What: An antiphonary for the whole year, dated 1730-55

Where: The John Rylands Library, 150 Deansgate, Manchester M3 3EH

One of four manuscripts in Manchester University’s library taken from Magdala. A fifth is described a “bought by Lt-Colonel Henslowe from a priest in Addigrat” – a major stop on the force’s route on the campaign. The library has a total of 42 Ethiopian manuscripts, and some of the remainder may also have come from Magdala.

Stefan Strelcyn lists the antiphonary as No. 4 in his Catalogue of Ethiopic manuscripts in the John Rylands University Library of Manchester, and identifies it as a Magdala manuscript:

“f. 5r In the upper margin is an inscription indicating that the manuscript belonged to the Church of the Saviour of the World at Magdala. It is, therefore, clear that it was brought back by a member of the British expedition of 1867-8/”