Medieval love debate at Longleat

This project tells the story of a late 15th century manuscript (MS 258) once owned by William Thynne, a senior official in Henry VIII’s household and uncle of Sir John Thynne, the builder of Longleat. Focusing on a translation of the famous medieval French love debate by Alain Chartier, La Belle Dame sans Mercy (The Beautiful Lady without Mercy) the physical and online exhibitions guide audiences through this poem and its printing in William Thynne’s edition of Chaucer’s Workes (1532).

During the ‘Medieval Love Debate at Longleat’ project, Manuscript 258 was fully digitised, performances of its poetry were filmed, and an online exhibition was created to complement a physical exhibit displayed at Longleat House (April-Jun 2025). The project was a collaboration between Dr Olivia (Liv) Robinson (University of Birmingham) and Longleat’s Librarian, Edwina Penge. It was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

William Thynne, the Chaucer editor, was an ancestor of the Marquesses of Bath; it is very likely that it is through William that the manuscript entered the Longleat library.  Now virtually illegible, William and Thomas Godfray’s signatures appear in an inscription at the end of MS 258.

On the opening page, Sir John Thynne (d.1580), William’s nephew and the builder of Longleat House, has also signed his name. It is likely that John acquired MS 258 from William. This remarkable manuscript has remained in the family library ever since.