John of Worcester (died c. 1140) was an English
monk
A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...
and
chronicler
A chronicle (, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, ...
who worked at
Worcester Priory. He is now usually held to be the author of the .
Works
John of Worcester's principal work was the (
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
for "Chronicle from Chronicles") or ''Chronicle of Chronicles'' (), also known as John of Worcester's Chronicle or Florence of Worcester's Chronicle. The is a world history which begins with the
Creation
Creation or The Creation or Creations, may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Creation'' (1922 film), a British silent drama
* ''Creation'' (unfinished film), 1931
* ''Creation'' (2009 film), about Charles Darwin
Literature
* ''Creation ...
and ends in 1140. The chronological framework of the was presented by the chronicle of
Marianus Scotus
Marianus Scotus (1028–1082 or 1083) was an Irish monk and chronicler. He authored the ''Chronica Clara'', a history of the world.
Name
Marianus Scotus is Latin for " Marian the Scot", although that term at the time was still inclusive of ...
(d. 1082). A great deal of additional material, particularly relating to English history, was grafted onto it.
Authorship
The greater part of the work, up to 1117 or 1118, was formerly attributed to
Florence of Worcester __NOTOC__
Florence of Worcester (; died 1118) was a monk of Worcester, who played some part in the production of the '' Chronicon ex chronicis'', a Latin world chronicle which begins with the creation and ends in 1140.Keynes, "Florence".
The natu ...
on the basis of the entry for his death under the year 1118, which credits his skill and industry for making the chronicle such a prominent work. In this view, the other Worcester monk, John, merely wrote the final part of the work. However, there are two main objections against the ascription to Florence. First, there is no change of style in the after Florence's death, and second, certain sections before 1118 rely to some extent on the ("History of New Things") of
Eadmer of Canterbury
Eadmer or Edmer ( – ) was an English historian, theologian, and ecclesiastic. He is known for being a contemporary biographer of his archbishop and companion, Saint Anselm, in his ''Vita Anselmi'', and for his ''Historia novorum i ...
, which was completed sometime in the period 1121–1124.
The prevalent view today is that John of Worcester was the principal author and compiler. He is explicitly named as the author of two entries for 1128 and 1138, and two manuscripts (CCC MS 157 and the ) were written in his hand. He was seen working on it at the behest of
Wulfstan, bishop of Worcester
Wulfstan ( – 20 January 1095) was an English Benedictine monk who served as Bishop of Worcester from 1062 to 1095. He was the last surviving pre-Norman Conquest bishop. Wulfstan is a saint in the Western Christian churches.
Denomination ...
, when the Anglo-Norman chronicler
Orderic Vitalis
Orderic Vitalis (; 16 February 1075 – ) was an English chronicler and Benedictine monk who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th- and 12th-century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England.Hollister ''Henry I'' p. 6 Working out of ...
visited Worcester:
:
Manuscripts
The survives in five manuscripts (and a fragment on a single leaf):
* MS 157 (Oxford,
Corpus Christi College). The principal manuscript, working copy used by John.
MS 502(Dublin,
Trinity College Trinity College may refer to:
Australia
* Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales
* Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...
).
* MS 42 (
Lambeth Palace Library
Lambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is situated in north Lambeth, London, on the south bank of the River Thames, south-east of the Palace of Westminster, which houses Parliament, on the opposite b ...
).
* MS Bodley 297 (Oxford,
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley, it is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second-largest library in ...
).
* MS 92 (Cambridge,
Corpus Christi College),
[.] continued with text from
John of Taxster's
Bury Chronicle.
In addition, there is the , a minor chronicle based on the proper
MS 503(Dublin,
Trinity College Trinity College may refer to:
Australia
* Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales
* Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...
), written by John up to 1123.
Sources for English history
For the body of material dealing with early English history, John is believed to have used a number of sources, some of which are now lost:
* unknown version(s) of the ''
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons.
The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the ninth century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of ...
'', possibly in Latin translation. John may have shared a lost source with
William of Malmesbury
William of Malmesbury (; ) was the foremost English historian of the 12th century. He has been ranked among the most talented English historians since Bede. Modern historian C. Warren Hollister described him as "a gifted historical scholar and a ...
, whose ("Deeds of the Kings of the English") includes similar material not found in other works.
