The St Albans Psalter, a book created especially for Christina of Markyate by a monk of St Albans, is such a book. It is believed that the Abbot Geoffrey of St Albans is the sponsor behind this book for Christina. It is hard for us to think of the scribes in the dark monastery scriptoria of this period creating such wonderful works by the light of the candle or some smoking oil lamp. Such is faith in the sacred word. We have to marvel at the strong belief in the Lord's word that shines through these pages.

Now we can see parts of this book thanks to Jane Geddes, who teaches History of Art at Aberdeen University. She has created for us a stunning book that does full justice to the Psalter and to Christina's life, as well as give us insight into the period in which she lived.

A recluse, Christina had vowed as a teenager to follow the celibate lives of some monks she had seen during a visit to a Benedictine abbey at St Albans. Despite every effort by her prosperous Anglo-Saxon parents to settle her into an equally prosperous marriage, she stubbornly refused as she grew into an exceedingly attractive young woman. She finally gave in and married Burhed, a local noble chosen in revenge to Ranulph Flambard, the Bishop of Durham. He had tried to rape her during a visit to his mistress, Alveva, Christina's aunt. The girl managed to outsmart him, much to his humiliation. Burhed, her hapless husband, however, never had a chance to consummate the marriage, having instead to listen to lectures about the unconsummated marriage of St. Cecilia and other worthies each time he approached her.

Born around 1096-8, Christina married around 1114, and in 1115 managed to escape from her marriage with the help of a network of Anglo-Saxon recluses. We must remember that by now the Normans have taken over England, hence the emphasis on Christina's Anglos-Saxons background. She fled into the shelter of the anchoress Alfwyn at Flamstead, Bedfordshire. There is much to her life that follows that is worthy a novel by some adventurous writer. What has been passed down to us is only sketchy, the scenes will need to be filled in. Yet, it is even fascinating to read about the sketches. Our imagination can fill in the rest.