Will future scholars be able to read?

‘Strategic disinvestment’ at King’s College London means future students of the Middle Ages may not be able to read the manuscripts their work depends on.

The College has informed Professor David Ganz that funding for his Chair in Palaeography (reading old writing and understanding handwritten books) will cease from 31 August this year.

In fact all academic staff in the School of Arts and Humanities at King’s have to re-apply for their own jobs before the 1st March with the aim of losing 22 academic posts. It is of course a response to massive cuts in Government funding not wanton vandalism so perhaps a shock headline is not very fair. And the Government themselves are broke so cuts are coming everywhere. But the King’s Chair is the only established chair in Palaeography in the UK.

Ganz’s personal contribution to the field is immense, and not only firing him but deleting his post will prejudice the serious study of Palaeography itself, and with it the underpinning of other subjects like the study of Chaucer and Beowulf, the Wars of the Roses and Anglo-Saxon England. Push much further and you have to ask just how many people will actually be able to read more than the simplest manuscripts in our archives at all.

I have to admit a prejudice. My own academic aspirations were fired up by the immense privilege of a week’s course in Palaeography with a senior academic when I was still a sixth-former. Heaven knows how it was funded, but that’s the way we should surely be going, studying the Dark Ages not going back into them.

If you want to join the campaign to stop the cuts, it is suggested that you write to Professor Rick Trainor, The Principal, King’s College, The Strand, London WC2R 2LS and copy to Professor Jan Palmowski, Head of the School of Arts and Humanities. There’s a Facebook group here.

Filed under: Current affairs

Large print hymn books

A local (Cambridgeshire) source has a number of large print Hymns Ancient and Modern New Standard Hymn Books that are now surplus to its requirements. If you can offer a new home, I can put you in touch. If you use this hymnbook then it makes sense to have at least a couple in the bookcase. Over to you…

Filed under: Resources

John Bosco, Priest, Founder of the Salesians

We celebrated the life of St Francis de Sales earlier in the month. Now we commemorate St John Bosco who founded the the Pious Society of St Francis de Sales, usually known as the Salesians in 1859 (the year we noted yesterday as the one when the Stuart royal commemorations were removed from the Prayer Book).

Born in 1815 to a peasant family, John Bosco was born in 1815 to a peasant family and lived in the Turin area of Italy. His calling was to work with young men in difficulties, helping them find housing, education and work. The Salesian order was founded to extend and continue this mission. he died on this day in 1888.

Filed under: Celebrating the Saints

Ely Diocesan Prayers: January 31st

January 31 – February 6     Deanery of Fordham
        and Quy
Rural Dean:    Canon Stephen Earl    Epiphany 4
Lay Chairman:     Mr John Abbott    Limerick & Killaloe, Church of Ireland

 

The Board of Education and Councils concerned with the nurture in faith of all age groups.
PRAY for The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand & Polynesia Aotearoa (New Zealand) -  The Most Revd William Brown Turei

Filed under: Prayer Cycle

A Prayer for Today

Epiphany 4

God our creator,
who in the beginning
commanded the light to shine out of darkness:
we pray that the light of the glorious gospel of Christ
may dispel the darkness of ignorance and unbelief,
shine into the hearts of all your people,
and reveal the knowledge of your glory in the face of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Filed under: A Prayer for Today

Scott Watts: new Chaplain at Hinchinbrooke Hospital

A big welcome to the Revd Scott Watts, new lead Chaplain at Hinchinbrooke Hospital, who I licensed at a packed service in the chapel there on Thursday night. Hinchinbrooke is the district hospital for the Huntingdon area and greatly loved by the people there. It hasn’t had an easy time under the various structural changes in the NHS, and a “Next Steps” project is taking place to try and find a good and sustainable future. You can download the project newsletter at www.eoe.nhs.uk/strategicprojects. Everyone there is in our prayers as the search goes on, and Scott is already proving a great help as he stands alongside them in it.

Thanks to David Grieves for the photo.

Filed under: Uncategorized

Charles Stuart, King of England

Charles was born in 1600 and  succeeded to the throne (his elder brother having died) in 1625.

He held a high view of kingship as held and exercised directly under God, and stood opposed to both Parliamentarian and Puritan ambitions. This led both to Civil War and his own execution, on this day in 1649.

When his son Charles was restored to the throne and the Church of England re-established in its pre-Cromwellian form, K. Charles, Martyr was included in the calendar, and stood there until 1859. (Its disappearance at that point is the subject of some controversy: it seems to have been removed by the printers consequent upon the removal of the appended services for this day, Bonfire Night, and the Restoration as agreed by Queen Victoria and Parliament – though strangely not Convocation.)

Collect

King of kings and Lord of lords,
whose faithful servant Charles
prayed for those who persecuted him
and died in the living hope of your eternal kingdom:
grant us by your grace so to follow his example
that we may love and bless our enemies,
through the intercession of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever

Filed under: Celebrating the Saints

Ely Diocesan Prayers: January 30th

Stradsett St Mary and Crimplesham St Mary
Rector:        James Mather
Asst. Priest:    Charles Miller
LLM:            Alan Davies (Ordinand)
Rtd Priests:    Canon Ted Longford;
            Fr Richard Fordham
Thanksgiving for all that was achieved to the glory of God in 2009, and God’s blessing on 2010.  Thanksgiving for lay ministry and that of retired clergy.  For the grace to meet the challenges faced by small churches in highly rural areas, and to identify new ways of serving our parish communities.
Antsiranana (Indian Ocean) – The Rt Revd Roger Chung Po Chuen

Filed under: Prayer Cycle

A Prayer for Today

Charles King and Martyr

King of kings and Lord of lords,
whose faithful servant Charles
prayed for those who persecuted him
and died in the living hope of your eternal kingdom:
grant us by your grace so to follow his example
that we may love and bless our enemies,
through the intercession of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Filed under: A Prayer for Today

Ely Diocesan Prayers: January 29th

Downham Market St Edmund
Rector:        James Mather
Asst. Priest:    Charles Miller
LLM:            Alan Davies (Ordinand)
Rtd Priests:    Canon Ted Longford;
            Fr Richard Fordham
Thanksgiving for all that was achieved to the glory of God in 2009, and God’s blessing on 2010.  Thanksgiving for lay ministry and that of retired clergy.  For PCC officers now retiring, and for new people to fill these important lay roles.  Patience and good humour in the face of significant challenges with St Edmund’s church building – electrics, roof, accessibility project – and the "St Edmund’s Needs A £Million" Appeal.  Pray too for those loyal Anglicans being increasingly marginalised by the CofE.
Antananarivo (Indian Ocean)-  The Rt Revd Samoela Jaona Ranarivelo
Tulear (Indian Ocean)-  The Rt Revd Todd MacGregor

Filed under: Prayer Cycle