ROYAL: Illuminated Manuscripts of the Kings and Queens of England
Lead Research Organisation:
British Library
Department Name: Director of Scholarship and Collections
Abstract
In 1757 King George II presented the approximately 1950 manuscripts of the royal library to the newly founded British Museum. Since that time, the manuscripts have remained together as a distinct collection: ROYAL. Royal preserves the medieval and Renaissance library of the kings and queens of England, and includes within the illuminated manuscripts most surviving medieval paintings owned by them. Hence its importance can hardly be overstated.
Yet remarkably, the Royal illuminated manuscripts have been little researched, and have never been presented to a scholarly or wider public as a group. The British Library, home of the Royal collection since its creation in 1973, plans to change this situation by working collaboratively with the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London, to present in October 2011-March 2012 a major exhibition of illuminated Royal manuscripts at the British Library in London. To make this possible a research project on these manuscripts will be undertaken, responding to research questions at complementary levels.
The project team will be led by two internationally-recognised experts in illuminated manuscripts: Dr Scot McKendrick, Head of Western Manuscripts at the British Library, and Professor John Lowden of the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London. They will be assisted by a postdoctoral scholar, providing opportunities for this scholar to develop her or his expertise and career, and to develop expertise in medieval and Renaissance art, history, and presenting manuscripts to a range of audiences. The scholarly research resulting from the experience and expertise of this team will allow the Royal manuscripts to be presented and contextualised in new and creative ways.
To build further collaborative relationships between the British Library and higher education experts and fellow curators within the United Kingdom and internationally, the project will be overseen by an international advisory board, and will include an international conference on the collection to be held at the end of the project.
Each of the approximately 400 illuminated manuscripts in Royal with significant medieval or Renaissance decoration will be examined individually, to research its patronage, artist, scribe, models and function. The results of this analysis will allow thematic questions to be formulated and answered, and the approximately 150 exhibition manuscripts to be chosen. The exhibition will then be structured around these thematic questions. These themes are likely to include studies in the formation and development of the collection of illustrated manuscripts by English monarchs, the role of pictorial narrative in illuminated vernacular histories ordered by Edward IV, the change in function of monastic illuminated manuscripts after the dissolution of the monasteries, and the way in which illuminated manuscripts in the library were used and received by their owners.
The project will interpret and present medieval and Renaissance painting in Royal manuscripts in an innovative way in an exhibition in London, which will be accompanied by a fully-illustrated exhibition catalogue. The research will also be disseminated freely to an international audience through an online virtual exhibition and online introductory 'tours' for a general audience explaining aspects of the Royal collection of illuminated manuscripts.
In addition, in order to respond to the needs of the wider scholarly community and provide long-term research benefits, the information on all 400 manuscripts will be made available online as part of the BL's free, illustrated Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts (CIM). The research made available through the CIM and the other online resources will allow scholars and the general public to formulate their own further research questions, promoting active learning.
Yet remarkably, the Royal illuminated manuscripts have been little researched, and have never been presented to a scholarly or wider public as a group. The British Library, home of the Royal collection since its creation in 1973, plans to change this situation by working collaboratively with the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London, to present in October 2011-March 2012 a major exhibition of illuminated Royal manuscripts at the British Library in London. To make this possible a research project on these manuscripts will be undertaken, responding to research questions at complementary levels.
The project team will be led by two internationally-recognised experts in illuminated manuscripts: Dr Scot McKendrick, Head of Western Manuscripts at the British Library, and Professor John Lowden of the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London. They will be assisted by a postdoctoral scholar, providing opportunities for this scholar to develop her or his expertise and career, and to develop expertise in medieval and Renaissance art, history, and presenting manuscripts to a range of audiences. The scholarly research resulting from the experience and expertise of this team will allow the Royal manuscripts to be presented and contextualised in new and creative ways.
To build further collaborative relationships between the British Library and higher education experts and fellow curators within the United Kingdom and internationally, the project will be overseen by an international advisory board, and will include an international conference on the collection to be held at the end of the project.
