14th century wildlife
Spotlight on the Luttrell Psalter
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The Luttrell Psalter is an illuminated manuscript that was created for Sir Geoffrey Luttrell of Irnham, Lincolnshire in the early 1300s.
Psalters were books that contained psalms and other devotional material, usually owned by the wealthy. What's unusual about the Luttrell Psalter is that it depicts everyday village life in its decorated borders. Peasants are ploughing, ladies spinning and the harvest is being gathered in.
The manuscript contains an abundance of wildlife including a crow stealing grain from behind the sower's back, ivy, oak and ripe fruit. It was a time when everyday life and the seasons were inextricably linked and communities relied on spotting the signs of the seasons changing in order to survive.
Now we no longer need to know when bluebells will bloom so that we can use their sap to fletch our arrows, or plant rowan to ward witches away from our door. Nowadays we need to know the timing of natural events so that our scientists can assess the effects of climate change on our wildlife.
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