In a letter to Higbald, bishop of Lindisfarne, he wrote: In his letters, Alcuin often acknowledged the joy of receiving a letter from a distant friend. When long distance travel was time-consuming and often dangerous, writing or receiving a letter must have been a special, emotive experience. Although Alcuin remained in Francia until his death in 804, he maintained regular contact with friends back in Anglo-Saxon England. He regularly wrote letters to Charlemagne, king of the Franks, and members of his court, discussing practical matters or engaging in theological discussion. 88rĪlcuin spent the early years of his life at York, before moving to the Frankish court in the early 780s. Old English annotation in the margin of a letter collection of Alcuin’s letters: Harley MS 208, f. Maybe the scribe felt that the collection of letters found in this manuscript were indeed ‘ancient tales’? In the bottom margin, the scribe wrote a line of Old English, Hwæt ic eall feala ealde sæge (‘Listen, I many ancient tales’) which is reminiscent of a line from the epic poem Beowulf. In the upper margin of one page, a student copied the alphabet (but inverted the letter 'b'), followed by 4 Old English letters and the first line of the Lord’s Prayer. The manuscript was copied in 9th-century Francia, but was in an Anglo-Saxon England by around the year 1000. One particular collection of Alcuin’s letters bears marginal notes made when the manuscript was used in the schoolroom.Īnnotations in the margin of a letter collection of Alcuin’s letters: Harley MS 208, ff. Letter writing was a skill, influenced by convention and classical rhetoric, and students often consulted letter collections to learn their craft. Many letters written by Alcuin of York (d. The Fonthill Letter: Canterbury, Dean and Chapter, Chart. This letter is also written in a minuscule script and retains impressions from where it was folded for delivery. In it ltter, Ordlaf, an ealdorman of Wiltshire, wrote to King Edward the Elder (899–924) to explain how he had acquired some disputed land in Fonthill, Wiltshire. ![]() The address inscription on Weadhere’s letter before and after multispectral imaging: Cotton MS Augustus II 18Īnother original Anglo-Saxon letter that was dubbed ‘useless’ in 12th-century Canterbury is the Fonthill Letter, now well-known for being the earliest surviving letter in the English language. Although faded, this inscription becomes a lot clearer with the assistance of multi-spectral imaging.Ī possible transcription of the inscription is as follows: Once folded, the scribe wrote the address inscription. On the back, it is possible to see impressions left from when the letter was folded for delivery. The letter is in Insular minuscule script, which was quick to write and so perfect for letter writing. Wealdhere’s letter to Archbishop Berhtwald: Cotton MS Augustus II 18 Wealdhere wrote to ask Berhtwald’s permission to attend a meeting of bishops that aimed to resolve recent disputes between the kingdom of the East Saxons and the neighbouring kingdom of the West Saxons. The letter was written by Bishop Wealdhere of London and addressed to Archbishop Berhtwald of Canterbury. We would certainly not refer to this letter as ‘useless’ today, as it is now well-known as the earliest surviving letter written on parchment from the Latin West. In 12 th-century Canterbury, a clerk sorting through a collection of Anglo-Saxon charters and letters wrote the words epistola inutilis ('useless letter') on the back of an Anglo-Saxon letter sent in the year 704 or 705. Original Anglo-Saxon letters are exceedingly rare, and the majority of letters from this period are preserved in later copies.Įpla inutil (‘A useless letter'): Cotton MS Augustus II 18 Somewhat inevitably, Letters written on single sheets of parchment were more prone to wear and damage than manuscripts. ![]() Many clerks saw little reason for preserving the originals unless they had important historical or theological content, or were sent by or addressed to an important person. Letters were often practical documents, sent with a purpose or key message in mind. ![]() Have you ever wondered, if you lived in Anglo-Saxon England, how would you communicate with distant friends and colleagues? Before the days of email and WhatsApp, letters were written onto pieces of parchment, and could take weeks or even months to arrive at their destination.Ī very small number of Anglo-Saxon letters survive in their original form.
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