Wulfstan Manuscript

Wulfstan Manuscript

Wulfstan was a Benedictine monk who became Bishop of London in 996 before becoming Bishop of Worcester and Archbishop of York until his death in 1023. He was well known as a writer of homilies, especially concerning the Antichrist, and was also instrumental in drafting the legal codes for the kings Æthelred the Unready (r. 978–1016) and Cnut the Great (r. 1028–35). As such, Wulfstan is considered to be one of the most important writers from late Anglo-Saxon England whose works influenced other writers of late Old English literature. His law codes were still in effect in 1100 when Henry I, fourth son of William the Conqueror, was crowned King of England.

A Precious Anglo-Saxon Compendium

The first text comprising ff. 1–57 was written around the time of the Norman Conquest with a missing part (ff. 58–69) completed during the 16th century by the English clergyman and antiquarian John Joscelyn. It consists of Old English texts containing the laws of King Cnut, King Edgar (r. 959–975), and King Alfred (r. 871–899). The second text comprising ff. 70–174 is written in Old English and Latin and predates the first text by about 50 years. It presents the series of treatises concerning the duties of each member of society by Wulfstan known as the Institutes of Polity in four sections along with five of his homilies, various ecclesiastical canons, and other legal documents. The codex also includes an early modern table of contents at the beginning and an early modern index at the end, aiding the reader in sorting through the various Anglo-Saxon texts.