John Flete (ca. 1398 – 1466) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

and ecclesiastical historian who documented the history and abbots of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

. He entered the monastery at Westminster some time around 1420. For some years, he was an ordinary cloistered monk, but he became the almoner around 1435.Harvey, "John Flete." Later, he became

prior Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be l ...

of the abbey from 1456 to 1466 and served under two successive abbots who were replaced for poor management. He was himself caught up in some of the allegations of mismanagement. In 1444 the misbehavior of the abbot Kirton led to examination from outside "visitors," and they had Flete suspended from his position for a time. His major work was the four volume ''History of Westminster Abbey'' from its founding by, according to him, "King Lucius" in 184, to around 1386. He had wanted to continue the history up to 1443, but his removal from office kept him from his plan. In general, the history copies from other sources, including a lost ''Liber regius'',

Sulcard Sulcard (floruit ''c''. 1080) was a Benedictine monk at St. Peter's, Westminster Abbey, and the author of the first history of the abbey. Little is known of Sulcard, whose unusual name may reflect either Anglo-Saxon or Norman parentage.Harvey, "Su ...

's ''Prologus de Construccione Westmonasterii'',Harvey, "Sulcard (''fl. c.'' 1080)." charters, pipe rolls, papal letters, and other documents the abbey had in its possession. However, his own contribution to history was in including a small

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...

of each abbot of the monastery. These biographies were generally standardized—providing the date of election, major accomplishments, date of death, place of entombment, and

epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

for each. According to Barbara Harvey, the chief value of the history was in demonstrating how ecclesiastical historiography was moving away from a national interest toward a local and biographical one in the late Middle Ages.

References

Sources

*Harvey, Barbara F. "John Flete" in Matthew, H.C.G. and Brian Harrison, eds. ''

The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

.'' vol. 20, pp 134–5. London:

OUP Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 2004. *Harvey, Barbara F. "Sulcard (''fl. c.'' 1080)." ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''. Oxford University Press, 2004
Accessed 22 April 2009

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Further reading