Exeter College alumnus makes headlines with discovery of lost medieval text

Exeter College alumnus Dr Tim Glover (2011, English Language & Literature; 2015, MSt English; 2017, DPhil English) has attracted national attention for his discovery of the only known complete version of a major medieval work. The breakthrough builds on research first undertaken during his DPhil at Exeter. 

Tim’s study, published in Mediaeval Studies in August 2025, focuses on a 14th-century manuscript held in Shrewsbury School’s Taylor Library. The manuscript contains the full text of Emendatio vitae (The Emending of Life), a spiritual treatise by Richard Rolle, one of the most widely read English writers of the later Middle Ages. Previously, only shortened versions of the text were known to scholars. 

The discovery began with a visit Tim made to the manuscript while completing his doctorate at Oxford, an experience he later described as “the first eureka moment.” He revisited the manuscript during two postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Cambridge (2021 to 2025), where his research on Rolle developed into a full study. His work was featured in a major Cambridge University article and has received coverage from The Telegraph and the BBC. 

The findings shed new light on the circulation of religious texts, the development of English prose, and the reading habits of medieval audiences. 

Tim is now based at the University of Bergen, where he continues to research medieval devotional writing and manuscript culture.  

Dr Timothy Glover, credit to the University of Cambridge