Each of the approximately 400 illuminated manuscripts in Royal with significant medieval or Renaissance decoration will be examined individually, to research its patronage, artist, scribe, models and function. The results of this analysis will allow thematic questions to be formulated and answered, and the approximately 150 exhibition manuscripts to be chosen. The exhibition will then be structured around these thematic questions. These themes are likely to include studies in the formation and development of the collection of illustrated manuscripts by English monarchs, the role of pictorial narrative in illuminated vernacular histories ordered by Edward IV, the change in function of monastic illuminated manuscripts after the dissolution of the monasteries, and the way in which illuminated manuscripts in the library were used and received by their owners.
The project will interpret and present medieval and Renaissance painting in Royal manuscripts in an innovative way in an exhibition in London, which will be accompanied by a fully-illustrated exhibition catalogue. The research will also be disseminated freely to an international audience through an online virtual exhibition and online introductory 'tours' for a general audience explaining aspects of the Royal collection of illuminated manuscripts.
In addition, in order to respond to the needs of the wider scholarly community and provide long-term research benefits, the information on all 400 manuscripts will be made available online as part of the BL's free, illustrated Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts (CIM). The research made available through the CIM and the other online resources will allow scholars and the general public to formulate their own further research questions, promoting active learning.
Publications
McKendrick
(2011)
Royal Illuminated Manuscripts: from King Athelstan to Henry VIII
McKendrick, Scot; Lowden, Dr. John; Doyle, Kathleen
(2011)
Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination
| Title | Animated interactives |
| Description | Two new interactives were commissioned for the exhibition from Clay Interactive Ltd, see http://www.clayinteractive.co.uk/project.php?p=19, using research from the project. The first was an animation of Matthew Paris's map to the Holy Land, Royal 14 C vii, ff. 2-5v, with 'pop-up' towns and churches animated in 3D of the journey, the labelling of important stops, and translations of some of the text descriptions. The second explores Christian and heraldic iconography in the manuscript featured in the exhibition. Individual characters or elements were 'cut out', and an explanation of typical iconographic elements such as the Tree of Jesse, the Annunciation, the function of donor portraits, and use of heraldic arms were provided. Both interactives were designed to engage visitors on a deeper level with the research and manuscripts presented in the exhibition. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2011 |
| Impact | An independent company surveyed visitors to the exhibition, and of those surveyed 42% viewed the interactive for the Matthew Paris map, and 41% viewed the interactive for Christian iconography. Of those who had viewed the Matthew Paris map, 95% rated it excellent or good, and 90% rated the iconographic interactive as excellent or good. |
| URL | http://www.clayinteractive.co.uk/project.php?p=19 |
| Title | Audio Guide to the exhibition |
| Description | A one-hour audio guide was produced by Acoustiguide to accompany the exhibition, with commentary additional to the other interpretative material for twenty-two of the manuscripts in the exhibition. Commentary was provided by the two Investigators, Dr Scot McKendrick and Professor John Lowden, together with Dr Kathleen Doyle, Curator of Illuminated Manuscripts at the British Library, Michael Wood, the calligrapher Patricia Lovett, and Desmond Shawe-Taylor, the Surveyor of The Queen's Pictures. Readings of exhibited manuscripts in Middle English and French were also included. Around 75% of visitors, or 52,350 used the audio guide. From an independent survey of visitors, of those who used the audio guide, 65% reported that it 'strongly enhanced' their experience of the exhibition, and 27% said that it enhanced their experience. |
| Type Of Art | Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) |
| Year Produced | 2011 |
| Impact | From an independent survey of visitors, of those who used the audio guide, 65% reported that it 'strongly enhanced' their experience of the exhibition, and 27% said that it enhanced their experience. |
| Title | BBC4 Television series The Private Lives of Medieval Kings |
| Description | BBC4 Television series The Private Lives of Medieval Kings, produced by Oxford Film & Television, and shown on BBC4 television in January 2012 These three one-hour programmes were created around manuscripts in the Royal exhibition. The research from the project underpinned the programme, and was used by the directors in developing the programmes' narratives. Dr Scot McKendrick was the series consultant. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2012 |
| Impact | The first programme was viewed by 736,264 viewers, including iplayer viewing, with a satisfaction rating of 86%, a very high rating; the second by 504,523, with a 85% satisfaction rating, and the third by 621,788, with a 86% satisfaction rating. |
| URL | http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b019h3g2 |
| Title | CD The Sixteen, Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination, ISBN 0828021609824 |