*
Bede
Bede (; ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, Bede of Jarrow, the Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable (), was an English monk, author and scholar. He was one of the most known writers during the Early Middle Ages, and his most f ...
, ("Ecclesiastical History") up to 731
*
Asser
Asser (; ; died 909) was a Welsh people, Welsh monk from St David's, Kingdom of Dyfed, Dyfed, who became Bishop of Sherborne (ancient), Bishop of Sherborne in the 890s. About 885 he was asked by Alfred the Great to leave St David's and join ...
, ("Life of Alfred")
* Hagiographical works on 10th and 11th-century saints
** Lives of
St Dunstan
Dunstan ( – 19 May 988), was an English bishop and Benedictine monk. He was successively Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, Bishop of Worcester, Bishop of London and Archbishop of Canterbury, later canonised. His work restored monastic life in En ...
(by author "B"),
Adelard and
Osbern
**
Byrhtferth
Byrhtferth (; ) was a priest and monk who lived at Ramsey Abbey in Huntingdonshire (now part of Cambridgeshire) in England. He had a deep impact on the intellectual life of later Anglo-Saxon England and wrote many computistic, hagiographic, and ...
, Life of
St. Oswald
**
Osbern of Canterbury
Osbern of Canterbury or Monk Osbern ( 1050 – c. 1095) was a Benedictine monk, hagiographer and musician, precentor of Christ Church, Canterbury.
Biography
Osbern was born at Canterbury and brought up by Godric, who was dean from 1058 to 1080, h ...
, Life of
St Ælfheah
*
Eadmer
Eadmer or Edmer ( – ) was an English historian, theologian, and ecclesiastic. He is known for being a contemporary biographer of his archbishop and companion, Saint Anselm, in his ''Vita Anselmi'', and for his ''Historia novorum i ...
of Canterbury, (1066–1122)
* Accounts by contemporaries and local knowledge
Editions and translations
* Darlington, Reginald R. and P. McGurk (eds.), P. McGurk and Jennifer Bray (trs.). ''The Chronicle of John of Worcester: The Annals from 450–1066''. Vol 2. Oxford Medieval Texts. Oxford: 1995.
* McGurk, P. (ed. and tr.). ''The Chronicle of John of Worcester: The Annals from 1067 to 1140 with the Gloucester Interpolations and the Continuation to 1141''. Vol 3. OMT. Oxford, 1998.
* .
* Stevenson, J. (tr.). ''Church Historians of England''. 8 vols: vol. 2.1. London, 1855. 171–372.
* .
* Weaver, J. R. H., ed. (1908) ''The Chronicle of John of Worcester, 1118–1140: being the continuation of the'' Chronicon ex Chronicis ''of Florence of Worcester''. Oxford: Clarendon Pres
Edition on Archive.org
References
Further reading
* Brett, Martin. "John of Worcester and his contemporaries." In ''The Writing of History in the Middle Ages: Essays Presented to R.W. Southern'', ed. by R.H.C. Davis and J.M. Wallace Hadrill. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1981. 101-26.
* Brett, Martin, "John, monk of Worcester." In ''The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England'', ed. Michael Lapidge, et al. Oxford: Blackwell, 1999.
*
* Gransden, Antonia. ''Historical writing in England c. 550 to 1307''. Vol 1. London, 1974. 143–8.
* O'Donnell, Thomas. "Identities in Community: Literary Culture and Memory at Worcester." In ''Constructing History Across the Norman Conquest: Worcester, c.1050-c.1150'', ed. by Francesca Tinti and D. A. Woodman. York: York Medieval Press, 2022. 31–60.
* Orderic Vitalis, ''Historia Ecclesiastica'', ed. and tr.
Marjorie Chibnall
Marjorie McCallum Chibnall (27 September 1915 – 23 June 2012) was an English historian, medievalist and Latin translator. She edited the ''Historia Ecclesiastica'' by Orderic Vitalis, with whom she shared the same birthplace of Atcham in S ...
, ''The Ecclesiastical History of Orderic Vitalis''. 6 volumes. Oxford Medieval Texts. Oxford, 1968–1980. .
{{DEFAULTSORT:John of Worcester
1140s deaths
Year of birth unknown
Year of death uncertain
12th-century English historians
English Christian monks
English chroniclers
Writers from Worcester, England
English male non-fiction writers
12th-century writers in Latin
12th-century English writers
12th-century astronomers