Work
John of Worcester, Chronica chronicarum. IE TCD MS 502
- Alternative title
- Chronicon ex chronicis
- Chronica chronicarum
- Shelf Mark/Reference Number
- IE TCD MS 502
- Location
- Creator
- Contributor
- DOI
- Rights statement
- Copyright The Board of Trinity College Dublin. Images are available for single-use academic application only. Publication, transmission or display is prohibited without formal written approval of the Library of Trinity College, Dublin.
- Publisher location
- Coventry
- Date Created
- between approximately 1140-1175
- Physical extent
- 226 folios
- 135 mm x 195 mm (c.80 x 140 mm)
- Language
- Abstract
- IE TCD MS 502, The Chronica chronicarum (Chronicon ex chronicis) of John of Worcester (d. c.1140), from Creation to 1131 with later additions that take the chronicle up to 1138. The chronicle was formerly attributed to Florence of Worcester (d.1118). This manuscript was produced in Coventry in the mid-12th century. The chronicle is preceded by lists and tables of popes, high priests of ancient Israel, disciples of Christ, English bishops and archbishops, genealogies of early English royal dynasties, and computistical materials. The text of this manuscript was used by antiquarian William Howard to produce his printed edition, Chronicon ex Chronicis (London, 1592). Folios 1-9v: (1) Lists of higher clergy and disciples of Christ, with brief commentary: Folios 1r-v: (a) List of popes: Petrus - Honorius Hostiensis. Heading above: Nomina pontificum romanorum. Folio 2: (b) List of the seventy-two disciples of Christ: Iacobus Iustus - Philemon. Heading above: Nomina .lxxta. duorum discipulorum Christi. Folio 2v: (c) List of the high priests of ancient Israel to the time of Solomon: Aaron Abiathar. Heading above: Nomina hebreorum pontificum ... (d) List of the high priests of Jerusalem before Babylonian captivity: Sadoch Iosedech. Heading above: Nomina episcoporum ierosolim ... Folios 2v-3v: (e) List of high priests of Jerusalem following Babylonian captivity to the Christian bishops: Ihesu et Iosue filius Iosedech Cyrillus. Heading above: Nomina ierosolimorum ... Folios 4-9v: Lists of English bishops and archbishops: Canterbury (Augustinus Willelmus, followed by Teodbaldus,Thomas martyr, and Ricardus added by later hands, on 4); Rochester (Iustus - Iohannes, on 4); London (Mellitus Gilebertus, followed by Rodbertus added, 4v); East Anglia (Felix - Willelmus, on 5); Sussex (Wilfridus - Saffredus, 5v); Wessex and Winchester (Byrinus - Henricus, 5v-6); Ramsbury (Athelstanus - Rogerius, on 6); Salisbury (Aldelmus - Aelfuuoldus, 6v); Bath (Aethelmus - Godefridus, 6v); Devonshire (Eadulfus - Willelmus, 6v); Hereford (Putta - Rodbertus, on 7); Worcester (Bosel - Symund, followed by Iohannes added, on 7); Lichfield (Diuma - Rodbertus de Limisig, 7v); Coventry (Rodbertus Peket - Rogerus de Clintun, followed by Walterus, Ricardus Peccatum, Gerardus Pucelli, and Galfridus de Muscham added by later hands, 7v); Leicester (Cuthwinus - Alexander, followed by Rodbertus added, on 8); Lindsey (Eathedus - Brihtredus, 8v); Dorchester (Aettla, 8v); York (Paulinus - Turstanus, on 9); Ripon (Eathed, on 9); Hexham (Wilfridus - Tidferthus, on 9); Lindisfarne (Aidan - Randulfus, with later additions 9v); Whithorn (Trumuuine - Heathoredus, 9v). Folios 10-15v: (2) Genealogy of the early English royal dynasties, with chronological notes, beginning with Adam and listing pre- and post-Norman Conquest rulers up to King Henry I. Commentary: Angli Saxones imperatoris Martiani tempore a Brytonibus inuitati - Willelmus successit et anno regni xiiio in prouincia Iutarum in noua foresta sagitta percussus