The Wilton Psalter

This handwritten copy of the Book of Psalms from the Bible is heavily illustrated throughout. It was produced, probably at Salisbury, for use at Wilton Abbey, a convent for nuns.  All monastic orders in England were dissolved and their lands and treasures dispersed in 1539 by Henry VIII.

This book passed through several private owners until it was given to the Royal College of Physicians in 1687, by the Marquis of Dorchester, as part of a collection to replace its library, lost in the Great Fire of London.