
Agents persons, peoples and institutions
Browse and discover
A module for identifying agents - encompassing persons, peoples and organisations - and managing information about them has been around for many years, continually evolving as time went by, but what was absent all this time is a public interface for accessing relevant data in a user-friendly way.
This is a first attempt at offering such an interface, which is provided "as-is" and should be considered beta-quality for now (not that there is any official product release cycle as such but using the label is a convenient means to sound the right alarm bells). It currently consists of a basic search, aggregated data overviews for individual agents, and hover-card labels that you will meet elsewhere in the catalogue.
I am aware of duplicates, uneven coverage and other shortcomings that typically arise from the progressive nature of this website or simply, lack of personpower. An earlier version of the interface was available to editors partly because it helps us address some of those issues. None of these objections, however, seemed to weigh heavily against the alternative, which is having nothing at all to offer.
Note that for convenience's sake, many agents are not formally indexed but are nonetheless included by exclusive virtue of being linked. It is a wonderful forte of the system that allows us to retrieve and bring together disparate data from disparate data sources, but some useful metadata will be missing and discoverability is more limited as a result. For instance, we may be linking to a scribe whose name and associated data can be retrieved and presented, but without, say, a floruit it will be difficult to find this person within the appropriate time range. I say "difficult" because it is possible, to an extent, to rely on the dates we have, if any, for associated objects (manuscripts, scribal hands), but such a circuitous approach comes with limitations of its own and is not necessarily methodologically sound.
Meanwhile, I hope that the new interface will improve your experience in using this website. Next up are thematic categories for scribes (in the broadest, non-pejorative sense of the word), authors and scholars.
Last added
- John of Tynemouthfl. 14th centuryEnglish historian and hagiographer, known for having produced a chronicle, the Historia aurea, and a collection of saints’ lives, the Sanctilogium Anglia, Wallia, Scotiae et Hiberniae, which would form the basis of the Nova legenda Angliae.
- Jacques Bernard [d. 1652]1589–1652Jesuit hagiographer.
- Stéphane LebecqFrench historian.
- Wrdistenfl. 9th centuryAbbot of Landévennec and author of a Life of St Winwaloe/Gwenolé.
- Heribert Rosweyde1569–1629Jesuit hagiographer whose work was used by the Bollandists.
- Laurentius Surius1523–1578German ecclesiastical historian and hagiographer
- John Lumley [1st baron Lumley]c.1533–1609English collector of books and art.
- Bilifl. 9th centuryDeacon of Aleth and author of the first extant Life of St Malo (Machutus), bishop of Aleth.
- Conomorfl. middle of the 6th centuryRuler in both Cornwall or Dumnonia and Brittany.
- André-Yves BourgèsScholar and historian who specialises in Breton hagiography.
- Gradlonsupp. fl. 5th centuryLegendary king in Brittany, mentioned as ruling over either Cornouaille or Brittany as a whole.
- Françoise MorvanBreton scholar.
- Dáibhí Ó Duibhgeannáinfl. 1651–1696Irish professional scribe, member of the Ó Duibhgeannáin family.
- Antony Hickeyd. 1641Irish Franciscan friar and theologian.
- Rome, Pontifical Irish College
Irish College (Coláiste na nGael, Coláisde na nGaedheal) in Rome, established in 1628 by Irish Franciscan Luke Wadding and cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi.
- Quimper, Bibliothèque municipale
- Verona, Biblioteca capitolare
- National Records of Scotland
- Paris, Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal
- Rome, Biblioteca Universitaria Alessandrina
- Mons, Bibliothèque Centrale de l'Université
Library of the Université de Mons (previously, before 2009, Université de Mons-Hainaut).
- Naples, Biblioteca Nazionale
- The Hague, Koninklijke Bibliotheek
- Troyes, Bibliothèque municipale
- Marburg, Hessisches Staatsarchiv
- Marburg, Stadtarchiv
- Le Mans, Bibliothèque municipale
- Harburg, Öttingen-Wallersteinische Bibliothek
- Groningen, Universiteitsbibliotheek
- Freiburg im Breisgau, Universitätsbibliothek
Randomised results
A random selecton of authors and those so described.