Celtic Psalter
The Celtic Psalter (University of Edinburgh MS 56) is a 114-page, 11th-century psalter and is likely to be the oldest Scottish book to be still kept within Scotland. Its exact origins are unknown, however it is similar to books made in Irish and Scottish monasteries at the time, which strongly suggests it was produced somewhere within Scotland, possibly by monks in a monastery in Iona.
Celtic Psalter
University of Edinburgh Heritage Collection · https: mi=24 trs=311# · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Celtic Psalter
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- Edinburgh University Library Special Collections
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Documentary summary
The Celtic Psalter (University of Edinburgh MS 56) is a 114-page, 11th-century psalter and is likely to be the oldest Scottish book to be still kept within Scotland. Its exact origins are unknown, however it is similar to books made in Irish and Scottish monasteries at the time, which strongly suggests it was produced somewhere within Scotland, possibly by monks in a monastery in Iona.
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wikidata · Q116867221 · wikipedia · Celtic Psalter
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Celtic Psalter • Location — University of Edinburgh MS 56 • Width — 180px • Also Known As — Psalter (Celtic) • Date — c. 1000 CE • Language S — Latin • Material — vellum • Size — 13.02 cm x 7.94 cm • Condition — no original binding; some missing and replaced pages; pages cropped
Contents
Contents
Many bindings for the book have been made over time as the original has long since been lost. The current binding was created by Douglas Cockerell in 1914 in Celtic style.
History
History
The book is dated sometime in the early 1000s or perhaps earlier. Analysis of gold pigment by A.P. Laurie on one of the pages shows it contains river-washed gold dust which has at latest been found in the Canterbury psalter in the early 1000s and is absent past the 11th century. The earliest owner known of the manuscript is John Reid, chancellor of Aberdeen, in 1537, who has left an inscription within. There are no other marks of ownership apart from an erased inscription on the first page. It was then acquired by the University of Edinburgh library at some point before 1636 as shown by a manuscript catalogue of that date. A common rumour is that the book was commissioned for Saint Margaret of Scotland as a love token by Malcom III since the book has been dated to around that period.
History of the document
Dated record
History of the document
The full dated record · 1 entries
2002
Sounds of the eternal: a Celtic psalter (2002) is digitised and catalogued by Open Library.
Primary material
Digitised editions and texts
Celtic psalter (1962) — Open Library
Sounds of the eternal: a Celtic psalter (2002) — Open Library
Literature
Literature
The Pigments used in Painting 'The Rosslyn Missal' in the Advocates' Library, and the Celtic Psalter, D.p.111,8, in the Library of the Univberrsity of Edinburgh, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 1923.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Scotland's oldest book on display. 2009-12-10.
- 2.Scotland's Oldest Book. Google Arts & Culture.
- 3.A.P, Laurie. The Pigments and Mediums of the Old Masters. Macmillan & Co. Ltd. 74–76. 1914.
- 4.MS 56: Celtic Psalter, c 1000 University of Edinburgh Archive and Manuscript Collections. archives.collections.ed.ac.uk.
- 5.Press catalogue, 1636 University of Edinburgh Archive and Manuscript Collections. archives.collections.ed.ac.uk.
- 6.The Celtic Psalter, the Oldest Scottish Book Remaining in Scotland : History of Information. www.historyofinformation.com.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 1
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References
Citations
References
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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