by James Cassells
In May 2023, I was asked to rebind two bound book manuscripts, which had been identified to be part of a funded programme to digitise certain medical manuscripts (‘Curious Cures’: https://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/research/research-development/research-projects/curious-cures). The manuscripts are normally kept in the University Library, and due to their condition, were not in a safe state to undergo digitisation for reasons that will be explained.
The manuscripts
Ms. 247 consists of five separate tracts, or parts thereof, and some fragments, and is known to have been bound together by 1345. The tracts are dated from the 12th to the 14th century, are English in origin, and contain works by Galen, Hippocrates and others. The volume is known to have come from the Augustinian Priory of Lanecrost in Cumbria, but it is not known how or when the book arrived at the college.
Ms. 251 dates from the 11th to 13th century, and contains 7 originally independent tracts, known to be together by the 15th century. Of English and Italian origin, it includes as the 7th tract, a medical compendium dated to 1100 written in elegant script by a known scribe who worked at Saint Augustine’s Abbey, Canterbury.1
Description of bindings
Ms. 247 measures 225x175x43mm and comprises 181 leaves. Ms. 251 measures 245x175x55mm and comprises 193 leaves.
As with many of the Peterhouse manuscripts, the original bindings had been removed and in 1791-2 given uniform sheep parchment-covered bindings over rope-fibre boards, as College records confirm. At the same time, board attachment was provided by deep saw-cuts across the spine into which cords were glued, the ends of which were laced into the boards. These might have provided board attachment but were extremely damaging, and with liberal further applications of animal glue, rendered the bindings inflexible. Furthermore, the glue has in places migrated between the leaves, and subsequent use has caused damage and tearing at these points. Both volumes still retained their original sewing supports, each having four double supports of twisted tawed leather, cut at the joints.
Proposed treatment
Due to the damaging elements introduced by the previous binding, and the resulting in flexibility and vulnerability to future handling, it was decided to rebind the manuscripts in more sympathetic bindings which would allow greater flexibility as well as safer digitisation. The manuscripts have been rebound using many of the same materials and techniques that were employed centuries ago, before the advent of the printed book, the mass production that followed and the consequent decline in standards. Emphasis is placed on strong and durable construction, most notably in the sewing to produce a self- supporting spine, protected by the covering leather but not restricted by it.
Disbinding
Both volumes were to be worked on simultaneously. The pastedowns were lifted from the inside of the boards by humidifying. Once lifted, the leaves were dried under tension.
The later cord supports were cut to release the book from its cover.
The original tawed leather raised supports were removed by cutting the sewing threads underneath without damaging the backs of the gatherings. The pulling of the books to their component gatherings was done with great care to safely release each leave from the glue traces around the saw cuts, using a fine spatula and bone folder.
Some repairs to leaves were carried out using strong toned Japanese papers, mainly to tears and split folds, guarding fragments and single leaves.
Sewing
The volumes were assembled into their correct sequence for resewing. New parchment end papers with tawed leather joints were provided at each end.2 Before sewing, ‘free guards’ of handmade paper were placed around outer gatherings to prevent drag by the end leaves.
Each volume was resewn on a sewing frame using 4 double linen cords using the existing sewing holes.
Each gathering was sewn all along using linen seaming twine, linking to the gathering below which forms a herringbone pattern. Extra winding of thread around the cords, known as pack-sewing, is employed to control flexibility and produce a compact text block. Swell at the spine edge was controlled by knocking down although a certain amount of swell is encouraged to accommodate the boards. Spines should naturally revert to their previous shape if the swell is controlled. Following sewing, the books were placed spine-up in a backing press and pasted lightly between the supports.
After a short drying time, the spine panels were lined with Japanese paper. No further linings were used.
Endbands
The endbands are an important feature of the structure of the binding, as they contribute to supporting the spine at the ends as well as controlling flexibility. The manuscripts would almost certainly have had laced in endbands, but as this would necessitate cutting the covering leather they were not used in this instance. Primary endbands were sewn using unbleached linen thread with a back bead, followed by a decorative sewing of blue-green coloured linen thread matching a small fragment of coloured thread found attached to the spine ends of Ms 251.
Boards
Wooden boards were prepared from seasoned, quarter – sawn oak, planed to a thickness of 8 mm. The spine edges were planed to a bevel to take the shape of the swell at the shoulders, and the outer edges of the boards were planed to a gentle bevel. Recesses for the foredge straps were drilled and chiselled in the lower boards. Lacing holes were drilled, with recesses between the holes on the inner faces to take the cords. The lacing holes were staggered to avoid splitting the grain of the wood. The boards were laced on, securing the cords with tawed leather ‘wedges’. The cords were kept to their full unravelled thickness for maximum strength, and the boards laced on fairly tightly to exert the necessary pull on the spine.
Covering
The covering material of choice for the re-binding of manuscripts is alum-tawed pigskin, due to its proven durability and strength. However, we were unable to find a source of tawed pigskin due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Apparently, the usual source of pigskin for tawed leather is Eastern Europe. We opted instead for alum-tawed goatskin which also has a good reputation for durability and use in this field.3
Having selected the skins, only the turn-ins were pared, keeping the full thickness of the skin at the spine area. As the leather is not directly adhered to the spine, the spine area is marked off before pasting up with wheat starch paste. The covering was carried out, the turn-ins and corners worked using mainly hands and fingers to avoid marking the white leather, before the boards are gently closed stretching the skin over the spine. The books were then tied up either side of the supports with string and tying-up boards and the caps shaped.
Foredge closures
When the covering leather had dried, inner joints were put down and the foredge straps attached. The turn-ins were trimmed and filled in, and the inner faces of the boards covered with handmade paper.
The foredge closures are an important part of the structure, as they cause the boards to exert pressure on the spine and leaves, like a mini press. Simple pin-and-ring closures were employed in this case, made from silver by a local silversmith4, with straps of tawed leather strengthened with vellum. The pins were set into pre-drilled holes in the foredge of the upper board, the straps set fairly tightly to start with, anticipating some stretch of the material.
Finally, a drop-back box was constructed from acid-free millboard, covered with archival buckram, to also house a folder containing the earlier parchment bindings.
- R.M. Thomson. A descriptive catalogue of the medieval manuscripts of Peterhouse, Cambridge (Woodbridge, 2016). ↩︎
- Parchment endpapers. William Cowley Ltd, 97 Caldecote St, Newport Pagnell, Bucks. ↩︎
- Alum-tawed leathers. J. Hewit and Sons Ltd, 12 Nettlehill Rd, Livingston, Edinburgh. ↩︎
- Foredge closures. Tim Wolfendale, silversmith. Email: tim@wolfendalejewellery.co.uk ↩︎
Biography
James Cassels was assistant to Dr. Sydney Cockrell OBE from 1985 to 1988 at The Cockerell Bindery, Grantchester, working almost exclusively on mediaeval manuscripts and incunabula. A freelance bookbinder and conservator for 40 years he has had a several workshops with his wife Lucy, and now lives in rural Devon where they continue to work for many historic libraries and collections. He has worked on early books and manuscripts for the Perne Library almost continuously since 1987. He is an accredited conservator/restorer of the Institute of Conservation (ICON).
James Cassels October 2023
The Perne & Ward Libraries 
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