Gairdner, James, ed.; Stowe, John, Three fifteenth-century chronicles (Camden Society New Series 28) Read this source online
Text name(s): A Short English Chronicle; A Brief Latin Chronicle; Historical Memoranda of John Stowe
Number of pages of primary source text: 185
Author(s):
Dates: 1100 - 1600
Archival Reference: Lambeth Library MS 306; Lambeth Library MS 448
Original Language(s):
- English - Middle English
- Latin
Translation:
- Original language included.
Translation Comments:
Geopolitical Region(s):
- England
County/Region: London
Record Types:
- Chronicle, Annals
Subject Headings:
- Historiography
- Revolt
- Royalty / Monarchs
- Towns / Cities
- War - Military History
Apparatus:
- Index
- Introduction
Comments:
The first of these three chronicles is actually a combination of three separate chronicles. It starts with the Brut story of how the Romans came to England, followed by some verses by Lydgate about the king of England, follwed by a chronicle of the city of London. This chronicle was commented on by John Stowe, a 16th-century London historian: Gairdner has included Stowe’s commentary and his descriptions of current events. The second chronicle included in this work is considerably later, and was written in Latin. It appears to have been more of a memorandum book than an actual chronicle, but contains apparently eyewitness accounts.
The entire book is available on the British History Online website.
Introduction Summary:
The preface (28 pp.) describes the manuscript in which these texts survive and discusses the main features of the texts, focusing in particular on their value to historians (in 1880, historians were looking for very different kinds of history than modern historians). Gairdner is particularly interested in what the chronicle has to say about the Cade rebellion. He then describes the Latin chronicle and discusses the probable circumstances of its compilation at Ely and the author’s misconceptions and innaccuracies.
Cataloger: MK
