Sarum Ordinal Page

Printed between 1476 and 1477, the “Sarum Ordinal” or “Sarum Pye” was a handbook written in Latin by St. Osmund, an 11th-century bishop. It was a guide for priests on what to wear and which Bible texts to use during religious festivals. At some point the page was ripped from the now-missing book and used to strengthen another’s spine.

There it remained for 300 years until a librarian rescued it in 1820. However, not realizing it was an unknown Caxton leaf, the person stored it and another 200 years passed. Despite its age, getting torn and pasted into another book, the leaf is in good condition. The only other remains of a Caxton printed Sarum Ordinal are eight pages kept at the British Library in London.