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Researchers Find Caedmon Hymn, Pushing English Verse Back 300 Years

5/17/2026

Summary

Story summary

Elisabetta Magnanti and Mark Faulkner uncovered Caedmon’s Hymn in a 9th-century manuscript at Rome’s Library on May 8, 2026.
The hymn appears embedded in Bede’s Ecclesiastical History, pushing the earliest known English verse back three centuries.
The codex, copied at Nonantola Abbey, passed through Rome, the Vatican and collectors before Italy bought it in 1972.
Andrea Cappa said the discovery may trigger further finds as the library digitises the Nonantolan collection online.

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Story summary

Elisabetta Magnanti and Mark Faulkner uncovered Caedmon’s Hymn in a 9th-century manuscript at Rome’s Library on May 8, 2026.
The hymn appears embedded in Bede’s Ecclesiastical History, pushing the earliest known English verse back three centuries.
The codex, copied at Nonantola Abbey, passed through Rome, the Vatican and collectors before Italy bought it in 1972.
Andrea Cappa said the discovery may trigger further finds as the library digitises the Nonantolan collection online.