Acknowledgments
This book is based, in large part, on my doctoral thesis completed at Cambridge University in 2015. The declaration in that thesis stated that its content was all my own work, a statement which was true, but with a caveat. None of that work would have been possible without the great support, encouragement and help that I have received along the journey that led me to the thesis’s completion and now to the completion of this book. My gratitude to my husband, family, friends and colleagues both at Lucy Cavendish College and the History Faculty, and above all my PhD supervisor, Professor Anna Sapir Abulafia, was unbounded. Similarly, in the transformation of the thesis into this book, my gratitude to these individuals, with their patience and reassurance, continues to be heartfelt, but it now includes two more, Professor Lesley Smith, who has steadfastly encouraged me to take that daunting step into academic publishing, and Marcella Mulder and Judy Pereira at Brill, who have held my hand throughout the publishing process.
The help and support I received both for the thesis and the book have taken many forms. There has been practical help provided by so many libraries and librarians and my thanks to them have been duly footnoted. There are four libraries, however, that I should like to thank in particular. First, Cambridge University Library, where the Manuscripts Room librarians have been unfailingly helpful in keeping me supplied with wonderful manuscripts and second, the British Library, in particular the Rare Books room, where I began to regard seat number 397 as my very own. Huge thanks are due also to the librarians at the Mediathèque in Troyes, in particular Messrs. Pierre Gandil and Pascal Jacquinot. When, in 2014, the digitised system for consulting manuscripts on-line at Troyes broke down, so did I. However, the Troyes librarians came to my rescue and immediately sent me copies of ‘my’ glossed Psalms manuscripts through the ether. Without these copies, it would have been almost impossible to complete the thesis and I am therefore so very grateful for their help. Last, but by no means least, my thanks to the Lucy Cavendish College Library in Cambridge, because it truly became my second home.
There was also financial help for my thesis, which enabled me to spend some time in Troyes. Funding received from Lucy Cavendish College and the George Bidder Fund allowed me to see for myself that purported Prince Henry signature on Troyes MS 511 – it was a heart-stopping moment. However, the most significant financial help came from the Pigott Foundation. Having my PhD fully funded for three years meant that I was able to focus on my thesis, without any distractions or financial worries and I was honoured to have been selected, in 2010, as one of the first two Pigott PhD scholars at Cambridge University, a scholarship endowed by the generosity of Mark Pigott, KBE.
While practical and financial help have abounded, equally important has been the help and support of my family and the friendship of colleagues. The immense pastoral and academic support I received from Lucy Cavendish College along my path from undergraduate to PhD and now in my post-doc life as a Lucy Cavendish Associate, has been invaluable, while the frequent gatherings of post-grad medievalists at 4pm for tea in the University library tea-room were often a life-saver. My husband’s patience and constant willingness to listen and, wisely, not comment, has been much appreciated throughout the whole process, while my son’s trenchant questioning has kept me on my toes. The help of Dr Hazel Freestone in the reading and checking of drafts of the book has been beyond invaluable – a different eye saw much to be sorted, and as a result, all remaining errors are mine and mine alone.
It is, however, to Professor Anna Abulafia that I extend my warmest and most sincere thanks. She steered and guided me through the stresses and strains of undergraduate, MPhil and PhD studies. Unstinting and generous in giving me time to talk through my ideas, providing me with guidance, suggestions and solutions, she always, by her own interest and enthusiasm, kept me focussed and motivated, albeit sometimes against my will. She has taught me intellectual rigour and argument. Most importantly, she has taught me how to think. I am everlastingly grateful.