sine filiis occubuit, cui in regnum frater suus iunior Henricus successit. Folios 16r-v: (3) On the diocese of England, added in the early 13th century: <R>eges Cantuariorum dominabantur proprie in Cantia in quo sunt hii episcopatus - sedilia sua agnoscant. Folios 17-24v: (4) Computistical works, relating to the dates of Creation, the life of Christ, and Easter: Incipit epistola Dionisii exigui ad Patronum episcopum de ratione paschali. Domino beatissimo et nimium et desiderantissimo patri Petronio episcopo Dionisius exiguus. Pascalis festirationem quam multorum diu frequenterque a nobis exposcit - iuxta hystorias sancti eugelii cui contra dicunt cuncte cronice. Sunt anni quattuor milia ducenti xvi. Cites Dionysius, Bede, St Augustine, Eusebius, Theophilus, and Anatolius. Accompanied by the chronicle of Marianus Scotus (1.1-10 only). Folios 25-264: (5) John of Worcester, Chronica chronicarum (R.R. Darlington and P. McGurk (eds.), P. McGurk and J. Bray (trans.), The Chronicle of John of Worcester. Volume II: The Annals from 4501066 (Oxford, 1995); P. McGurk (ed. and trans.), The Chronicle of John of Worcester. Volume III: The Annals from 1067 to 1140 (Oxford, 1998); B. Thorpe, Florentii Wigorniensis monachi chronicon ex chronicis, 2 vols, (London, 1848-1849); J.R.H. Weaver (ed.), The Chronicle of John of Worcester, 11181140 (Oxford, 1908), 13-63, with use of TCD MS 502). The main text ends in the year 1131, followed by later additions for period 1132-1138: Adam centum xxxta annorum genuit Seth et postea uixit octingentis annis - In Norghymbria in manu ualida illo proficiscitur. The chronicle in TCD MS 502 was derived from an autograph copy now Oxford, Corpus Christi College MS 157 through an intermediary, possibly Evesham, Almonry Museum, s.n. (single-leaf fragment). Other copies and related works include: Bodleian Library MS Bodley 297; Cambridge, Corpus Christi College MS 92; London, Lambeth Palace Library MS 42; and TCD MS 503 (see R.R. Darlington and P. McGurk o.c. xxxvii; M. Brett, John of Worcester and his contemporaries in 'The Writing of History in the Middle Ages: Essays Presented to Richard William Southern', R.H.C. Davis and J.M. Wallace-Hadrill (eds) (Oxford, 1981), 106).
- Note
- Binding executed for the College about 1830 in blind-tooled leather. Binding rebacked in 1988.
- Former shelfmarks: Lyon: E.5.23 ; Bernard: 602 ; Foley: G.46 ; c1670: I.1.33 ; Ussher: [OOO.5]
- Majority of text composed in a Caroline minuscule script by a single mid-12th cent hand. Additions include: text of (3) composed in an early 13th-century gothic textura book hand; text (5) extension of chronicle from 260r (line 22) to 264 in two different hands, the second slightly later than the main scribe; rewriting by a different hand over an erasure on 239 (line 26): Hoc anno - 30.
- Collation analysis as follows: i-xxvi(8) xxvii(8)+1 xxviii-xxxii(8) xxxiii(10) (lacks 9-10)+1. Quires marked by contemporary hand at their beginnings: this hand uses first a series of roman numerals (i on 17 - xii on 105), then a series of Greek numerals (I on 113 - IQ on 161), later K (on 169), and then a series of K with a letter or symbol (KA on 177 - KH on 242), and finally ³ (on 258); a later hand uses roman numerals to mark the ends of quires: the first surviving quire is marked iius (8v). Pencilled leaf signatures.
- Decoration: Rubrics and initials in red, green, blue and yellow inks. A verbal carry-over on 235v is flourished with a bird or face, drawn in part with green strokes.
- Parchment; 266 folios, originally in two volumes. 1 unnumbered medieval front flyleaf and inserted slip (210). 16th-century foliation present.
