
Agents persons, peoples and institutions
Browse and discover
Today’s feast-day (7 June)
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
- James Yonged. c.1425Anglo-Irish notary, writer and translator active in Dublin. His writings include an English adaptation of the Secreta secretorum, which was commissioned by the earl of Ormond, and an account of the pilgrimage of a Hungarian nobleman, Laurence Rathold, to St Patrick’s Purgatory.
- Albert Suerbeerd. 1272/73Also known as Albert the German, churchman from Cologne who became archbishop of Armagh, 1240 (cons.)-1246.
- Albert of Cashelsupp. fl. 8th centuryAlbart or Albert, a patron of Cashel of dubious historicity. A 12th-century life was written for him at St James, Regensburg (Vita S. Alberti archiepiscopi Casellensis) which identifies him as an Anglo-Saxon missionary who was active in both Ireland and Bavaria, undertook a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and died in Regensburg.
- John the ApostleOne of the apostles of Christ in the New Testament, brother of James; traditionally identified with John the Evangelist.
- Peter the ApostleOne of the apostles of Christ, patriarch and first pope of the Roman church.
- IsaacBiblical figure, a patriarch of the Israelites, son of Abraham and Sarah.
- JacobBiblical figure, patriarch of the Israelites, son of Isaac and Rebecca.
- Rufinus of Aquileiad. 411Tyrannius Rufinus of Aquileia was a monk, theologian and historian. He is known for having translated Greek works by Origen, Eusebius and others in Latin.
- A. S. D. Smith1883–1950Cornish bard and linguist, also known by his bardic name Caradar.
- SamuelBiblical judge and prophet.
- HamIn the book of Genesis, second son of Noah and himself the father of Cush, Mizraim, Phut and Canaan.
- ShemIn the book of Genesis, one of the sons of Noah.
- JaphethIn the book of Genesis, one of the three sons of Noah. In Isidore’s Etymologiae, he is regarded as the ancestor of European peoples, an idea which proved seminal in subsequent tradition.
- Henry Sidney1529–1586Sir Henry Sidney, son of William Sidney, was lord deputy of Ireland (1565–71, 1575–78) and a prominent figure at the English court.
- SaulAccording to the Old Testament, notably 1 Samuel, first king of (the united kingdom of) Israel, who was anointed by the judge Samuel and was the father of King David.
- Quimperlé, abbey of Sainte-Croix
- Quimper cathedral
- Cwrt Mawr
Building and estate near Llangeitho, Ceredigion.
- Liath Mór [Leamakevoge]
- Vienna, Archiv des Schottenstifts
- Cell Moinne [Kilmoon, Co. Meath]A foundation in the modern parish which is named after it, that of Kilmoon/Kilmoone (bar. Skreen, Co. Meath).
- Liverpool, University Library
The special collections are in the Sydney Jones Library.
- Berlin, Geheimes Staatsarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz
- Cell Bróinche
Foundation associated with multiple female saints (e.g. Brónach, Cainer) and subject to Kildare.
- Rechru [Rathlin Island foundation]
- Rechru [Lambay Island foundation]
- Abbotsford House LibraryLibrary belonging to Abbotsford (House), a country house in the Scottish Borders, near Galashiels and Melrose, that is known as the former residence of Sir Walter Scott.
- Canterbury, St Augustine's abbey
- Bury St Edmunds abbey
- Sawley abbey
Randomised results
A random selecton of authors and those so described.