Scribal autonomy in multi-scribe manuscripts: digital visualisations through the Chronicle of Melrose Abbey
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Glasgow
Department Name: School of Humanities
Abstract
Manuscripts and the texts they contain are vital sources for the activities of the past, especially for the medieval period before the invention of print but also for the early modern and modern eras. As historians, we are indebted to the work of scribes (who often remain anonymous) who wrote and copied the texts that survive today. Until recently, 'scribal autonomy' in manuscripts has only been explored in a limited way (e.g., in relation to page layout or handwriting) and primarily in the context of literary texts rather than those texts which historians routinely use for researching the past. It has now become clear that in many historical manuscripts, scribes were not just copyists with limited choices but in fact had the freedom to decide what text to add and where. This project develops the question of scribal autonomy by essentially asking: how much agency did scribes have when writing a particular kind of historical text known as a year-by-year ('annalistic') chronicle?
This question will be primarily explored in relation to the Chronicle of Melrose and other multi-scribe annalistic chronicles. Such texts are extremely valuable sources for historians. They were particularly common in medieval monasteries, but were also kept by others such as towns. When viewed as a single text, an annalistic chronicle is usually read as an 'official' account of events, representing a single, institutional 'view' of the past. However, when viewed in their original manuscript form, this notion is often destabilised: many different scribes might add fresh text and folios in a piecemeal way. The scribes would update the chronicle with accounts of recent events, but also return to earlier sections and insert material relating to the deeper past. This leads to the realisation that scribes might exercise an unexpected degree of individual choice and responsiveness in what text to add to their chronicle, where, and how. Chronicles are a good example of a context in which scribal freedom might be investigated, but there are other kinds of 'multi-scribe manuscript' as well such as medieval cartularies, miscellanies, or account books.
The way historians access texts has a significant impact on how we read them - whether in the archive, in printed editions or (increasingly) via digital images. Mostly, historians access texts via printed editions. Earlier editions can, however, often be outdated in how they present the text. Moreover, they typically do not contain images of the manuscript. This can hide the potential for new insights about scribes and their work, especially in the case of multi-scribe manuscripts. This project therefore seeks to design an innovative form of digital edition which allows scribal autonomy to be visualised and investigated by presenting the text directly in its scribal and manuscript context. The edition of the Chronicle of Melrose Abbey will be freely available online, and will incorporate text (in the original Latin and English translation) and annotated images (identifying each individual scribe and their contributions on the page). This will utilise new technology for publishing digital images (known as the 'International Image Interoperability Framework'), and will therefore forge a new path for image-based editions of manuscripts of all kinds in future.
This question will be primarily explored in relation to the Chronicle of Melrose and other multi-scribe annalistic chronicles. Such texts are extremely valuable sources for historians. They were particularly common in medieval monasteries, but were also kept by others such as towns. When viewed as a single text, an annalistic chronicle is usually read as an 'official' account of events, representing a single, institutional 'view' of the past. However, when viewed in their original manuscript form, this notion is often destabilised: many different scribes might add fresh text and folios in a piecemeal way. The scribes would update the chronicle with accounts of recent events, but also return to earlier sections and insert material relating to the deeper past. This leads to the realisation that scribes might exercise an unexpected degree of individual choice and responsiveness in what text to add to their chronicle, where, and how. Chronicles are a good example of a context in which scribal freedom might be investigated, but there are other kinds of 'multi-scribe manuscript' as well such as medieval cartularies, miscellanies, or account books.
The way historians access texts has a significant impact on how we read them - whether in the archive, in printed editions or (increasingly) via digital images. Mostly, historians access texts via printed editions. Earlier editions can, however, often be outdated in how they present the text. Moreover, they typically do not contain images of the manuscript. This can hide the potential for new insights about scribes and their work, especially in the case of multi-scribe manuscripts. This project therefore seeks to design an innovative form of digital edition which allows scribal autonomy to be visualised and investigated by presenting the text directly in its scribal and manuscript context. The edition of the Chronicle of Melrose Abbey will be freely available online, and will incorporate text (in the original Latin and English translation) and annotated images (identifying each individual scribe and their contributions on the page). This will utilise new technology for publishing digital images (known as the 'International Image Interoperability Framework'), and will therefore forge a new path for image-based editions of manuscripts of all kinds in future.