| Description | This CD was inspired by the exhibition, and featured music connected with the manuscripts included in the exhibition. Track listing are: John Browne, Salve Regina; Robert Wylkynson, Iesus autem transiens; Anon, Hail Mary full of Grace; Richard Pygott, Quid petis, O fili?; Antoine Brumel, Regina sovrana; William Cornyshe, Ave Maria Mater Dei; Anon, This day day dawes; Richard Davy, Stabat mater; Anon, Christus surrexit; Guillame Dufay, Agnus Dei from Missa Se le face ay pale; Thomas Tallis, Spem in alium. As of 20 March, 2012, 441 copies had been sold. |
| Type Of Art | Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) |
| Year Produced | 2011 |
| Impact | This product drove some additional traffic to the Royal MSS exhibition and to related online offerings. Music was not a theme of the exhibition, but represented in it. |
| URL | http://www.thesixteen.com/page/british-library-royal-manuscripts-cd |
| Title | Concert by The Sixteen, 10 February, 2012 |
| Description | The Sixteen, led by their conductor and founder Harry Christophers, one of the world's finest choral ensembles, presented a programme of transcendent late medieval music, among them pieces by William Cornysh, Robert Davy and King Henry VIII at the British Library. This concert was of music related to the manuscripts featured in the exhibition. It was performed for a sold-out audience of 350. |
| Type Of Art | Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) |
| Year Produced | 2012 |
| Impact | This event drove additional traffic to the exhibition and related online offerings. Music was not a theme of the exhibition, but merely represented in it. |
| Title | Design of the exhibition |
| Description | The exhibition, Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination, was designed by Urban Salon. Images of the exhibition and an explanation of the design rationale is available on Urban Salon's website. |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2011 |
| Impact | The design was in part responsible for the exhibition receiving higher satisfaction levels than previous comparable exhibitions at the British Library. 65% rated its as excellent. |
| URL | http://www.urbansalonarchitects.com/royal-manuscripts/ |
| Title | Film of the exhibition |
| Description | A short film about the making of the exhibition, with interviews of Dr McKendrick and the designer, Alex Mowat of Urban Salon, and including footage of the mounting of the exhibition was produced for the exhibition by Matt Casswell, and is available on Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR66PO63ol8&feature=youtu.be. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2011 |
| Impact | Viewed to date by 1,381 people. |
| URL | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR66PO63ol8&feature=youtu.be. |
| Title | Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination, British Library 11 November 2011-13 March 2012 |
| Description | The exhibition, which showcased illuminated manuscripts associated with the English royal family, was the culmination of the research project. From the Royal collection now at the British Library 111 volumes were selected from around 1200 that are in some way decorated. To complement them and enhance the thematic and chronological presentations, thirty-seven volumes that now form parts of other collections in the British Library, but were also once associated with English monarchs were also included. Also forming part of the exhibition were six royal manuscripts now held by other institutions in England that are so closely related to Royal manuscripts that it was important that they be presented together with them. Some of these volumes were reunited with their fellows for the first time since the early modern period. Only through examination of some six hundred volumes were we able to select 154 manuscripts that would elucidate the research questions posed. As part of the research project, the manuscripts were grouped into six thematic sections exploring aspects of kingship, the knowledge world of medieval monarchs, the ways in which books contributed to the shaping of young royal princes and offered mature royalty models on which to base their lives and actions, monarchs' relationship with the Church and their personal piety, the foundation of the Old Royal library with the collection of Edward IV, and the persistent engagement of English monarchs with illuminated manuscripts produced on the Continent. The exhibition was seen by 69,800 visitors, the highest number of visitors for a charged exhibition at the British Library. |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2011 |
| Impact | An independent company surveyed visitors to the exhibition. 65% of those surveyed rated the exhibition as excellent, and 33% rated it as good, the highest rating received for a British Library exhibition held in 2011-2012. |
| URL | http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2011/08/royal-manuscripts-the-genius-of-ill... |
| Title | Turning the Pages Interactives |
| Description | Three manuscripts were digitised for the exhibition using Turning the Pages 2.0™ technology: The Bedford Hours, Add. 18850, a bestiary, Royal 12 C. xix, and a genealogical roll chronicle of English kings, Royal 14 B. vi. These Turning the Pages interactives are now available freely on the web. The text accompanying the digital presentations was derived from the research for the project. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2011 |
