Researchers Discover Oldest Surviving English Poem in 9th-Century Manuscript in Rome

Irish researchers examining digitized pages of a medieval manuscript in Rome identified the oldest surviving English poem integrated into the main text rather than added as a marginal note. The nine-line work, known as Caedmon's Hymn, was composed in the 7th century by a Northumbrian agricultural worker at Whitby Abbey.

It appears inside a 9th-century copy of the Ecclesiastical History of the English People written in Latin by the Venerable Bede.

Magnanti, a visiting research fellow at Trinity College Dublin, described the moment the team first saw the poem on screen.

“We were extremely surprised. We were speechless. ”

Mark Faulkner, associate professor of medieval literature at Trinity, said the manuscript dates from the early 9th century and is one of the oldest surviving copies of Bede's history.

Two earlier copies contain the poem, but only as later additions in the margins. The Rome manuscript places the Old English text within the main body of Latin, indicating that English already held recognized literary status by the early 9th century. Faulkner noted that prior to this discovery the earliest integrated copy dated to the early 12th century.

Monks at the Benedictine abbey of Nonantola near Modena transcribed the volume in the scriptorium. The book later moved through several Roman institutions before entering private collections. P. Kraus before Italy's culture ministry purchased it in 1972.

Valentina Longo, curator of medieval and modern manuscripts at Rome's National Central Library, said the volume had received little scholarly attention until recently.

The library has now digitized the entire Nonantolan collection and made it freely available online. Andrea Cappa, head of manuscripts and the rare books reading room, said the find could lead to further discoveries through similar international cooperation.