Jocelyn of Furness ( fl. 1175–1214) was an English Cistercian

hagiographer A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies might ...

, known for his Lives of Saint Waltheof, Saint Patrick,

Saint Kentigern Kentigern ( cy, Cyndeyrn Garthwys; la, Kentigernus), known as Mungo, was a missionary in the Brittonic Kingdom of Strathclyde in the late sixth century, and the founder and patron saint of the city of Glasgow. Name In Wales and England, this s ...

and Saint Helena of Constantinople. He is probably responsible for the popular legendary association of Saint Patrick with snakes, which he purportedly cast out of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Biography

He was a monk of

Furness Abbey Furness Abbey, or St. Mary of Furness, is a former Catholic monastery located to the north of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. The abbey dates back to 1123 and was once the second-wealthiest and most powerful Cistercian monastery in the cou ...

(now in

Barrow-in-Furness Barrow-in-Furness is a port town in Cumbria, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1867 and merged with Dalton-in-Furness Urban District in 1974 to form the Borough of B ...

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. C ...

), and translated or adapted Celtic

hagiographical A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies mig ...

material for

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 * Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature * Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...

readers. He wrote for Jocelyn, Bishop of Glasgow, a Life of Kentigern, and for

John de Courcy {{Infobox noble , image = Sir John de Courcy (1150-1219).jpg , caption = , alt = , more = no , succession = , reign = , predecessor = , successor = , ...

and Thomas (Tommaltach), Archbishop of Armagh a Life of St Patrick. His Life of Waltheof was written to promote the cult of a former abbot of Melrose. The Life of St Helena was probably commissioned by a female community in England. Another work attributed to him was a book of British bishops. It has been claimed that he was also Abbot of

Rushen Abbey Rushen Abbey is a former abbey on the Isle of Man, located in Ballasalla. Originally home for monks of the Savignac order, it soon came under Cistercian control and remained so until its dissolution. The abbey is located from Castle Rushen, th ...

, and an architect, but this is one of several different identifications which have been put forward.

Writings

Jocelyn's writings are the topic of a major survey by Helen Birkett, and a volume of conference proceedings. * Life of St Patrick, ed. by Ingrid Sperber and Ludwig Bieler, in ''Royal Irish Academy Archive of Celtic-Latin literature'', ed. by Anthony Harvey and Angela Malthouse (2nd development and expanded edition, ACLL-2), http://www.brepolis.net (subscription) * The most ancient lives of Saint Patrick, including the life by Jocelin, by James O'Leary (New York, 1904) (free) * Life of St Kentigern, ed. and trans. Alexander Penrose Forbes, ''Lives of S. Ninian and S. Kentigern'' (Edinburgh, 1874) * Life of St Waltheof, ed. by George McFadden, ‘An Edition and Translation of the Life of Waldef, Abbot of Melrose, by Jocelin of Furness’ (unpublished PhD thesis, Columbia University, 1952) * The Life of St Helena (1198 × 1214), ed. by Antonina Harbus, ''Helena of Britain in Medieval Legend'' (Cambridge: Brewer, 2002); trans. by Ingrid Sperber and Clare Downham, �
''The Life of St Helena'' by Jocelin of Furness'

Biography

Writings

Notes

References

Further reading