- Related url
- Bibliography
- This description was adapted (2022) from the following sources: T.K. Abbott, Catalogue of the Manuscripts in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin (Dublin, 1900), no. 502; M.L. Colker, Trinity College Library Dublin Descriptive Catalogue of the Mediaeval and Renaissance Latin Manuscripts (Aldershot, 1991), no. 502; R.R. Darlington and P. McGurk (eds.), The Chronicle of John of Worcester. Volume II: The Annals from 450 to 1066 (Oxford, 1995), xxxvi-xli. For IE MS 502 see: W. Howard (ed.), Chronicon ex Chronicis (London, 1592) with use of TCD MS 502; T.D. Hardy, 'Descriptive Catalogue of Materials Relating to the History of Great Britain and Ireland to the End of the Reign of Henry VII', Rolls Series, (London, 1862-1871), 3 volumes, in 4, 2:130, where MS is wrongly listed as 602; J.R.H. Weaver (ed.), The Chronicle of John of Worcester, 11181140 (Oxford, 1908), 4-5, with use of TCD MS 502; H.H. Howorth, The Chronicle of John of Worcester, previously assigned to Florence of Worcester in 'The Archaeological Journal' 73 (1916), 1; W. OSullivan, Ussher as a collector of manuscripts in 'Hermathena' no. 88 (1956), 39; R.R. Darlington, Winchcombe Annals 1049-1181 in 'A Medieval Miscellany for Doris Mary Stenton', Pipe Roll Society, (London, 1962), 112; J.H. Harvey, Bishophill and the Church of York in 'Yorkshire Archaeological Journal' 41 (1965), 366 n.6, 367; A. Gransden, 'Historical Writing in England c.550 to c.1307', (London, 1974), 148 n.79; M. Brett, John of Worcester and his contemporaries in 'The Writing of History in the Middle Ages: Essays Presented to Richard William Southern', R.H.C. Davis and J.M. Wallace-Hadrill (eds) (Oxford, 1981), 105 n.2, 106-109, 117, 123; C. Hart, The East Anglian chronicle in 'Journal of Medieval Studies' 7 (1981), 267-273; C. Hart, The early section of the Worcester chronicle in 'Journal of Medieval Studies' 9 (1983) 251-315, esp. 252-253; R.R. Darlington and P. McGurk, The Chronicon ex chronicis of Florence of Worcester and its use of sources for English history before 1066 in 'Anglo-Norman Studies' 5 (1983) 185, 194 n.51; C. Leonardi in 'Medioevo latino' 6 (1985) no. 717; D.N. Dumville and M. Lapidge (eds.), 'The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle', volume 17, (Woodbridge, 1985), lvi; B. Meehan, The manuscript collection of James Ussher in 'Treasures of the Library: Trinity College Dublin', (Dublin, 1986), 106, pl. 70; D.R. Howlett, 'British Books in Biblical Style', (Dublin, 1997), 246-248 with use of TCD MS 502 (St Wulfstan materials on 102r-103v); P. McGurk (ed.), 'The Chronicle of John of Worcester', volume 3, (Oxford, 1998), with use of TCD MS 502; 'Medioevo latino' 22 (2001) no. 2568; R. Sharpe, 'A Handlist of the Latin Writers of Great Britain and Ireland before 1540', Publications of the Journal of Medieval Latin 1, (2001), 347; R. M. Thomson, 'A Descriptive Catalogue of the Medieval Manuscripts in Worcester Cathedral Library', (Woodbridge, 2001), xxii n.37.
- Finding aid
- Manuscripts & Archives Research Library's catalogue entry for the original manuscript: https://manuscripts.catalogue.tcd.ie/CalmView/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=IE+TCD+MS+502&pos=1
- Provenance
- A Coventry provenance is probable, as evidenced by the listing of four Coventry bishops with accompanying rubric (7v) not featured in other chronicle copies, and the writing in capitals of the name Leofric (212v, 216v, 219v) with accompanying marginalia, in reference to Leofric, earl of Mercia (d. 1057) and founder (huius ecclesie fundato, 219) of a Benedictine monastery at Coventry (Brett o.c. 106, n.1). Manuscript formerly owned by antiquarian William Howard (1563-1640), with ownership notes (William Howarde on 1 and 261) and notations in his hand listed above. Manuscript acquired from Howards library by James Ussher, archbishop of Armagh and primate of All Ireland (r. 1625-1656), with notations in his hand listed above. Ussher refers to this volume in his letter to humanist scholar Gerardus Joannes Vossius, dated 10 June 1632: Nactus sum et alia tria exemplaria, in quibus Anglicanum Florentii chronicon cum uniuersali Mariani hoc Wigorniensis quidam monachus regis Stephani temporibus commiscuerat. Ex eorum uno Florentium, uel potius Marianum, suum edidit nobilissimus D. Gulielmus Howardus de Naworth (E. Boran (ed.), The Correspondence of James Ussher', 3 vols (Dublin, 2015), no. 355). Ussher additionally owned a copy of Howards printed edition (now TCD DD.ii.63), to which he added corrections and notes, including references on the flyleaf to the Oxford manuscript copies of the chronicle and note Ex MSo Couentriensi before list of popes (p. 546). TCD MS 502 the book collection of Ussher, OOO.5 (2). The Ussher library was gifted by King Charles II to Trinity College Dublin in 1661.
- Sponsor
- This digitisation work was made possible by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
- Subject
- Keyword
- Format
- Resource type
- Medium
- colored ink
- ink
- Support
- calf (leather)
- vellum (parchment)
- Source
- b197918840
John of Worcester, Chronica chronicarum. IE TCD MS 502
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