| Impact | An independent company surveyed visitors to the exhibition, and of those surveyed 42% viewed the interactive for The Bedford Hours, 35% for the bestiary, and 39% for the genealogical roll. Of those who had viewed the interactive for the bestiary (the only interactive for which visitors were asked a further question) 96% rated it excellent or good. |
| URL | http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/virtualbooks/viewrecadd/index.html |
| Description | The findings of the project are captured in several related outputs that address different audiences. An early output, addressed primarily to researchers, was new online, illustrated descriptions of over 600 Royal manuscripts within the British Library's Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts (http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/). Each description presents the results of a fresh first-hand appraisal of the physical, textual, palaeographical artistic and historical evidence of each manuscript and an assessment of previous scholarly literature. Many descriptions contain significant new findings about individual volumes and their relationship to other comparable material. All subsequent outputs of the project drew on these descriptions and enhanced them through further targeted research on primary and secondary sources. The highly successful exhibition Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination, held at the British Library from 11 November 2011 to 13 March 2012, was the culmination of the research project, and was seen by 70,000 visitors. Within this exhibition further research undertaken on illuminated manuscripts associated with the English royal family was presented to visitors. The findings of that research determined the overall shape to the exhibition, helped identify its thematic sections and informed the interpretation of each of the exhibits. The same findings provided content for all the associated outputs of the exhibition, ranging from a three-part TV series, an App and regular blog entries on the manuscripts to a two-day academic conference. The principal findings of the research are presented in the published exhibition catalogue. In his catalogue essay the Principal Investigator, Dr Scot McKendrick, explored how and why manuscripts produced in France and the southern Netherlands played a significant part in the lives of successive members of the English royal family. He demonstrated how dynastic marriages and diplomatic exchange reinforced shared cultural affinities, providing contexts for both gifts of Continental books to English royalty, and the importation of French books into England by French-born queens. For McKendrick such deluxe books are important signifers of the 'fashionable exclusivity' of English royalty. The Co-Investigator, Professor John Lowden, explored the meaning, function, and reception of the royal manuscript as idea and object. By tracking the long history of books produced as gifts from and to kings or associated with monarchs he highlighted the extremely complex patterns of production and consumption reflected in royal manuscripts. As her contribution the Project Manager, Dr Kathleen Doyle, showed that there were only three kings and one prince primarily responsible for the collection of illuminated manuscripts for the Old Royal library. Doyle highlighted that all but one of them were collected at a period when manuscript production had virtually ceased and identified a major motivation for their collecting as the establishment and enhancement of an appropriately grand royal library. In the catalogue entries the project team, including the Project Researcher, Dr Joanna Fronska, presented their findings on each of the 154 royal manuscripts selected for exhibition. These findings include new identifications of artists, scribes and owners, as well as of the political and cultural contexts in which the books were produced, commissioned or presented. |
| Exploitation Route | This award was made as a Museums, Galleries, Archives and Libraries Research Grant for research to underpin new displays and temporary exhibitions. The purpose of the grant was to maximise the impact of scholarly research in the arts and humanities by making it available to the wider public through exhibitions. As outlined above, this was accomplished by the five month exhibition, Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination held at the British Library from 11 November 2011 to 13 April 2012attendeding by nearly 70,000 visitors. Other outcomes designed byof the project for non-academic audiences are described in detail in the various outcomes categories: they , and include a three-part TV series, five new interactives, an audio guide, an App, a short film of the exhibition, three new virtual exhibitions, Facebook pages of all of the British Library manuscripts featured in the exhibition, regular blog entries on the Medieval and Earlier Manuscripts blog, a highlights book focussing on forty-one manuscripts, a study day, and the extensive lecture series, published articles, talks, and guided exhibition visits. The impact of the exhibition and research as contributions to society are outlined in the Impact outcomes. They, and include the re-use of exhibition material in the Purbeck art Weeks, re-use in future exhibitions by the contemporary artist Mark Leckey, design inspiration for stained glass and for an opera set, and content inspiration for an animated feature film. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Education,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| URL | http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/welcome.htm |
