Inspired by the St Albans Psalter, in the style of English Romanesque, 12th-century England​. It was produced in St Albans Abbey between 1123 and 1143, thought to have been given to Christina of Markyate by Geoffrey de Gorham, the Abbot of St Albans from 1119 to 1146. A facsimile is  on display at St Albans Abbey, while the original volume is kept at the Church of St Godehard in Hildesheim, Germany.

The recipient is pictured with her three (then) young sons, who participated in medieval youth swordplay under strict organizational rules.