Posted on Wednesday 6th July 2011
An exhibition of rare Anglo-Saxon texts opened at the Staffordshire Record Office on Tuesday 5 July.
Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service, in conjunction with the William Salt Library, is holding a three week exhibition entitled ‘Out of Darkness’ which showcases treasured and irreplaceable Anglo-Saxon charters.
The charters, which are over a thousand years old, provide a valuable insight into the kingdom of Mercia and Anglo-Saxon Staffordshire, plotting the early foundations of the county and forming the basis of what we know about this period.
There are only about 1500 Anglo-Saxon texts in the country and of those only 200 survive as single manuscripts. Most of these documents are held in national institutions such as the British Library or Bodleian Library but nine survive in Staffordshire and are held in the collections at the William Salt Library and Staffordshire Record Office.
This is the first time that many of these charters have been on display so the Out of Darkness exhibition presents a rare opportunity for members of the public to view these treasured specimens. The exhibition is timed to coincide with the Staffordshire Hoard exhibition at the Shire Hall Gallery in Stafford and aims to enhance the visitor experience.
The ‘Out of Darkness’ exhibition is on display on week days at the Staffordshire Record Office until Friday July 22. Entrance is free and for more information on opening times and directions visit http://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/leisure/archives/Events/outofdarkness|