The term refugees was first used to describe the 50,000 Protestants who fled to England from France in the 16th-18th centuries. The miscellany of related records in Lambeth Palace Library sheds light on the experiences of Huguenots in England, as well as attempts to secure the release of those condemned to the French galleys. Philippa […]

The Wycliffite Bible is famous (or infamous) for being illegal, and leading to the martyrdoms of Lollards for over a hundred years. Why, then, do so many copies exist today? Why are so many of them beautifully illuminated? In this talk, we will discover the answers to these questions. We will even explore how some […]

Join us for this guest lecture by Andrew Foster held in partnership with the the Institute of Historical Research, given at Lambeth and open to all. For the redoubtable Dr Mary Hobbs (1923–1998), the return of Bishop Henry King’s Library marked the rebirth of Chichester Cathedral Library post 1671; yet close analysis of The Old […]

Join us for a unique opportunity to explore the world of archives, libraries, and conservation at Lambeth Palace Library. This event offers the chance to meet our dedicated team of archivists, librarians, and conservators, who will provide insight into their fascinating work preserving historic collections. Attendees will learn about the vital roles within the library, […]

Anyone who listens to news broadcasts will be familiar with modern forms of forecasting and predicting. These range from the scientific, like weather forecasts, to the more contentious, like predictions concerning the future state of the economy. Medieval people also had ways of making ‘scientific’ predictions, many of which were rooted in beliefs about time, […]

Richard Steward (1595-1651) played a key role in the promotion of Laudianism in the 1630s and the formation of Anglican royalism in the 1640s. During the Uxbridge negotiations in 1645, he exerted a decisive influence in persuading the king not to compromise on episcopacy, and after Charles’s execution in 1649 he continued to play an […]

Online Event only Light and labour were linked by custom and law in the Middle Ages, when, for example, statutes dictated that agricultural workers were to leave their tasks while there was sufficient light to make their way home. We see the connection in medieval calendars. The average hours of daylight and darkness for each month were […]

Seb Falk will unpick the curious history of medieval calendars. From the mind-bending maths required to establish the precise length of the year and calculate the date of Easter, to their accumulation of a wealth of astronomical, astrological and devotional data, to their use as frames for stunning seasonal art, calendars are endlessly fascinating. This […]

Accordion, screenfold, chain—various terms have been applied to books folded in a zig-zag or ‘concertina’ pattern. Seen now as novelties, concertina-fold books were once found worldwide. They were even the preferred or sole book format in some places, before the imperial spread of the codex. This one-day symposium gathers international experts to talk about the […]

Join us for a short curatorial introduction to our newest exhibition, 'Unfolding Time', after which the curator will be present for questions and discussion. Come and explore medieval concepts of the past, present and future through a rare and remarkable group of manuscripts: concertina-fold almanacs. Within the zigzag folds of these extraordinary books, time is […]