![]() ![]() The story goes that in July 1904 Perrins went into a bookshop in search of something to read on the train. Perrins’ first major purchase of a manuscript became a legend of the book trade. The varying values placed on medieval manuscripts by wealthy collectors such as Perrins, scholars like Warner and other people involved in the early 20th-century book trade have had an outsized impact on the ways in which the Middle Ages have been perceived, both within the academic community and by the wider public. What is revealed by this are the ways in which lavish publications such as Warner’s catalogue have helped reinforce ideas about what is considered an ‘important’ manuscript – and in turn influenced the shape of Medieval Studies as a discipline. ![]() Tracing Perrins’ collecting habits through dealers’ records, meanwhile, builds up a fuller picture. But for scholars of manuscripts he is known because of the imposing catalogue of 135 volumes written for Perrins by George Warner, retired Keeper of Manuscripts at the British Museum, published in 1920.Īs with most early 20th-century collections, however, the catalogue only includes a selection of the manuscripts that passed through Perrins’ hands – those deemed most significant. In Worcestershire, Perrins’ name remains associated with his many philanthropic projects, from hospitals to the Dyson Perrins Church of England Academy. If the name Charles Dyson Perrins strikes a chord of recognition today, it is probably in connection with the Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce developed by his grandfather, which helped create the family’s fortune. ![]()
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