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The Complete Corpus of Old English

from the Dictionary of Old English Project, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Toronto
Editor: Antonette di Paolo Healey

This copy at the University of Virginia Electronic Text Center is made available to UVa users only, in accordance with our agreement with the DOE project. Contact the DOE Project for information concerning access to a copy of this database for scholarly use.

This database comprises over 3,000 different texts, and contains all surviving Old English text (excluding some variants). Each text in the corpus includes the following information:

  • a reference to its type, age, and region of origin (when known). For example,"GEA", for "Glossary, Early, Anglian". [A complete list is found below]
  • a unique text number, allocated by the Dictionary of Old English project
  • a Cameron number, (assigned in Cameron's "Plan for the Dictionary of Old English")
  • a short title, used to identify the text in the Dictionary of Old English
  • an expanded title (in most cases)

Old English Corpus: Categories


Single list of All categories (185 KB)

Glossaries Prose
  • PEA: Prose Early Anglian
    • Charters in English
    • Records from Rochester and Worcester
    • Recipes
    • Cryptograms
    • Runic Inscriptions
    • Vernacular inscriptions in the Latin Alphabet
  • PES: Prose Early Saxon
    • Alfredian and Other Translations (Includes Bede)
    • Laws of England
    • Charters in English
    • Records from Canterbury and Worcester
    • Lists of Kings, Saints, and Bishops
    • Martyrology
    • Runic Texts
    • Cryptograms
    • Vernacular Inscriptions in the Latin Alphabet
  • PEU: Prose Early Unknown
    • Other Scientific Texts
    • Runic Texts
    • Runic Inscriptions
    • Vernacular Inscriptions in the Latin Alphabet


  • PIA: Prose Indeterminate Anglian
    • Vernacular Inscriptions in the Latin Alphabet (inscr 54 Workington Shaft only)
  • PIS: Prose Indeterminate Saxon
    • Homilies and Sanctorale
    • Psalms 1-50
    • Alfredian and Other Translations
    • Laws of England
    • Chronicles and Historical Text
    • Vernacular Inscriptions in the Latin Alphabet (inscr 35 Orpington sun-dial)
  • PIU: Prose Indeterminate Unknown
    • Cryptograms
    • Vernacular Inscriptions in the Latin Alphabet (rings)


  • PLA: Prose Late Anglian
    • Sanctorale
    • Rubrics
    • Benedictine Office
    • Charters in English
    • Cryptograms
    • Vernacular Inscriptions in the Latin Alphabet
  • PLS: Prose Late Saxon (see also for PSL)
    • AElfric
    • Wulfstan
    • Anonymous Homilies
    • Prose Romances, Vision Literature (Apollonius of Tyre, Vision of Leofric)
    • Prose Dialogues
    • Letters
    • Proverbs
    • Biblical Translations
    • Alfredian and Other Translations
    • Rules for Monks and Canons
    • Confessional and Penitential Texts
    • Liturgical Texts, Creeds, Prayers
    • Laws and Institutes, Ecclesiastical
    • Laws of England
    • Charters in English
    • Records from Barking, Bath, Bury St. Edmunds, Canterbury, Ely, Exeter, Hereford, Rochester, Thorney, Winchester, Worcester, York.
    • Chronicles and Historical Texts
    • List of Kings, Saints, and Bishops
    • Martyrology
    • Computus
    • Medical Texts and recipes
    • Other Scientific Texts
    • Folklore
    • Notes and Commonplaces
    • Runic Texts
    • Cryptograms
    • Glosses
    • Vernacular Inscriptions in the Latin Alphabet
  • PLU: Prose Late Unknown
    • Creeds
Verse Unspecified Type or Period
  • XXX: Not specified
    • Gospels
    • Rubrics and Directions for the Use of Prayers
    • Rubrics and Directions for the Use of Forms of Service
    • Laws of England
    • Charters in English
    • Records from Exeter and Winchester
    • Computus
    • Medical Texts
    • Folklore
    • The Six Ages of the World
    • Cryptograms