Campaign Hope to Return 13th Century Sarum Master Bible to Salisbury Cathedral

Friends of the Nations’ Libraries is leading a campaign to raise £90,000 to buy a 13th century Bible illuminated by the famed Sarum Master and to donate it to Salisbury Cathedral, returning it home after nearly eight centuries. 

Organisers say they have less than 90 days to raise the £90,000 needed to bring the Sarum Master Bible back to Salisbury. The Bible is one of only six manuscripts definitively attributed to the Sarum Master, the other five all currently in public collections in the UK and elsewhere. 

The Sarum Master was one of the greatest artists of his time, a manuscript illuminator working in the mid-13th century who led a large workshop at a time when no other cities apart from London and Oxford are known to have supported this scale of book production. 

In the 13th century, when the Sarum Master was active and the present cathedral was being built, Salisbury was a hive of artistic activity. It’s thought that some of the vault paintings at Salisbury Cathedral may be related to the work of the Sarum Master. The Cathedral is usually visited by over 250,000 people annually.

Geordie Greig, Chair of FNL, said: “I am determined that this campaign by Friends of the Nations’ Libraries to return a literary treasure to an ancient Cathedral library 700 years after it was written by one of the few known medieval artists will be successful. To achieve this we are asking the public and donors to help us to save the Master of Sarum Salisbury bible, a treasure of infinite historical and bibliographical  merit.” 

The Very Reverend Nicholas Papadopulos, Dean of Salisbury added: “We are immensely grateful to the Friends of the Nations’ Libraries for their invaluable support with  the campaign to bring the Sarum Bible back to Salisbury. The artistry of the  Sarum Master speaks to a centuries long tradition of creativity at Salisbury. We are delighted at the  prospect of being able to share this treasure with visitors to the Cathedral Library in the future.” 

Friends of the Nations’ Libraries (FNL) formerly Friends of the National Libraries, has helped to  save the UK’s written and printed history since its foundation in 1931. FNL awards grants to national,  regional and specialist collecting libraries enabling them to acquire rare books, manuscripts, literary  archives, fine bindings and estate archives that would otherwise be lost to the public domain and to the nation. In 2021 FNL raised £15m to save the Blavatnik Honresfield Library, donating every manuscript and book to nearly 70 UK libraries and archives.  

Salisbury Cathedral Library was founded in 1445 and holds a rich collection of manuscripts dating from the 9th century onwards as well as incunabula and thousands of printed books dating from the 15th century onwards. It occupies one of the earliest purpose-built library rooms still in use in England.