| Description | Re-use of exhibition material during the Purbeck Art Weeks, 26 May-10 June, 2012. The organiser of the Purbeck Art Weeks came to the exhibition, and asked to use some of the hanging banners of images from the manuscripts in the upcoming festival, as a backdrop for lectures and performances of early music. Banners were delivered to the festival on 5 April, 2012. Use of exhibition material by the Turner Award-winning Mark Leckey in his Techno-Animism exhibition in 2013. Mark Leckey was inspired by the exhibition, and will be using images from the manuscripts in his new exhibition, Techno-Animism, which will be shown at the Bluecoat Art Centre, Liverpool, from 15 February, 2013 -16 April, 2013, and the Nottingham Contemporary Art Gallery, from 26 April-30 June, 2013. Leckey had requested one of the facsimiles of the manuscripts featured in the exhibition, the Carmina regia, Royal 6 E. ix, and may be exhibiting another Royal manuscript, Royal 9 C. x in the exhibition. Alternatively, Leckey may be developing a 3D digital surrogate of the manuscript to display. Leckey's exhibition has been influenced by the Middle Ages very much as he sees this time period as crucial to the belief of the spiritual and physical worlds overlapping and co-existing together on the same 'plane'. He also deals with the idea of animism and alchemy as his work explores the pervasiveness of modern technology and the fact that we are constantly surrounded by devices that bring non-living things to life. He believes that this is akin to an archaic state of being - a primitive belief of alchemy; when physical states and material processes were used as metaphors for spiritual entities and transformation. Royal Opera House design inspiration. A set designer worked on a project in collaboration with the Royal Opera House, for George Benjamin's Written on Skin, a new opera set in the thirteenth century. She used research from the Royal project and exhibition to inform this design. Two stained glass artists attended the Royal manuscripts study day, and were inspired by the presentations of the project research and the exhibition. These artists are working on a stained glass window project whose general theme is the history and heritage of north Wales from the late 13th century onwards. The artists have been examining different visual and contextual resources and have made several sketches from manuscripts featured in the exhibition, and will be acknowledging these Royal manuscripts as source material in their work. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2012 |
| Sector | Creative Economy,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural |
| Description | AHRC follow-on funding grant |
| Amount | £109 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | AH/K502820/1 |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2012 |
| End | 09/2012 |
| Description | BBC4, Private Lives of Medieval Kings series |
| Organisation | Oxford Film & Television |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | BBC4 Television series The Private Lives of Medieval Kings, produced by Oxford Film & Television, and shown on BBC4 television in January 2012 These three one-hour programmes were created around manuscripts in the Royal exhibition. The research from the project underpinned the programme, and was used by the directors in developing the programmes? narratives. Dr Scot McKendrick was the series consultant. The first programme was viewed by 736,264 viewers, including iplayer viewing, with a satisfaction rating of 86%, a very high rating; the second by 504,523, with a 85% satisfaction rating, and the third by 621,788, with a 86% satisfaction rating. |
| Start Year | 2011 |
| Description | Calligraphy and Lettering Arts Society |
| Organisation | The British Library |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Royal Manuscripts Study Day, 17 February, 2012 In conjunction with the Calligraphy and Lettering Arts Society, the British Library presented a study day on illuminated manuscripts featured in the exhibition, attended by 200 delegates on 17 February, 2012. Dr Alixe Bovey, Lecturer in History at the University of Kent delivered a paper on the Smithfield Decretals, Royal 10 E iv, the calligrapher and illuminator Patricia Lovett demonstrated the quills, vellum, gold and painting techniques of medieval manuscript makers, and Dr Kathleen Doyle delivered a presentation on the making of the exhibition and the thematic groupings resulting from the research findings. |
| Start Year | 2011 |
| Description | The Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London |
| Organisation | Courtauld Institute of Art (University of London) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Following the award of the AHRC research grant in which Professor John Lowden was the Co-Investigator of the project, the Courtauld Institute and the British Library entered into a formal memorandum of understanding regarding this collaboration. |
| Start Year | 2008 |
| Description | The Royal Library, Windsor |
| Organisation | The Royal Library |
| Country | Denmark |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Following the academic conference associated with the project, on 14 December the speakers were invited to private view of the Royal Library and the Archives at Windsor Castle, hosted by Lady Jane Roberts, Royal Librarian and Curator of the Print Room. Participants viewed and discussed illuminated manuscripts and incunabula together. |
