Textus Roffensis: Rochester Cathedral's National Treasure

This video presentation by Dr Christopher Monk was delivered as the keynote address at the 2024 CALCA (Cathedral Archives, Libraries & Collections Association) conference, held at Rochester Cathedral on 7th June.
It is in two parts. The first part gives an overview of Textus Roffensis, the most important medieval 'legal encyclopaedia', now recognised by UNESCO.
The second part focuses on the subject of theft, which is an area of particular interest to Dr Monk. He explores the punishment of theft from the time of King Æthelberht of Kent (died 616) to the rule of Athelstan, King of the English (927-39).
His attention on Athelstan's treatment of young offenders is chilling.

[@elisefleming3419]

The statue of Æthelbehrt at the beginning of this video is remarkably similar to York Minster's row of kings in front of the entrance to the Choir. Do you know if there is any relationship of stone masons/carvers or whether someone was inspired by the other?

[@MonksModernMedievalCuisine]

If you mean the statue inside Rochester Cathedral, I don't know when the row of statues was created. I've asked Jacob (former heritage officer) if he knows. The York minster ones are medieval, 15th-century.

[@MonksModernMedievalCuisine]

Jacob has given the date as around 1904, so modern. Therefore there's no direct connection, though of course the modern architecture within the cathedral no doubt took inspiration from the medieval.

[@Dr_b_]

Olde English sounds like some mainland European norsk or germanic language, glad it died out or morphed into what is used now

[@themedievalmonk1915]

Yes, it's a Germanic language. Then the Normans brought a version of Old French, and this marriage of languages (with other vocabulary thrown in) led to what we speak today.