Guernsey manuscript discovery reveals medieval literary life

The discovery of 17 medieval manuscript fragments has provided new insights into the literary and intellectual life of Guernsey during the Middle Ages. Dating from between the 12th and 15th centuries, the fragments include extracts from a play, an Ovid poem, passages from the Bible, and a travel text.

Previously, little was known about the island's medieval libraries or whether residents read for pleasure. The findings suggest that Guernsey's citizens possessed broad literary tastes and primarily read in French rather than English.

The fragments were preserved because they had been recycled into bindings for rent books and administrative records during the 16th and 17th centuries. They were identified by staff at the Island Archives in collaboration with experts from the University of Kent and the University of Oxford.