The other authenticated item is
a manuscript copy of the Homilies of St Gregory, dating back to the late
12th or early 13th century. This manuscript has had a very chequered history
which is outlined in the notes accompanying the manuscript
in the British Library.
The Llantarnam manuscript is not
a beautifully illuminated text such as the Lindisfarne Gospels, for example,
but nevertheless, it is a tangible link with the past. The original wooden
covers are still in place. In some parts of the text it has been necessary
to carry out some restoration work.
The manuscript is now housed in
the British Library. Llantarnam Abbey Archives hold two photographs of the
manuscript.
From the point of view of the
history of Llantarnam Abbey, the document is interesting for a number of
reasons: