The ''Chronicon Abbatiae de Evesham'' or ''Chronicle of the Abbey of Evesham'', sometimes the ''Evesham Chronicle'', is a medieval chronicle written at and about

Evesham Abbey Evesham Abbey was founded by Saint Egwin at Evesham in Worcestershire, England between 700 and 710 following an alleged vision of the Virgin Mary by a swineherd by the name of Eof. According to the monastic history, Evesham came through the No ...

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...

in western England.

Contents and authorship

It covers the history of the abbey from 714 to 1539, and the early sections from 714 to 1214 were probably mostly composed by

Thomas of Marlborough Thomas of Marlborough (died 1236) (sometimes Thomas de Marleberge)Knowles ''Monastic Order'' p. 333 was a medieval English monk and writer. He became abbot of Evesham Abbey in 1230. Biography Thomas studied civil and canon law at Paris where he st ...

, who was abbot from 1230 to 1236. An unknown continuator brought the work down to 1418.Graves ''Bibliography'' p. 841 The earliest parts of the chronicle concern St. Egwin, and were probably written by a prior of the house,

Dominic Dominic is a name common among Roman Catholics and other Latin-Romans as a male given name. Originally from the late Roman-Italic name "Dominicus", its translation means "Lordly", "Belonging to God" or "of the Master". Variations include: Domini ...

, sometime before 1125.Knowles ''Monastic Order'' pp. 704–705 Egwin was a bishop of Worcester who died in 717. Also included in the ''Chronicon'' is a narrative of the translation of the relics of

St Odulph Evesham Abbey was founded by Saint Egwin at Evesham in Worcestershire, England between 700 and 710 following an alleged vision of the Virgin Mary by a swineherd by the name of Eof. According to the monastic history, Evesham came through the N ...

, and the life of St Wigstan. The historian R. R. Darlington felt that the account of Abbot

Æthelwig Æthelwig (–16 February in either 1077 or 1078) was an Abbot of Evesham before and during the Norman Conquest of England. Born sometime around 1010 or 1015, he was elected abbot in 1058. Known for his legal expertise, he administered estates ...

that is part of the chronicle was not written by Thomas, and instead was written shortly after Æthelwig's death, which occurred in 1077Knowles, et al. ''Heads of Religious Houses'' p. 47 or 1078.Knowles ''Heads of Religious Houses'' p. 248 The historian David Knowles felt that the account of Æthelwig was written instead by Dominic, but concurred with Darlington that the section was not composed by Thomas. Yet another continuator extended the history of the abbots until 1539.Mullins ''Texts and Calendars I'' p. 47

Printing history

The ''Chronicon'' has been printed a number of times, once in 1863 in the

Rolls Series ''The Chronicles and Memorials of Great Britain and Ireland during the Middle Ages'' ( la, Rerum Britannicarum medii aevi scriptores), widely known as the is a major collection of British and Irish historical materials and primary sources publish ...

, edited by

William Dunn Macray William Dunn Macray (1826–1916) was an English librarian, cleric and historian. Macray was ordained and graduated MA. He was a Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, and worked at the Bodleian Library from 1845 to 1905. He received the degree Doc ...

. This edition, number 29 in the Rolls Series, is titled ''Chronicon abbatiae de Evesham, ad annum 1418'', but it includes the continuation until 1539. Extracts from the period 1035 to 1236 were edited by Liebermann in the ''

Monumenta Germaniae Historica The ''Monumenta Germaniae Historica'' (''MGH'') is a comprehensive series of carefully edited and published primary sources, both chronicle and archival, for the study of Northwestern and Central European history from the end of the Roman Empire ...

''. Another version, with the continuation down to 1539, was published in 1965 by the Vale of Evesham Historical Society. A new edition with facing translation by Jane Sayers and Leslie Watkiss was published in 2003.

Editions

*Sayers, Jane and Leslie Watkiss (eds. and trs.). ''Thomas of Marlborough: History of the Abbey of Evesham''. Oxford Medieval Texts. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2003. *Macray, W.D. (ed.). ''Chronicon abbatiae de Evesham, ad annum 1418''. Rolls Series 29. London, 1863. ppendix I: Translation and miracles of St. Odulph, and Life of St Wigstan; Appendix II: Continuation

Notes

References

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External links