What: An 18th century manuscript of the Mashafa Genzat, prayers and benedictions
Where: The British Library, 96 Euston Rd, London NW1 2DB
Provenance: Listed as part of the “Magdala collection” in William Wright’s Catalogue of the Ethiopic manuscripts in the British Museum acquired since the year 1847
Does not appear in British Library’s online catalogue or list of digitised manuscripts
What: Described as “Funeral Services in Coptic and Arabic”, but no fuller description in William Wright’s catalogue
Where: The British Library, 96 Euston Rd, London NW1 2DB
Provenance: Listed as part of the “Magdala collection” in the index of William Wright’s Catalogue of the Ethiopic manuscripts in the British Museum acquired since the year 1847, but there is no fuller description in the body of the catalogue.
Does not appear in British Library’s online catalogue or list of digitised manuscripts
What: Described as “Ethiopic [religious] text with slight rubrication, end decoration and illustrated miniatures consisting of faces, eyes, saltire crosses, cross, 1090x71mm, rolled vellum.”
Where: Trinity College Library – Dublin
One of at least 19 Ethiopic manuscripts listed in the library’s database.
Library ref: IE TCD MS 3810
database entry – https://manuscripts.catalogue.tcd.ie/CalmView/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=IE+TCD+MS+3809-3810&pos=12
Provenance:
Purchased by TCLD 9 June 1905. Brought from Abyssinia in 1869 [receipt kept with rolls]. Found in Classing Room, April 1964
1869 is the year after the Abyssinian Expedition
What: An Ethiopian manuscript of Genesis, described in one record as c. 1500, with illustrations including “quails in the land of milk and honey”. According to that record, it was found in a chest “dating from the Wars of King Theodore” and was “said to be looted”. But there are now doubts about that the dating and the account of its discovery.
Where: Boston College, Law Library, The Daniel R. Coquillette Rare Book Room, 885 Centre Street, Newton, Massachusetts 02459
A guide to the exhibit “Recent Additions to the Collection – Spring 2007”: describes:
“ETHIOPIAN MANUSCRIPT: OLD TESTAMENT BOOK OF GENESIS
This copy was found in a British officer’s chest dating from the Wars of King Theodore in the Victorian era. It was said to be looted from the famous library at Gondar after it was captured by British troops.
Gift of Daniel R. Coquillette.”
It is also mentioned in this brochure for the Daniel R. Coquillette Rare Book Room.
But after further examinations, library staff raised doubts about that account and estimated that the manuscript was from the late 19th century. The current library catalogue entry mentions that dats and has no mention of Maqdala.
Library ref: RBR 165.86
What: An Ethiopian manuscript taken from Magdala
Where: The University of Bonn, University and State Library, Adenauerallee 39-41, 53113 Bonn
This manuscript is listed in Veronika Six’s huge survey of “Oriental” works in German collections: Verzeichnis der orientalischen Handschriften in Deutschland (VOHD) XX, 6, pp. 199-202:
“Three manuscripts, one of which was taken from Magdala by Gerhard Rohlfs in 1868.” A fourth Ethiopian manuscript in the university library disappeared during World War Two.
Tracked down by the even more voluminous Menestrel website.
What: An 18th century Ethiopian strip of parchment, folded like a concertina, with three miniatures, prayers and prescriptions and a note on the back mentioning Magdala
Where: The British Library, 96 Euston Rd, London NW1 2DB
An 18th century strip of manuscript containing “magical prayers and prescriptions”, according to the catalogue. A note on the back reads: “Found in Theodore’s Church, at the storming of Magdala”.
Listed as Or 12114 B in the British Library catalogue
Catalogue of Ethiopian manuscripts in the British Library acquired since the year 1877 / compiled by S. Strelcyn