Peter of Cornwall (1139/1140– July 7, 1221) was a medieval scholar and prior of

Holy Trinity Priory, Aldgate The Holy Trinity Priory, also known as Christchurch Aldgate, was a priory of Austin canons ( Black Canons) founded around 1108 by the English queen Matilda of Scotland near Aldgate in London.Launceston, Cornwall Launceston ( , ; rarely spelled Lanson as a local abbreviation; ) is a town, ancient borough, and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is west of the middle stage of the River Tamar, which constitutes almost the entire borde ...

, the son of Jordan of Trecarrel (died c. 1180), provost of Launceston. The identity of his mother is unknown, but she was perhaps sister-in-law to Reginald de Dunstanville, earl of Cornwall. His uncles Bernard and Nicholas were scribes to Henry I. Peter studied in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

under Master Henry of

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

, a canon of St Paul's. He was received as an Augustinian canon sometime after 1170 at Holy Trinity, Aldgate. His first work was inspired by a synod in London where he heard the bishop of London,

Gilbert Foliot Gilbert Foliot (Wiktionary:circa, c. 1110 – 18 February 1187) was a medieval English monk and prelate, successively Abbot of Gloucester, Bishop of Hereford and Bishop of London. Born to an ecclesiastical family, he became a monk at C ...

, preach. This was the ''Pantheologus'', a collection of biblical material assembled as a sourcebook for preachers, which he finally completed in 1189. He became prior of Holy Trinity in 1197 and remained in office until his death on 7 July 1221. In 1210 Peter was one of two intermediaries between

King John of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empi ...

and

Stephen Langton Stephen Langton (c. 1150 – 9 July 1228) was an English Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal of the Catholic Church and Archbishop of Canterbury from 1207 until his death in 1228. The dispute between list of English kings, King John of E ...

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

, during a series of negotiations which failed to achieve an end to the interdict. Peter dedicated his ''Liber disputationum contra Symonem Iudeum'' to the exiled Stephen Langton. Peter also compiled the ''Liber revelationum'' (

Lambeth Palace 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 of the United King ...

Library, MS 51). This is a vast collection of visions relating to the next world, compiled between the years 1200 and 1206. The work includes several personal stories which provide much evidence for Peter's life and career, including the "Visions of Ailsi," Peter's grandfather. It also includes two important otherworld visions relating to St. Patrick's Purgatory, the well-known ''

Tractatus de Purgatorio Sancti Patricii ''Tractatus de Purgatorio Sancti Patricii'' (Treatise on Saint Patrick's Purgatory) is a Latin text written about 1180–1184 by a monk who identified himself as H. of Saltrey. The author is traditionally known as Henry, though this was an inserti ...

'', which is provisionally dated to between 1135 and 1154, and another work related directly to Peter by a monk from

Mellifont Abbey Mellifont Abbey (, literally 'the Big Monastery'), was a Cistercians, Cistercian abbey located close to Drogheda in County Louth, Ireland. It was the first abbey of the order to be built in Ireland. In 1152, it hosted the Synod of Kells-Mellifo ...

, who heard second-hand of this other vision, which took place c. 1170. Peter was buried in the chapel of the Blessed Virgin at

References

{{authority control 1221 deaths 12th-century writers in Latin 13th-century writers in Latin 12th-century English Roman Catholic priests 13th-century English Roman Catholic priests Medieval Cornish people People from Launceston, Cornwall Augustinian canons Year of birth uncertain 13th-century English writers