Winchester Cathedral Scribes

A chance to meet some of the incredible and dedicated people using heritage crafts within Winchester Cathedral.

Scribes active in Winchester in the eleventh century were attached to William the Conquer’s court; the Domesday Book was written by a single scribe in Winchester. The current scribe’s group was initiated in 1989 and the group is unique among British cathedrals by its size and output. There are currently seventeen volunteer scribes who work from a bespoke desk on the first floor within the Kings and Scribes exhibition and are usually in attendance four hours a day Monday to Saturday. We provide a service for the cathedral in the form of notices, certificates, prayers, etc., and for recording names in memorial books in the diocese as well as undertaking commissions for calligraphy work from the public; typically, poems, certificates, and place cards for special occasions such as weddings.

We participate in the school’s education programs by holding children’s classes in calligraphy and illumination and offer public calligraphy workshops twice a year. On your visit you can have a bespoke bookmark created ‘while you wait’.

GALLERY OF WORK