| Start Year | 2011 |
| Description | Times Media Partnership |
| Organisation | The British Library |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | The British Library entered into a media partnership with The Times to publicise the exhibition. The Times ran an in-depth preview of the exhibition, and ran an exclusive online articles about the conservation/rebinding of the manuscripts. The Times review gave the exhibition 4 out of 5 stars, and the partnership also helped boost marketing for the exhibition. |
| Start Year | 2011 |
| Description | 'A Vision of England', Country Life |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Article: Scot McKendrick, 'A Vision of England', Country Life, 28 December 2011 An article describing the results of the research on a manuscript owned by Edward IV, Wavrin's Recueil des chroniques d'Engleterre, exploring whether the manuscript was originally intended for Edward or was repurposed for him at a later stage, and the economic costs of such a production. Several readers of this article are known to have attended the exhibition. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| Description | 'Open Books', Art Quarterly |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Article: Scot McKendrick, 'Open Books', Art Quarterly (Autumn 2011) An article describing the background and themes of the exhibition and the results of the research project, written for a general audience. No specific impact to report. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| Description | Article in Alumina: Pagine miniate |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Article: Scot McKendrick, 'I gioielli di sua Maestà: A Londra, Manoscritti della corona Britannica', Alumina: Pagine miniate, 36 (2012), 30-37 An article describing the background of the exhibition and the results of the research project, written for a general audience. After the publication of this article, we received several expressions of interest in the project from Italy. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the article was responsible for significantly increasing awareness in Italy of research on the Library's illuminated manuscripts. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | BBC4 Television series The Private Lives of Medieval Kings |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | BBC4 Television series The Private Lives of Medieval Kings, produced by Oxford Film & Television, and shown on BBC4 television in January 2012 These three one-hour programmes were created around manuscripts in the Royal exhibition. The research from the project underpinned the programme, and was used by the directors in developing the programmes' narratives. Dr Scot McKendrick was the series consultant. The first programme was viewed by 736,264 viewers, including iplayer viewing, with a satisfaction rating of 86%, a very high rating; the second by 504,523, with a 85% satisfaction rating, and the third by 621,788, with a 86% satisfaction rating. Our market research indicates that around 10% of those who visited the exhibition were the result of having seen this TV series. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012,2013 |
| Description | British Library lecture series |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Library held a lecture series of fifteen talks associated with the exhibition and the research project, listed below. Together these were attended by 3,246 people. The programme was as follows: 18 November, 2011, Michelle Brown, University of London, and Patricia Lovett, calligrapher and illuminator, All That Glisters: the Art of Illumination 21 November, 2011, Nicholas Vincent, University of East Anglia, The Great Lost Library of England's Kings 25 November, 2011, Andrew Marr, The Diamond Queen 28 November, 2011, Juliet Barker, The English Kingdom of France 12 December, 2011, Michael Wood, The Story of a Book 13 December, 2011, John Goodall, Country Life, The English Castle 16 December, 2011, Deirdre Jackson, Fitzwilliam Museum, and Richard Sabin, Natural History Museum, The King of Beasts 9 January, 2012, Simon Armitage, The Death of King Arthur 13 January, 2012, Eamon Duffy, University of Cambridge, Sacred Monarchy in Medieval England 20 January, 2012, Scot McKendrick and Kathleen Doyle, Royal Manuscripts: the Making of an Exhibition 30 January, 2012, George Goodwin, Towton 1461 and the Destruction of Medieval Kingship 3 February, 2012, Alixe Bovey, University of Kent Sublime Words, Ridiculous Images: Visual Humour in the Royal Manuscript Collection 10 February, 2012, Kathleen Doyle, John Goldfinch, British Library, and Jane Roberts, Royal Librarian, The Royal Library: Old and New 24 February, 2012, Scot McKendrick, The Most Splendid Court in all Christendom: Edward IV and Continental culture, fashion and luxury 9 March, 2012, David Starkey, New Learning out of Old Books: Henry VIII and the Re-Invention of the Royal Library After the lecture series we decided to undertake a volume of essays based on some of the talks. This was published in 2013 as 1000 Years of Royal Books and Manuscripts, ed. by Kathleen Doyle and Scot McKendrick. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011,2012 |
| URL | http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2011/09/index.html |
