John of Trokelowe () was an English chronicler and Benedictine monk of the fourteenth century. He was a monk of

St Albans Abbey St Albans Cathedral, officially the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban but often referred to locally as "the Abbey", is a Church of England cathedral in St Albans, England. Much of its architecture dates from Norman times. It ceased to be ...

, and in 1294 was living in the dependent priory of

Tynemouth Tynemouth () is a coastal town in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, North East England. It is located on the north side of the mouth of the River Tyne, hence its name. It is 8 mi (13 km) east-northeast of Newcastle upon T ...

, Northumberland. Once he was thought to be a significant chronicler, on the basis of internal evidence; it is now considered very possible that he was merely the scribe for

William Rishanger William Rishanger (born 1250), nicknamed "Chronigraphus", was an English annalist and Benedictine monk of St. Albans. Rishanger quite likely wrote the ''Opus Chronicorum'', a continuation from 1259 of Matthew Paris's ''Chronicle''. In effect it ...

.Antonia Gransden, ''Historical Writing in England II'' (1982), p. 5. The

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 ...

and monks endeavoured to sever connection with St Albans and to obtain independence by presenting the advowson to the king; but abbot

John of Berkamsted John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

resisted this arrangement, visited Tynemouth, and sent Trokelowe with other monks as prisoners back to St Albans. There Trokelowe wrote his including the period 1259 to 1296 and a useful account of the reign of

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ...

, from 1307 to 1323, after which date his chronicle was continued by

Henry de Blaneford Henry (de) Blaneforde or Blankfrount () was an English chronicler and a Benedictine monk of St. Albans.Carley 2004. He wrote a short continuation of the chronicle of Trokelowe for the years 1323 to 1324.Hunt 1886, p. 204. Works A fragment o ...

. A reference made by Trokelowe to the execution of Roger Mortimer shows that he was writing after 1330.

References

*Riley, in Rolls Series (London, 1866). *Riley, Introduction to Rishanger, Chronicle in the in the same series *Hardy, ''Descriptive Catalogue'' (London, 1871) *Hunt in the ''

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 ...

Notes

{{authority control 14th-century English historians English chroniclers English Benedictines People from Tynemouth English Christian monks English male non-fiction writers