The Lichfield Gospels (also known as the Chad Gospels, the Book of Chad, the St. Teilo Gospels, and numerous variations on these) is an eighth century Gospel Book housed in Lichfield Cathedral. There are 236 surviving folios, eight of which are illuminated. Another four contain framed text. The manuscript is also important because it includes, as marginalia, some of the earliest known examples of written Welsh. Download high resolution version (600x785, 296 KB)Image from the Lichfield Gospels. ... Download high resolution version (600x785, 296 KB)Image from the Lichfield Gospels. ... A Gospel Book is a codex or bound volume, containing one or more of the four Gospels of the Christian New Testament. ... Marginalia is the general term for notes, scribbles, doodles and editorial comments made in the margin of a book. ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ...

The manuscript was rebound in 1962 by Roger Powell. At that time it was discovered that in the rebinding of 1862 the manuscript had been cut into single leaves and that the pages had been trimmed during the rebinding of 1707.

Text and Script

The manuscript contains the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, and the early part of the Gospel of Luke. A second volume disappeared about the time of the English Civil War. The text is written in a sing[[le column and is based on the Vulgate. The manuscript has almost 2000 variances from the Vulgate, almost a third of which it shares with the Hereford Gospels. There are fewer variations in the text which agree with the Macregal Gospels and the Book of Armagh, 370 agree with the Book of Kells and 62 with the Lindisfarne Gospels. The Gospel of Matthew is one of the four Gospels of the New Testament. ... The Gospel of Mark is the second in the familiar sequence of the New Testament Gospels, as they were established by Jerome and appear in many but not all early manuscripts of complete gospels, and as they are commonly printed. ... The Gospel of Luke is the third of the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament, which tell the story of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. ... The English Civil War (or Wars) refers to the series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651, specifically to the first (1642–1645) and second (1648–1649) civil wars between the supporters of King Charles I and the supporters of... The Vulgate Bible is an early 5th century translation of the Bible into Latin made by St. ... The Hereford Gospels (Hereford, Cathedral Library, MS P. I. 2 ) is an eighth century Gospel Book. ... A page of text from the Book of Armagh. ... This page (folio 292r) contains the lavishly decorated text that opens the Gospel of John. ... Folio 27r from the Lindisfarne Gospels contains the incipit from the Gospel of Matthew. ...

The script is predominately Insular majuscule but has some uncial characteristics and is thus called semi-uncial. There was a single scribe. The script forms strong links between the Lichfield manuscript and Northumbrian, Iona, and Irish manuscripts. The beginning of the Gospel of Mark from the Book of Durrow. ... The Book of Kells, c. ... Northumbria is primarily the name of an Anglian or Anglo-Saxon kingdom which was formed in Great Britain at the beginning of the 7th century, and of the earldom which succeeded the kingdom. ... Alternate uses: see Iona (disambiguation). ...

Decoration

The manuscript has two evangelist portraits (St. Mark and St. Luke), a carpet page, initial pages for Mathew ("Lib"), Mark (initium), and Luke (Quoniam), a Chi Rho monogram page, and a page with the Four evangelist symbols. The Genealogy of Christ is framed (3 pages) and the last page is framed.

Marginalia

There are eight marginal inscriptions written in Latin and Welsh, which are some of the earliest written Welsh extant. The first records, in Latin, the gift of the manuscript "to God on the altar of St. Teilo" by a man named Gelhi, who, according to the inscription, had bought the manuscript for the price of his best horse from Cingal. The 'altar of St. Teilo" has in the past been associated with the monastery at Llandaff. However, it has been determined that the third, fourth and sixth marginal inscriptions refer to lands with fifteen miles of Llandeilo Fawr. It is, therefore, now thought that the book was given not to Llandaff but to the church at Llandeilo. The second marginal inscription is of some interest as it contains a unique example of early Welsh prose, which records the details of the resolution of a land dispute. The first two inscriptions have been dated to the mid ninth century. The third through eight inscriptions date from the ninth and tenth centuries. Latin is the language that was originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ... Teilo was a leader of the Celtic Christian church in Wales during the 6th century. ... Llandaff (Welsh: Llandaf) is a district of the city of Cardiff, Wales, and is also the name of a diocese of the Church in Wales, covering the most populous area of south Wales. ... Llandeilo is a town in Carmarthenshire, Wales. ...

Provenance

The origin of the manuscript is controversial. It is not known who wrote the manuscript, for whom it was written or where it was written. Paleographic and stylistic similarities link it to Northumbria and Iona. Links to the Hereford Gospels suggest a Merician origin. Many, especially those in Wales, have argued that the manuscript was written in Wales. Some have argued that it was written at Lichfield. All except one line is in the same hand. Northumbria is primarily the name of an Anglian or Anglo-Saxon kingdom which was formed in Great Britain at the beginning of the 7th century, and of the earldom which succeeded the kingdom. ... Alternate uses: see Iona (disambiguation). ... The Hereford Gospels (Hereford, Cathedral Library, MS P. I. 2 ) is an eighth century Gospel Book. ...

Although it is not known how the book came to be in Lichfield, it may have been there as early as the late tenth century and was almost certainly there by the early eleventh century. The opening folio contains a faded signiture reading Wynsige presul which probably refers to the Wynsige who was Bishop of Lichfield from circa 963 to 972-5. Folio four contains a reference to Leofric who was bishop from 1020 to 1026. Leofric was a common name in Anglo-Saxon England and may refer to: Leofric, Bishop of Exeter Leofric, Earl of Mercia This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Wherever it originated and however it came to Lichfield, it has, except for a brief period during the English Civil War, been at Lichfield since the eleventh century. In 1646, during the Civil War, Lichfield Cathedral was sacked and the library looted. This is probably when the second volume of the Gospels was lost. Precentor Walter Higgins is credited with saving the remaining volume. They were given to Frances, Duchess of Somerset, who returned them in 1672 or 1673. They have remained at the cathedral ever since. They were put on public display in 1982. The bishops of Lichfield still swear allegiance to the crown on the Lichfield Gospels. The English Civil War (or Wars) refers to the series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651, specifically to the first (1642–1645) and second (1648–1649) civil wars between the supporters of King Charles I and the supporters of...