Cain and Abel from BL Royal 2 B VII, f. 4v

Detail of a miniature of Cain and Abel, in the lower register. Image taken from f. 4v of Psalter ('The Queen Mary Psalter'). Written in Latin, with French image captions.

Cain and Abel - the first two sons of Adam and Eve. According to the book of Genesis, Cain, a farmer, became jealous of Abel, a shepherd, when God accepted Abel's offering of animal sacrifice but rejected Cain's offering of crops. In a fit of anger, Cain killed Abel, making him the first murderer in human history. God punished Cain by marking him and banishing him from the land.

The BL Royal Manuscript Collection, also known as the Royal Collection, consists of over 2,000 manuscripts that were once owned by the British monarchs, including English and later British kings and queens from the late 12th to the 19th centuries. These manuscripts are notable for their historical and artistic value.

The collection was initially stored in various royal libraries and palaces, such as the Tower of London and Westminster Palace. During the English Civil War in the 17th century and the subsequent Interregnum, many royal treasures, including manuscripts, were dispersed and sold. Some manuscripts were lost, destroyed, or ended up in private hands.

In 1757, King George II donated the Old Royal Library to the British Museum (which later became the British Library), where the manuscripts were integrated into the museum's collections. This marked the formal establishment of the Royal Manuscript Collection within the British Museum.