Religion in Late Medieval Scotland

Learn through images about Religion in Late Medival Scotland and the Book of Hours of the Virgin Mary and St. Ninian.

About 450 images were chosen and digitalised from the Edinburgh University Library's extensive collection of manuscripts, incunabula and early printed books. They provide a remarkable insight into the daily religious life of priests, monks, nuns and lay women and men. Many of these sources were owned by the Scottish monastic orders, by prominent Scotsmen and some of the early printed books formed part of Clement Litill's library, donated in 1580.

This project was funded by the Principal's E-Learning Fund and linked to the Masters' course on 'People, Prelates and Purgatory in late medieval Scotland'. The team comprised Doctors Dawson, Grout, Murray and Paterson and was a joint enterprise between the School of Divinity and Edinburgh University Libraries. It was encouraged and assisted by our colleague, the late Dr John Higgitt, to whom the site is dedicated.

Digital images

Historical background:

Sources:

* Printed-friendly list of the project's sources

Scottish Book of Hours

The project also includes the digital version of the Book of Hours of the Virgin Mary and St. Ninian. The original manuscript was tightly bound in a brown calf Scottish binding dating from c 1692. It tells us a great deal about religion in late medieval Scotland and the Scotts. It has considerable historical value because it was an 'ordinary'.

The manuscript was almost certainly produced for a Scottish owner because of the dedication to St Ninian of Whithorn, who was regarded as the bringer of Christianity to Scotland and was one of the national saints of late medieval Scotland.

Digital version of the Book of Hours of the Virgen Mary and St Ninian

Historical background: