The Book of Margery Kempe

It details Kempe's life, her travels, her accounts of divine revelation including her visions of interacting with the Trinity, particularly Jesus, as well as other biblical figures.

[6] The manuscript, then owned by Colonel W. Butler-Bowdon, was found in a country-house in Derbyshire in the early 1930s, and was identified as Margery Kempe’s book by Hope Emily Allen in 1934, who was instrumental in the publication of the second modern, and first scholarly, edition of the text.

[7] In June 1980, the manuscript was purchased by the British Library from Captain Maurice E. Butler Bowdon (1910-1984), at an auction held by Sotheby's in London.

Four distinct hands have been identified writing annotations and making illustrations within the marginalia of the manuscript, the most recognizable script being one made in red ink.

[5] It could be concluded through the effort of making of these annotations that Kempe's book was frequently used and valued as a text, perhaps its contents viewed with admiration for its religious fervor.