The Prince and the Plunder

A book on how Britain took one boy and piles of treasures from Ethiopia

Category: Scrolls

Scroll with charms against maladies and evil spirits (MS.94) *

Published February 26, 2024 / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: An 18th century scroll “containing a collection of charms against maladies and evil spirits”, probably from Magdala

Where: The National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EW

The database entry labels it MS. 94 and describes it as made of vellum and written in Ethiopic and Amharic.

Another page in the library database says it is one of two manuscripts “acquired by General Sir William Knox, Knight Commander of the Bath, probably during the Abyssinian campaign of 1867-1868“.

It was presented, 1927, by Lady Knox, M.B.E.

The library also has an Ethiopic copy of the Four Gospels, previously in the collection of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, that was “procured” at one of the British force’s stops on the way to Magdala.

Its story, together with that of some smaller manuscripts currently in Edinburgh University’s Library, is told in Volume 8 (1868-70) of The Proceedings of the Antiquaries of Scotland. This says: “The large book, believed to be the Priest’s Bible, or rather the one belonging to the church, and from which he explained to his people, was procured in a church between Adabagah and Dongalo, about thirty-two or thirty-three miles south of Adigrat. The smaller book and scrolls were mostly procured in the neighbourhood of Senafe, from churches and villages. One of the boos was said to be the Psalms … Presented … by Captain Charles McInroy, Staff Service, Madras.”

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Scroll with prayer against chest pain (32)

Published February 26, 2024 / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: A 19th century scroll with five coloured pictures and prayers against demons and conditions including chest pain

Where: The John Rylands Library, 150 Deansgate, Manchester M3 3EH

One of four manuscripts in Manchester University’s library taken from Magdala. A fifth is described a “bought by Lt-Colonel Henslowe from a priest in Addigrat” – a major stop on the force’s route on the campaign. The library has a total of 42 Ethiopian manuscripts, and some of the remainder may also have come from Magdala.

Stefan Strelcyn lists the scroll as No. 32 in his Catalogue of Ethiopic manuscripts in the John Rylands University Library of Manchester, and identifies it as a Magdala manuscript:

“Obtained in Magdala, as stated in a note written in pencil on a piece of paper (215x140mm, badly damaged and pasted on another piece of paper) placed within the scroll”

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The Solomon’s net scroll

Published February 26, 2024 / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: One of five healing scrolls from Magdala. Part of a wider collection that includes 11 other scrolls that might also be from the same source

Where: The Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Rd, London NW1 2BE

Details in: Catalogue of Ethiopian manuscripts of the Wellcome Institute of the History of Medicine in London / [compiled] by Stefan Strelcyn, published in 1972

“As far as one can tell from the notes preserved in the registers of the Library, the provenance of these scrolls is heterogeneous. As one might expect, some of them certainly come from Magdala, brought back by members of Lord Napier’s expedition in 1867-8 (Nos. I, VII, VIII, XII, XIV). This is probably also true for No. XIII and perhaps for a few others as well. All these MSS were acquired by the Library between 1913 and 1930.”

Catalogue entry:
VII
Nineteenth century (?). Vellum, partly damaged and mounted with blue paper. 2,030 mm. X 130 mm. Scroll composed of three strips. Careful script. Black and red ink. Two columns. No. 88613.

  1. Prayer for undoing charms, maftdhe hray.
  2. ‘Solomon’s net’, prayer for catching devils.
  3. Prayer for undoing charms.
  4. Prayer for binding devils by the virtue of the secret names pronounced by the king Alexander before Gog and Magog.
  5. Prayer against devils
  6. Prayer against blacksmiths, barya, legewon, chest pain, rheumatism, migraine, colic, zar, tdgrida, mdtliat, afdfta, and pleurisy
  7. Prayer against barya and legeivon containing the legend of Susenyos.
  8. ‘Solomon’s net’, prayer for catching devils.
  9. Prayer for anathematizing devils.
  10. Prayer against the evil spirit, for people possessed by buda and barya, against dga sabd\ sorcerers, and magical action, against barya, legewon, chest pain, rheumatism, migraine, colic, magganna, and qwdranna.

Four coloured magical pictures.
The first owner was Walda Maryam Marra, the second Walatta Giyorgis.
Taken at Magdala in 1868. Bought in 1924.

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The sapper’s scroll

Published February 26, 2024 / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: Scroll with ‘Sapper John Abbotts’ written on back

Where: The Royal Engineers Museum, Prince Arthur Rd, Gillingham ME7 1UR

The museum’s catalogue entry shows a 5 ft-long long narrow scroll with “five coloured drawn images depicting Christ and the apostles, an angel holding a knife in the right hand and a prayer object in the left”. There is also “a decorative image with a face in the top section of the scroll and a Coptic cross at the other end”.

On the back is written “7990 Sapper John Abbotts. 10th Company Royal Engineers. Abyssinian Field Force. Abyssinia // 13th April 1868”. That is the date of the last decisive battle when the British forces overran Magdala, found Tewodros dead and started looting the buildings.

From the catalogue entry
Object number: 4901.38
Material: parchment
Length: 1565 mm
Width: 75 mm

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The Southwark scroll *

Published February 26, 2024 / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: Scroll bought back by the 4th regiment

Where: Southwark’s Cuming Museum, 211 Borough High Street, London SE1 1JA

According to the catalogue entry, it is “a scroll of rolled cloth, from a Hegab or charm bracelet. It is inscribed with a passage from the Koran”. It said it was “brought to England by the 4th regiment in 1868”.

Details
Dimensions: 250 x 80 x 40 mm
Object number: C05286

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