The Acts of Eadburg: drypoint additions to Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Selden Supra 30

Abstract

In 1913, two drypoint additions were identified in Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Selden Supra 30 (SS30), an eighth-century Southumbrian copy of the Acts of the Apostles. It was suggested that these additions, cut into the membrane of p. 47, were abbreviations of the Old English female name, Eadburg. Just over a century later, many more drypoint markings were discovered in the margins of SS30, including several instances of Eadburg’s full name. This article provides the first analysis of these additions to the manuscript. It argues, based on their form, content, and placement, that these tiny annotations represent meaningful responses to the text added to SS30 by its owner – Eadburg herself.