| Description | Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The research proposal contemplated that 400 detailed catalogue records would be added to the Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts. This goal was exceeded, and currently there are over 600 detailed catalogue records for Royal manuscripts in CIM completed as part of the research project, illustrated by nearly 12,000 images, http://bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/welcome.htm. Each record includes a bibliography, provenance information, description of the iconography, and the research results on scribes, artists, dates, and origin. The Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts is widely consulted. In the Library's year ending in March 2012, 5,222,405 pages of the Catalogue were viewed by 174,968 separate web addresses. Three online 'virtual exhibitions' or tours describing the research designed for a general audience were added to the online Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts, Arthurian manuscripts in the British Library: the French tradition; Writing and Picturing History: Historical Manuscripts from the Royal collection; and Books of Beasts in the British Library: the Medieval Bestiary and its context. A further virtual exhibition on the development of the Old Royal library, or the Royal collection, will be added in the summer of 2012. The Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts is widely consulted. The eleven tours had an total of 17, 404 page views during the period of the exhibition, from November 2011-March 2012. After adding the records for Royal manuscripts, there was a significant increase in the consultation of the catalogue. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2008,2010,2012,2014 |
| URL | http://bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/welcome.htm |
| Description | Curator's Choice article, The Telegraph online |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Article, Scot McKendrick, Curator's Choice article, The Telegraph online Dr Scot McKendrick published an article describing the exhibition and the research results in the Telegraph online, Many readers of this article attended the exhibiton and consulted other online resources. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| URL | http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/london/8865233/Exhibition-in-focus-Royal-Ma... |
| Description | Guided tours of the exhibition |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Over the course of the exhibition, the project team gave 110 special tours to individuals, small groups, and organisations. The tours were generally an hour in length, as a minimum, and included a description of the rationale for the exhibition design, the impact of the research in planning the exhibition and choosing the manuscripts to be displayed, and a detailed description and focus on manuscripts of particular importance. Student groups included history undergraduates from University College London UCL, post-graduates and alumni from the Courtauld Institute of Art, and post-graduates in the history of art from Birkbeck College. After many of the tours the most common feedback was that the visitors had previously been unaware of such material being preserved. Many visitors returned several times to the exhbition and purchased the associated publications in pursuit of increasing their understanding of the subject of the research project and exhibition. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011,2012 |
| Description | Late at The Library: Illuminate! |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | On 2 March, 2012, an evening event was held showcasing some of the finest illustrators working today - graphic novelists and comic artists, cartoonists, children's book illustrators, calligraphers and contemporary illuminators. This event provided an after-hours chance to view the exhibition of illuminated manuscripts together with their modern day counterparts, accompanied by DJs and VJs. It was presented in association with House of Illustration. The event was attended by 700 visitors. This event reached beyond the core target audience of the exhibition and other related events. It drove additional demographic to the exhibition and online resources. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | Lecture, Books of Continental Origin collected by the English Royal Family from Edward III to Henry VIII |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | Lecture: Scot McKendrick, Books of Continental Origin collected by the English Royal Family from Edward III to Henry VIII Dr McKendrick was asked to deliver this lecture based on the research findings from the project to around 30 Members of the Société royale d'Archéologie de Belgique as their annual guest lecture in Brussels on 18 March, 2012. Dr McKendrick was elected a membre attaché étranger in 2004. This talk helped to build relationships within the academic community in Belgium. