Extraordinary Medieval Manuscript Discovery at Shrewsbury School

A 14th-century manuscript has been discovered within Shrewsbury School's library and archives and has been identified as the only complete surviving copy of Richard Rolle’s original Emendatio vitae (The Emending of Life).

As reported in the Telegraph and The University of Cambridge, the manuscript was found by medieval literature researcher Dr Timothy Glover, and the discovery provides fresh insight into the development of medieval Christian writing and English literary culture.

Dr Glover has confirmed that the manuscript, known at Shrewsbury as MS 25, preserves the text exactly as Rolle wrote it, rather than the later abridged versions found in more than 120 surviving copies around the world. The manuscript was gifted to the School in 1607, just a year after the foundation of the Ancient Library.

As holders of significant historic collections, Shrewsbury School is proud to support academic research and the careful preservation of materials that continue to shape understanding of the past.

Headmaster of Shrewsbury School, Leo Winkley, said:

“This is an extraordinary discovery for Shrewsbury School. We are honored to be the custodians of the original and only surviving complete version of Richard Rolle’s Emendatio vitae since it was gifted to the School in 1607. The manuscript reveals the text as it was actually written by one of the most influential English authors of the medieval period.

“It is also a powerful reminder of the depth and continuity of our Ancient ‘Taylor’ Library, founded in 1606 as a place of universal learning for the pupils of Shrewsbury School, and to share with the wider world.

“The Library holds an exceptional range of material, including medieval manuscripts, incunabula printed before 1500, Newton’s Principia, and books and manuscripts associated with figures such as Samuel Butler and Old Salopian Charles Darwin. Shrewsbury School regularly opens the Taylor Library for members of the public to enjoy its treasures.

“Darwin’s On the Origin of Species is also kept here alongside some of the earliest scientific and humanistic works collected by the School.”

Dr Tim Glover said:

“I'm the only person since the Middle Ages to have read this knowing that it’s Rolle’s original.

“It's such an important manuscript and it offers a direct connection with an author who deserves far greater recognition.

“Medieval people struggled with distractions as we do today. They were trying to still their wandering minds. Rolle offered practical strategies to help, and some people treated him like a saint for it.”

Founded in 1606, the Taylor Library remains one of Shrewsbury School’s most treasured academic resources, preserving centuries of scholarship, supporting teaching and research, and welcoming visitors to explore its remarkable collections.

Dr Timothy Glover published his findings while working at Corpus Christi College Cambridge. He recently moved to the University of Bergen.

“It's such an important manuscript and it offers a direct connection with an author who deserves far greater recognition.

“Medieval people struggled with distractions as we do today. They were trying to still their wandering minds. Rolle offered practical strategies to help, and some people treated him like a saint for it.”

Founded in 1606, the Taylor Library remains one of Shrewsbury School’s most treasured academic resources, preserving centuries of scholarship, supporting teaching and research, and welcoming visitors to explore its remarkable collections.

Dr Timothy Glover published his findings while working at Corpus Christi College Cambridge. He recently moved to the University of Bergen.