John of Tynemouth (chronicler)
Encyclopedia
John of Tynemouth was a medieval English chronicler who flourished in the mid 14th-century.
Little is known of his background. According to medieval accounts, he was claimed to have been the vicar
of the parish of Tynemouth
in Northumberland
. From his writings, he was familiar with the area around Wheatley
, near Winchester
, which might mean that he could be identified with John Whetely, who is known to have been the vicar at Tynemouth during the 1350s and 1360s. Or possibly, the Wheatley was the one in Yorkshire
, which would explain the alternate name he is occasionally given in manuscripts, John York. John may have been a monk of St Albans Abbey, for his work was early associated with that monastery, and the vicar at Tynemouth was appointed by the prior of the monastic priory at Tynemouth that was a dependent priory of St Albans.
John was the author of a chroncile, the Historia Aurea, which was a work composed about 1350. It was a history of the world from the creation to 1347. He used as sources a shortened version of the Polychronicon. The Historia survives in full in manuscripts that were originally from Durham Cathedral
, Bury St Edmunds Abbey, and St Albans. The St Albans copies, however, are only dated to the 15th-century, which undercuts the idea that John might have been a monk at that abbey. The Historia also survives in shortened versions.
Besides the Historia, he also authored a Sanctilogium, or Sanctilogium Angliae Walliae Scotiae et Hiberniae, which gave the lives of 156 English saints. The Sanctilogium survives in a single manuscript, now in the British Library
, where it is Cotton Library
MS Tiberius E.i. He also wrote a Martyrologium, which survives in some extracts that are appended to one of the manuscripts of the Historia Aurea.
Little is known of his background. According to medieval accounts, he was claimed to have been the vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
of the parish of Tynemouth
Tynemouth
Tynemouth is a town and a historic borough in Tyne and Wear, England, at the mouth of the River Tyne, between North Shields and Cullercoats . It is administered as part of the borough of North Tyneside, but until 1974 was an independent county borough in its own right...
in Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
. From his writings, he was familiar with the area around Wheatley
Wheatley, Hampshire
Wheatley is a hamlet in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is southeast of the village of Binsted, east of Alton.The nearest railway station is Bentley, north of the village....
, near Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
, which might mean that he could be identified with John Whetely, who is known to have been the vicar at Tynemouth during the 1350s and 1360s. Or possibly, the Wheatley was the one in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, which would explain the alternate name he is occasionally given in manuscripts, John York. John may have been a monk of St Albans Abbey, for his work was early associated with that monastery, and the vicar at Tynemouth was appointed by the prior of the monastic priory at Tynemouth that was a dependent priory of St Albans.
John was the author of a chroncile, the Historia Aurea, which was a work composed about 1350. It was a history of the world from the creation to 1347. He used as sources a shortened version of the Polychronicon. The Historia survives in full in manuscripts that were originally from Durham Cathedral
Durham Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham is a cathedral in the city of Durham, England, the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham. The Bishopric dates from 995, with the present cathedral being founded in AD 1093...
, Bury St Edmunds Abbey, and St Albans. The St Albans copies, however, are only dated to the 15th-century, which undercuts the idea that John might have been a monk at that abbey. The Historia also survives in shortened versions.
Besides the Historia, he also authored a Sanctilogium, or Sanctilogium Angliae Walliae Scotiae et Hiberniae, which gave the lives of 156 English saints. The Sanctilogium survives in a single manuscript, now in the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
, where it is Cotton Library
Cotton library
The Cotton or Cottonian library was collected privately by Sir Robert Bruce Cotton M.P. , an antiquarian and bibliophile, and was the basis of the British Library...
MS Tiberius E.i. He also wrote a Martyrologium, which survives in some extracts that are appended to one of the manuscripts of the Historia Aurea.