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | Lectures: The Making of an Exhibition, delivered to eight different audiences |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Dr McKendrick and Dr Doyle delivered two joint lectures about the planning of the exhibition and the results of the research in choosing manuscripts and organising the manuscripts and loan objects into thematic sections, designed for general audiences. The first was held at the British Library Conference Centre on 10 February, 2012, as part of the British Library lecture series, and the other at the University of Canterbury, Kent, on 15 February, 2012, attended by 80 students and members of the general public. This lecture was given singly by McKendrick or Doyle on the following five further occasions: St Mary's, Paddington on 25 January, 2012, attended by 25; The British Library, Boston Spa, on 6 February, 2012, attended by 70 staff; the Fitzwilliam Museum, 16 February, 2012, attended by a sell-out audience of 80; The British Library, on 29 February, 2012, to a visiting group of 48 from the Thames Estuary Decorative and Fine Arts Society (NADFAS); The British Library, on 8 March, 2012, to a group of 15 volunteers for the Friends of the British Library. A similar lecture was delivered by Professor John Lowden at a Medieval and Renaissance Interdisciplinary Seminar, University College London, on 24 October, 2011. After all these lectures the majority of the attendees visited the exhibition, in some cases several times. Several purchased the related publications and consulted the online resources. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| Description | Press coverage of the exhibition |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The exhibition received extensive press coverage, with a total number of 334 separate items. An independent company conducted a survey of all of the coverage of media reports, and concluded that 100% were positive and that they reached 120,353,956 people. The most prominent media type was articles in UK national newspapers (110). Of these, many were based on interviews with the Principal Investigator and other members of the project team, and a two-hour press tour of the exhibition given by Dr McKendrick and Dr Doyle on 9 November 2011. These include articles in The Times, 25 August, 2011 and 10 November, 2011; The Daily Telegraph, 29 October, 2011; The Sunday Telegraph, 30 October, 2011; The Mail Online, 31 October, 2011; The Guardian, web, 10 November, 2011; Times Higher Education, 10 November, 2011; Collections International, 15 November, 2011; Optima Magazine, 19 November, 2011; The Economist, 29 November, 2011; Royal Academy Magazine, Winter 2011; Museums Journal, 1 January, 2012. This press coverage drove a large part of the audience that attended the exhibition. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011,2012 |
| Description | Social media, research made available on the British Library Medieval and Earlier Manuscripts blog |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | From November 2011, detailed information written for a general audience describing the research findings on individual manuscripts in the project has been featured on the British Library Medieval and Earlier Manuscripts blog, http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2011/12/.html). The blog is extremely popular, with 68,257 page views for the duration of the Royal exhibition (the months of November 2011-March 2012). Following one of our posts (http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2012/12/the-distinguished-pedigree-of-mrs-tiggy-winkle.html) an online animation was made in Poland based on one of the manuscripts digitised See http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2014/10/how-to-be-a-hedgehog.html and http://vimeo.com/109377646 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011,2012 |
| URL | http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2011 |
| Description | The Annual History of the Book Lecture, Durham University |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Lecture: John Lowden, The Annual History of the Book Lecture, Durham University, 26 October, 2011 Professor Lowden delivered the annual History of the Book Lecture at Durham University entitled Royal Manuscripts on exhibition at the British Library disseminating the research outcomes of the project. None reported |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| Description | The Frank Davis Lecture series |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | Taking the Royal exhibition as its starting point, the Frank Davis Memorial Lecture Series for 2011 held at the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London explored aspects of the patronage, manufacture, function and collection of books in medieval England and France, and provided a broad context for these precious survivors of the library of the kings and queens of England. The lectures were as follows: 11 October, 2011, Professor Richard Gameson, Durham University, Royal Manuscripts at the British Library: The Earliest English Royal Books. 25 October, 2011, Dr John Goodall, Country Life, Royal Manuscripts at the British Library: The Library and the Architecture of the Book: Manuscripts in the Secular World from 1400 to 1650. 8 November, 2011, Dr Catherine Reynolds, Christie's, Royal Manuscripts at the British Library: Makers of Royal Manuscripts: Court Artists in France and the Netherlands. 22 November, 2011, Professor Jeffrey Hamburger, Harvard University, Royal Manuscripts at the British Library: Script as Image. 6 December, 2011, Dr Jenny Stratford, Royal Holloway College/ Institute of Historical Research, Royal Manuscripts at the British Library: England and France: Royal Libraries in the Later Middle Ages. All of the lectures were very well attended, with an audience of 120-130 for each lecture. After the lecture series was completed, we decided to compile a further publication based around the talks given by Gameson and Reynolds. This was published in 2013 as 1000 Years of Royal Books and Manuscripts, ed. by Kathleen Doyle and Scot McKendrick. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| URL | http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/researchforum/events/2011/autumn/frankdavislecture.shtml |