---

Among the vast manuscript holdings in Oxford’s Bodleian Library lies a most unassuming little book, no larger than a pocket Bible, catalogued under the shelf mark Laud Misc. 4. It has long been attributed to Tynemouth Priory, the most important of St Albans Abbey’s dependent houses, but new research has definitively situated it as a product of the St Albans scriptorium, made for use at the abbey itself. ‘The St Albans Processional’ is England's earliest surviving book of its kind, produced during the third quarter of the twelfth century, a period during which the abbey was well on its way to being one of the most prominent monastic institutions in England.

This research, led by Dr Thomas Phillips (University of Cambridge), re-establishes St Albans as the true origin of the manuscript and forms the foundation of a wider project exploring its makers, music, and meaning.

This talk explores the Processional from two complementary perspectives, bringing together the history of the manuscript and the music it contains, interspersed with live performances by musicians Andrew Carwood and James Preston, who will perform a selection of chants drawn from the Processional in the very space for which they were written.

The first part of the talk situates the Processional within the broader context of book production at St Albans, discussing the scribes responsible for its creation. Close analysis reveals that the production of musical manuscripts at St Albans was a far more collaborative process than previously assumed, reflecting an organised workshop environment in which individuals of varying skills and backgrounds each played a part. Of particular interest is the figure of the cantor, the individual for whom the Processional was made, and who was himself among its makers. Active across the tenures of four successive abbots throughout the mid-twelfth century, this cantor played a central role in the creation of some of the finest manuscripts produced at St Albans, and the Processional offers a direct window into his working life and musical responsibilities.

The second part of the talk turns to the music and liturgy. The chants in the Processional speak to the devotional and communal life of the abbey, and to St Albans' place within the wider post-Conquest Anglo-Norman liturgical landscape. The contents of the book reflect the abbey's engagement with contemporary practice across England, revealing how a great monastic house negotiated questions of tradition, identity, and reform through the act of worship. Through institutional reform, a flourishing scriptorium, and the cultivation of the cult of its patron saint, St Albans Abbey established itself as one of the most significant Benedictine houses in post-Conquest England—a status it retained until its dissolution in 1539—and the Processional is among the most compelling surviving witnesses to that world.

---

A Rare Chance to Experience It Live 

This research now forms the basis of a special live event at St Albans Cathedral

Music from a Medieval Manuscript: Bringing the St Albans Processional to Life | Friday 12 June, 7.30pm

Audiences will hear chants from the manuscript performed in the very space they were written for, offering an exceptionally rare opportunity to experience medieval music as it was originally intended.

• Speaker: Dr Thomas Phillips (University of Cambridge)
• Performers: Andrew Carwood & James Preston
• Location: St Albans Cathedral
• Format: In person only (not recorded)

Book tickets