The accidental discovery of seven fragments of medieval parchment in a Bristol library has led to a significant breakthrough in the mythology of King Arthur.

A group of researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Durham have used new techniques to uncover sections of the text that were apparently lost to history.

Using multi-spectral imaging technology, researchers have now read previously unseen sections – and even been able to tell what type of ink was used.

The manuscript contains a passage from an early 13th-century Old French text called the Lancelot-Grail Cycle.

Parts of this text are believed to have inspired Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur, first published in 1485 and the primary source of the modern Arthurian legend.

However, there are notable differences in how this newly discovered account describes the character of Merlin, King Arthur’s court wizard. Following their discovery in 2019, the manuscripts were examined by Professor Leah Tether of the International Arthurian Society in Bristol and her husband, medieval historian Dr Benjamin Pohl, with the assistance of Old French expert Dr Laura Chuhan Campbell of Durham.

Their findings, including a full transcription and translation of the texts, were published in The Bristol Merlin: Revealing the Secrets of a Medieval Fragment. Professor Tether said: “We were able to date the manuscript from which the fragments were taken to between 1250 and 1275 through palaeographic (handwriting) analysis and located it in the north, possibly north-east of France, through a linguistic study “.

He also shared insights into the historical context of the document. He said: “The text itself (Suita Vulgate du Merlin) was written between 1220 and 1225, so this places the Bristol manuscript within a generation of the original authorship of the narrative.”

Prof Tether added: “We were also able to place the manuscript in England as early as 1300-1350, thanks to an annotation in a margin again, we were able to date the handwriting and identify it as a English hand”.

He noted that, given that most known manuscripts of this text in medieval England appear to have appeared after 1275, the Bristol specimen stands out as “a particularly early example”. In collaboration with Professor Andy Beeby of Durham University, it was concluded that two scribes who created the texts used a carbon-based ‘lamp black’ ink – rather than the more commonly used ‘iron-iron ink’ derived from from oak galls.

Finally, Professor Tether said, “The reason for the scribes’ choice of ink may have to do with the special ink-making materials available near their workshop.”

Fortunately, the fragments were resized at the University of Bristol’s Special Collections Library – where they were reused in book bindings dating from the late 15th to the early 16th century. The original manuscripts, once considered “waste” in either Oxford or Cambridge, saw their parchment reused for the books in which the fragments were found half a millennium later.

These pieces were apparently acquired by Tobias Matthew, who was Archbishop of York from 1606 to 1628. By 1613, Matthias had founded the Bristol Public Library and left a number of books as part of his original collection.

The Merlin fragments were believed to have been passed on to the institution after the Archbishop’s death. So what makes these manuscripts stand out when it comes to Merlin’s story?

The texts introduce new elements, such as a toned-down interaction between Merlin and the witch Viviane – also known as the Lady of the Lake.

In another change, Merlin is given the task of identifying the chieftains under King Arthur – and the names he gives differ from well-known accounts. In addition, one segment excludes the wounding of Arthur’s adversary, King Claudas, who in the classical Arthurian myth is wounded in the thigh.

Professor Tether noted: “In addition to the interesting findings, one thing that undertaking this study, edition and translation of the Bristol Merlin has revealed is the immeasurable value of interdisciplinary and cross-institutional collaboration, which in our case has created a holistic, comprehensive model. for the study of medieval manuscript fragments which we hope will inform and encourage future work in the field’.

“It also showed us the huge potential of Bristol’s local manuscript and rare book collections, particularly in the Central Library, where there are many more unidentified manuscript fragments waiting to be discovered.”