Chroniclers Of History At Saint Albans’ Museum.

The Choir Stalls.

Illustration: ST. ALBANS CATHEDRAL

The following Text and Illustrations, unless stated otherwise, are taken from,

and can be read in full at, BRITISH LIBRARY

During the Mediæval period, the Monastery of Saint Albans was recognised throughout England for the quality of its Chroniclers. Between the 12th- and 15th-Centuries, Monks from the Foundation recorded the events of English history, especially those that affected Saint Albans Abbey and its holdings in the surrounding area. They included such figures as Roger of Wendover (☩ 1236), William Rishanger (born 1250), Matthew Paris (☩ 1259), Thomas Walsingham (☩ 1422).

A new exhibition, Chroniclers of History, has opened at Saint Albans Museum, which explores the lives and works of these men and the importance of their Monastery. The British Library is delighted to be one of the major lenders to the exhibition, and the following books from our collections will all be on display at the Museum’s Weston Gallery from 30 July 2021 - 31 Oct 2021.

The construction of Saint Albans Abbey,

from Matthew Paris’ “Liber additamentorum”:

Cotton MS Nero D I, f. 23v (detail).

The Benefactors’ Book Of Saint Albans Abbey.

One of the highlights of the exhibition is a work known as The Benefactors’ Book of St Albans (Cotton MS Nero D VII). In a previous Blogpost, we described the Manuscript as a Who’s Who Of Mediæval England.

It represents an invaluable source for our understanding of the history of the Monastery and its influence throughout the Country. Initially compiled by the Abbey’s Precentor, Thomas Walsingham, the book is a register of all the people who made gifts to Saint Albans throughout The Middle Ages, as well as the Abbots, Monks and Lay-People, who made up its vibrant community.

The Manuscript preserves their names, details about their lives and occupations, and, for many, even their portraits, which might otherwise have been lost to us.

The page on display (below) depicts the artist, Alan Strayler, who was responsible for these portraits.

Portraits of benefactors of Saint Albans Abbey,

including the artist, Alan Strayer, (the lowermost figure),

from The Benefactors’ Book of Saint Albans:

Cotton MS Nero D VII, f. 108r.

Saint Albans Abbey was responsible for the production of hundreds of Manuscripts between its Foundation and Dissolution in the 16th-Century. This copy of the Latin Work “De Trinitate” (The Trinity), by Saint Augustine, for example, was made at the Monastery during the second half of the 12th-Century (Egerton MS 3721).

It is prefaced by a Calendar, commemorating the Feast Days of important Saints throughout the year. Feast Days for local Saints connected with the Abbey are also recorded here, most notably Saint Alban, himself, as well as several of the Monastery’s former Abbots.

A calendar page for June, from a Manuscript of Saint Augustine’s “De Trinitate” (The Trinity), made at the Monastery of Saint Albans: Egerton MS 3721, f. 4v.

Saint Alban's Cathedral (previously Saint Alban's Abbey).

Photo: 1 August 2014.

Source: Own work.

Attribution: "Photo by DAVID ILIFF.

License: CC BY-SA 3.0"

Author: Diliff

(Wikimedia Commons)