Chronicle of the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds [Paperback]

I stumbled upon this little volume in a used book store and, as I've an amateurish interest in mediaeval culture, decided to buy it. Written by a monk of the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds (in Suffolk, England) in the 12th century, it narrates various happenings in that monastery over a period of about 30 years.

There is no overriding narrative here. The author - Jocelin of Brakelond by name - seems to have simply jotted things down when the fancy took him. Most of what he records pertains to the politics - internal and external - of the monastery, and with financial matters : there is one amusing section where he records the fees paid to the monastery by knights of the district. Those looking for spiritual exhortation or insight into monastic religion should look elsewhere.

Though the events of the monastery are not exactly of earth-shattering importance, the book does give one a fascinating view into mediaeval life at the time. Jocelin himself is a wise old character whose observations of his fellow monks are carefully weighed and perceptive. He does not shrink from relating the drama and discord surrounding elections within the monastery. And in the background of the community's life we see the Kings of England (who on a few occasions come to visit), the life of the surrounding town, and in the distance the waging of the Third Crusade.

The most interesting part of the book to me was the account of the fire at the shrine of St. Edmund, and of the subsequent translation of the body and examination of the corpse (by then about 300 years old and still, apparently, incorrupt). I found it a real delight.

Jocelin of Brakelond was a monk at the powerful, influential, and internationally famous Abbey of Bury St Edmund's. This was certainly no isolated institution like those on the Irish coast for the monks owned and controlled the extensive town, market, mills, hospitals, and inns that surrounded the Abbey's walls (pg ix). Because of the economic importance of the abbey, Jocelin is concerned inordinately with the expenses and costs and incomes of annual rents and tolls. The abbot acted as the King's viceroy for the East Anglia and frequently went to the king's court. The events in Jocelin's chronicle center pertain primarily to the election of a new abbot for the monastery the elaborate process in obtaining one. From this vantage point means Jocelin pays the greatest attention to what when on inside the community rather than the more "world-shaking" events outside (pg x).

The introduction does a wonderful job explaining the importance of Bury St Edmunds, the abbey's role in the town, the history and importance of the Abbey's patron saint St Edmunds and his shrine, and Jocelin's portrayal of Abbot Samson (the primary focus of this account). The Chronicle itself is written clearly, sometimes quoting official documents, and deals with external events only when they directly pertain to the abbey (for example, King John's visit in 1199). Sadly, as in most of the Oxford World's Classics that I have read the author's Latin and the surviving manuscripts of the text (normally a key parts of primary source introductions) are only given a cursory and unsatisfactory examination.

This Oxford World Classics Edition is well endowed with useful tools. The Explanatory notes are extensive and very helpful in understanding unusual words (letes, suits, hidages etc), phrases (at blood-letting time), people (H. and R. of Ingham), and historical events not fully explained by the chronicler (the Flemings...outside the town). There is also a helpful chronology of Jocelin's Narrative, a wonderful introduction, and a map of the city of Bury St Edmunds and the Abbey (the only map missing is a map of England at the time).

This is a must buy for anyone interested in medieval monasteries but be prepared for a rather uneventful chronicle. Thankfully, the lack of action is more than made up by the immense detail that Jocelin uses to describe the daily life, administration, and concerns and worries of the monks, the interaction of the monastery with the surrounding areas, and the influence of the English king on abbey elections.

Jocelin of Brakelond, one of the monks of the abbey of Bury St. Edmunds, allows us a glimpse into the life of a religious community between 1173 and 1202. He chronicles such events as the death of one abbot to the election of a new one, the fiscal affairs of the abbey, a fire that threatens the shrine to St. Edmund, and the politics and tensions of life as a monk dealing not only with other monks, but with townsfolk, the Jewish quarter, knights, the Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the King.

I was impressed with just how enmeshed the religious community was in the affairs of the surrounding towns and in the politics of the country as a whole: controlling the markets, collecting monthly fees from every town, serving as the courts for disputes, sending knights to fight with the King. Looking at churches and abbeys now, we think of them only as places of worship, but back in medieval times, they were a large part of the community, affecting the prosperity of towns and cities. Jocelin's chronicle does a fine job of relating how everything co-existed during medieval times.

For anyone interested in medieval or religious history, this is a fascinating chronicle.

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