Walter of Oxford (died 1151) ( la, Valterus Calenius) was a cleric and writer. He served as
archdeacon of Oxford
The Archdeacon of Oxford is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the Diocese of Oxford, Church of England, England. The office responsibility includes the care of clergy and church buildings within the area of the ''Archdeaconry of Oxford.''
Histo ...
in the 12th century. Walter was a friend of
Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth ( la, Galfridus Monemutensis, Galfridus Arturus, cy, Gruffudd ap Arthur, Sieffre o Fynwy; 1095 – 1155) was a British cleric from Monmouth, Wales and one of the major figures in the development of British historiograph ...
, who claimed he got his chief source for the ''
Historia Regum Britanniae
''Historia regum Britanniae'' (''The History of the Kings of Britain''), originally called ''De gestis Britonum'' (''On the Deeds of the Britons''), is a pseudohistorical account of British history, written around 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth. I ...
'' from him.
In the dedication to his ''Historia Regum Britanniae'', Geoffrey claims that while writing the book he had struggled to find material on the early
Kings of the Britons. This problem had been solved when Walter gave him a "very ancient book" written in ''britannicus sermo'' (The "British" tongue, i.e.
Brittonic
Brittonic or Brythonic may refer to:
*Common Brittonic, or Brythonic, the Celtic language anciently spoken in Great Britain
*Brittonic languages, a branch of the Celtic languages descended from Common Brittonic
*Britons (Celtic people)
The Br ...
,
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
, or
Breton
Breton most often refers to:
*anything associated with Brittany, and generally
** Breton people
** Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany
** Breton (horse), a breed
**Ga ...
). Geoffrey claims that his ''Historia'' is a faithful translation of that book into
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
. However, few modern scholars believe this to be true.
[Thorpe, pp. 14-19]
Biography
Walter's name is attached to the ''Brut Tysilio'', a variant of the Welsh chronicle ''
Brut y Brenhinedd
''Brut y Brenhinedd'' ("Chronicle of the Kings") is a collection of variant Middle Welsh versions of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Latin ''Historia Regum Britanniae''. About 60 versions survive, with the earliest dating to the mid-13th century. Adaptat ...
''. According to a colophon attached to the chronicle, Walter was responsible for translating the book, which is ascribed to the 7th-century Saint
Tysilio
Saint Tysilio (also known as/confused with Saint Suliac; la, Tysilius, Suliacus; died 640 AD) was a Welsh bishop, prince and scholar, son of the reigning King of Powys, Brochwel Ysgithrog, maternal nephew of the great Abbot Dunod of Bangor ...
, first from Tysilio's Welsh into Latin, and then back again: "I
€¦translated this book from the Welsh into Latin, and in my old age have again translated it from the Latin into Welsh."
[''Brut Tysilio'', tr. P. Roberts, ''The Chronicle of the kings of Britain''. p. 190.] Some antiquarians, notably
Flinders Petrie
Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie ( – ), commonly known as simply Flinders Petrie, was a British Egyptologist and a pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology and the preservation of artefacts. He held the first chair of Egypt ...
in 1917, suggested that Walter's original Welsh source for the ''Brut Tysilio'' was in fact the "ancient book" described by Geoffrey.
Flinders Petrie
Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie ( – ), commonly known as simply Flinders Petrie, was a British Egyptologist and a pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology and the preservation of artefacts. He held the first chair of Egypt ...
, "Neglected British History", ''Proceedings of the British Academy'', Volume VIII, pp. 251-278. However, modern scholarship has established that all variants of the ''Brut y Brenhinedd'' in fact originate with Geoffrey's work, and do not represent some prior chronicle tradition.
Brynley F. Roberts
Brynley Francis Roberts (born 1931), known as Bryn Roberts, is a Welsh scholar and critic, who has written much on the Welsh language and Celts, Celtic history. He was Professor of Welsh Language and Literature at the University of Wales, Swansea ...
, ''Brut y Brenhinedd'', Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1971, pp. xxiv-xxxi Indeed, the ''Brut Tysilio'' probably postdates Walter by centuries;
Brynley F. Roberts
Brynley Francis Roberts (born 1931), known as Bryn Roberts, is a Welsh scholar and critic, who has written much on the Welsh language and Celts, Celtic history. He was Professor of Welsh Language and Literature at the University of Wales, Swansea ...
argues that it is an "amalgam" of previous versions and came together around 1500.
See also
Notes
References
*''Brut y Brenhinedd'' (Llanstephan MS 1), ed. Brynley F. Roberts, ''Brut y Brenhinedd. Llanstephan MS. 1 version. Selections''. Mediaeval and Modern Welsh series 5. Dublin, 1971. Extracts and discussion.
*''Brut Tysilio'', ed. A. Griscom, in ''The Historia regum Britanniæ of Geoffrey of Monmouth'', ed. A. Griscom an J.R. Ellis. London, 1929; tr. Peter Roberts, ''The chronicle of the kings of Britain. Translated from the Welsh copy attributed to Tysilio''. London, 1811; updated translation in Petrie's "Neglected British History" cited above; tr. A.S. San Marte, ''Brut Tysilio. Gottfrieds von Monmouth Historia Regum Britanniae und Brut Tysilio''. Halle, 1854 (German translation).
*Geoffrey of Monmouth;
Thorpe, Lewis (Ed.) (1966). ''The History of the Kings of Britain'', New York: Penguin.
{{Authority control
1151 deaths
12th-century English writers
Archdeacons of Oxford
Geoffrey of Monmouth
12th-century English Roman Catholic priests
Year of birth unknown