Library pays £9m to save historic gospel
A seventh-century book that lay buried in a saint’s coffin for hundreds of years has been saved for the nation after a multimillion-pound fundraising effort.
The British Library raised £9m to buy the St Cuthbert Gospel, which is the earliest surviving intact European book. Chief executive Dame Lynne Brindley said: “This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to secure the Gospel for the nation and we were both grateful and touched that so many people felt moved to support our campaign.”