Moore Bede
medieval manuscript
The Moore Bede (Cambridge, University Library, Kk. 5. 16) is an early manuscript of Bede's 8th-century Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum (Ecclesiastical History of the English People). It was formerly owned by Bishop John Moore (1646–1714), whose collection of books and manuscripts was purchased by George I and donated to Cambridge University.
Physical description
The manuscript is written on parchment. It contains 128 folios. Pages average approximately 293 × 215 mm with a writing surface of 250 × 185 mm (1 column, 30–33 lines in the main text). The manuscript has been copied in a single hand and shows signs of haste.
Contents
The Moore Bede contains (with the Saint Petersburg Bede) one of the two earliest representatives of the m-type text of the Latin Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum.
The manuscript contains a copy of the Northumbrian aelda recension of Cædmon's Hymn on the last page of the manuscript, f.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Moore Bede” is medieval manuscript. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Moore, Bede and medieval, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “medieval manuscript” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q15618755. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1646 and 1714.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
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The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Moore Bede”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Moore Bede primary sources, Moore Bede archive and Moore research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Moore Bede”?
- How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Moore Bede” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.