The Objects of Knowledge: Reconstructing Medieval Communities through a Material Analysis of Manuscripts

The analysis of manuscripts in their physical appearance often provides useful evidence for interpreting and reconstructing ways in which books were used in certain contexts. This essay sheds light on the life and activities of the religious community based at Exeter Cathedral in the eleventh century through an examination of books in their form rather than their contents. Many manuscripts were compiled at Exeter in the 1050s, arguably to supply the pastoral and intellectual needs of the cathedral chapter in their support of the bishop’s reforming administration of a since-marginalized diocese. This article explores the life of the Exeter cathedral community in relation to the production of books and related processes. In doing so, it argues that book production at Exeter supported major pastoral and evangelizing actions in which the cathedral community actively engaged.