

This manuscript was digitised with the support of The Polonsky Foundation.

Full title:: Miscellany, with an English Alphabet Collection
Created:: 4th quarter of the 11th century, Salisbury
Format:: Manuscript
Usage terms: Public Domain in most countries other than the UK.
Held by: British Library
Shelfmark:: Cotton MS Vitellius A XII

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Medieval England and France, 700–1200

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