Geoffrey of Wells
Encyclopedia
Geoffrey of Wells was a mid-twelfth-century English hagiographer, doubtless formerly a canon of Wells Cathedral
, whose De Infantia Sancti Edmundi ("The infancy of Saint Edmund"), part of the burgeoning library of twelfth-century legendaries
concerning Saint Edmund
accounted the royal saint's childhood to have been full of adventure; he dedicated his "largely spurious account" to Ording, eighth abbot of Bury St. Edmunds
, and spoke of the encouragement of another well-placed Anglo-Saxon, Prior Sihtric. The manuscript of Geoffrey's pious embroidery was among the manuscripts collected by the early seventeenth-century antiquary Robert Bruce Cotton
, now conserved in the British Library
.
Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, who lives at the adjacent Bishop's Palace....
, whose De Infantia Sancti Edmundi ("The infancy of Saint Edmund"), part of the burgeoning library of twelfth-century legendaries
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
concerning Saint Edmund
Saint Edmund
Saint Edmund may refer to:* Saint Edmund the Martyr , king of East Anglia who was venerated as a martyr saint soon after his death at the hands of Vikings* Saint Edmund Arrowsmith , Jesuit, one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales...
accounted the royal saint's childhood to have been full of adventure; he dedicated his "largely spurious account" to Ording, eighth abbot of Bury St. Edmunds
Bury St. Edmunds Abbey
The Abbey of Bury St Edmunds was once among the richest Benedictine monasteries in England. Its ruins lie in Bury St Edmunds, a town in the county of Suffolk, England.-History:...
, and spoke of the encouragement of another well-placed Anglo-Saxon, Prior Sihtric. The manuscript of Geoffrey's pious embroidery was among the manuscripts collected by the early seventeenth-century antiquary Robert Bruce Cotton
Robert Bruce Cotton
Sir Robert Bruce Cotton, 1st Baronet was an English antiquarian and Member of Parliament, founder of the important Cotton library....
, now conserved 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,...
.