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'We want the good book'

The illuminated manuscripts, known as the Lindisfarne Gospels, were produced by monks on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne in the seventh century. Fears that they might fall into Viking hands led to them being taken to the city of Durham on the mainland.

They were then moved from Durham cathedral to London on the orders of King Henry VIII, almost 400 years ago.

But now a campaign, backed by the Bishop of Durham, is gathering force to return the priceless books to the North East, where the bishop and others believe they belong.

"They are unique. But they were created out of the medieval culture of the North East of England for one of the North East's greatest men, St Cuthbert, so in many ways I think they belong here," said Michael Turnbull, the Bishop of Durham.

A local Labour MP, Fraser Kemp, has taken the step of drawing up a private member's bill to have the gospels permanently returned to the region.

The bill goes to parliament on April 8, but in the meantime protesters are trying to rally government support in London.

The leader of the campaign, Richard Berg Rust, said: "We must get away from the notion that London has exclusive rights to represent the nation.

"We are very much part of England, and have the right to represent our national treasure on behalf of the country."

Staff at the British Library , where the gospels are being kept, are resisting the move.

They say the gospels have already been preserved for centuries in the British Library, and that this is consistent with its role in preserving important parts of the national heritage for the public and scholars.

Meanwhile, a computer-generated reproduction of the gospels has been produced, and will be released on the market soon.

But campaigners are still waiting for the real thing.

Relevant Stories

Give us back the Gospels (04 Feb 98 | UK)

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The Lindisfarne Gospels
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Medieval Manuscripts
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