Annals of St Neots
Encyclopedia
The Annals of St Neots are a Latin chronicle compiled and written at Bury St Edmunds (Suffolk) between c. 1120 and c. 1140. It covers the history of Britain, extending from its invasion by Julius Caesar
(60 B.C.) to the making of Normandy in 914. Like the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
, it is chiefly concerned with Anglo-Saxon history, but it differs from it in adopting a distinct East Anglia
n perspective on certain events and weaving a significant amount of Frankish history into its narrative.
(Huntingdonshire). It owes its present title to antiquary John Leland, who in the 1540s – at the time of the dissolution
– discovered the sole surviving manuscript at St Neots Priory. Palaeographical analysis has shown that two hands using Late Caroline script were at work, Scribe A for the first quire (pp. 1-18) and Scribe B for the remaining part. The script is typical of the first half of the 12th century and both hands have been detected in other manuscripts from Bury St Edmunds. According to Dumville, the evidence suggests then that the manuscript was compiled at Bury St Edmunds between c. 1120 and c. 1140.
After Leland's discovery, the manuscript passed into the possession of Matthew Parker
(d. 1575), Archbishop of Canterbury, who supplied various annotations. Later, the dean of the college, Thomas Neville, donated the manuscript to Trinity College, Cambridge, where it is preserved up to this day, under the shelfmark R.7.28. It is bound together with several unrelated documents, forming the first 74 leaves of the compilation.
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
(60 B.C.) to the making of Normandy in 914. Like the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
, it is chiefly concerned with Anglo-Saxon history, but it differs from it in adopting a distinct East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
n perspective on certain events and weaving a significant amount of Frankish history into its narrative.
Manuscript
Contrary to what the modern title may suggest, the work was not compiled at St NeotsSt Neots
St Neots is a town and civil parish with a population of 26,356 people. It lies on the River Great Ouse in Huntingdonshire District, approximately north of central London, and is the largest town in Cambridgeshire . The town is named after the Cornish monk St...
(Huntingdonshire). It owes its present title to antiquary John Leland, who in the 1540s – at the time of the dissolution
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
– discovered the sole surviving manuscript at St Neots Priory. Palaeographical analysis has shown that two hands using Late Caroline script were at work, Scribe A for the first quire (pp. 1-18) and Scribe B for the remaining part. The script is typical of the first half of the 12th century and both hands have been detected in other manuscripts from Bury St Edmunds. According to Dumville, the evidence suggests then that the manuscript was compiled at Bury St Edmunds between c. 1120 and c. 1140.
After Leland's discovery, the manuscript passed into the possession of Matthew Parker
Matthew Parker
Matthew Parker was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1559 until his death in 1575. He was also an influential theologian and arguably the co-founder of Anglican theological thought....
(d. 1575), Archbishop of Canterbury, who supplied various annotations. Later, the dean of the college, Thomas Neville, donated the manuscript to Trinity College, Cambridge, where it is preserved up to this day, under the shelfmark R.7.28. It is bound together with several unrelated documents, forming the first 74 leaves of the compilation.