Ingulph
Encyclopedia
Ingulph (died 16 November 1109) was a Benedictine
abbot of Crowland
, head of Crowland Abbey in Lincolnshire
. He was an Englishman who, having travelled to England
on diplomatic business as secretary of William, Duke of Normandy
in 1051, was made Abbot of Crowland in 1087 (Chambers and DNB say 1086) at Duke William's instigation after he had become king of England and the abbacy had fallen vacant. 1087 was in the last year of William's reign.
In the meantime, Ingulph had made a pilgrimage
to Jerusalem and entered Fontenelle Abbey
at Caudebec-en-Caux
in Normandy
, where after a time, he was appointed prior. He was appointed abbot there in 1080.
As his life as Abbot of Crowland progressed, Ingulph suffered the usual events: gout and the work of rebuilding after a destructive fire in the abbey. However, he was able to obtain an arm of Saint Wulfram
; and in 1092 he received the body of Earl Waltheof of Northumbria
, a Saxon who had been executed per William's orders and who was considered a hero and martyr in popular thought. These relics brought in the pilgrims and eased his money problems.
, a manuscript which has since been shown to have been fabricated well after his time, probably in the 13th or 14th century. The document, which for many years was referred to as 'Ingulph' and is now called the Pseudo-Ingulf
, was probably written in order to support claims to property around Crowland, particularly in regard to incursions from Spalding
. Crowland was on a small gravel ridge in wet fen
. All of the Abbey's arable lands listed in Domesday Book
were in other parishes, such as Spalding.
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
abbot of Crowland
Abbot of Crowland
The Abbot of Crowland was the head of Crowland Abbey, an English monastery built up around the shrine of Saint Guthlac by King Æthelbald of Mercia, and refounded as a Benedictine house circa 948. The last abbot was John Wells , who handed the monastery over to royal control and dissolution in...
, head of Crowland Abbey in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. He was an Englishman who, having travelled to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on diplomatic business as secretary of William, Duke of Normandy
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
in 1051, was made Abbot of Crowland in 1087 (Chambers and DNB say 1086) at Duke William's instigation after he had become king of England and the abbacy had fallen vacant. 1087 was in the last year of William's reign.
In the meantime, Ingulph had made a pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
to Jerusalem and entered Fontenelle Abbey
Fontenelle Abbey
Fontenelle Abbey or the Abbey of St. Wandrille is a Benedictine monastery in the commune of Saint-Wandrille-Rançon near Caudebec-en-Caux in Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France.-First foundation:...
at Caudebec-en-Caux
Caudebec-en-Caux
Caudebec-en-Caux is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:Caudebec-en-Caux is located W.N.W. of Rouen, on the right bank of the River Seine. The tidal bore in the estuary of the Seine which is known as the mascaret in French, but...
in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, where after a time, he was appointed prior. He was appointed abbot there in 1080.
As his life as Abbot of Crowland progressed, Ingulph suffered the usual events: gout and the work of rebuilding after a destructive fire in the abbey. However, he was able to obtain an arm of Saint Wulfram
Wulfram of Sens
Saint Wulfram of Fontenelle or Saint Wulfram of Sens was the Archbishop of Sens. His life was recorded eleven years after he died by the monk Jonas of Fontenelle...
; and in 1092 he received the body of Earl Waltheof of Northumbria
Waltheof, 1st Earl of Northampton
Waltheof , 1st Earl of the Honour of Huntingdon and Northampton and last of the Anglo-Saxon earls was the only English aristocrat to be executed during the reign of William I.-Early life:...
, a Saxon who had been executed per William's orders and who was considered a hero and martyr in popular thought. These relics brought in the pilgrims and eased his money problems.
The Ingulph document
For several centuries, he was credited with the original authorship of a history of Crowland Abbey, Historia Monasterii Croylandensis, the Croyland ChronicleCroyland Chronicle
The Croyland Chronicle is an important, if not always reliable, primary source for English medieval history, in particular the late fifteenth century. It was written at the Benedictine Abbey of Croyland, in Lincolnshire, England, off and on from 655 to 1486, and its first author claimed to be...
, a manuscript which has since been shown to have been fabricated well after his time, probably in the 13th or 14th century. The document, which for many years was referred to as 'Ingulph' and is now called the Pseudo-Ingulf
Pseudo-Ingulf
Pseudo-Ingulf is the name given to an unknown English author of the Historia Monasterii Croylandensis, also known as the Croyland Chronicle. Nothing certain is known of Pseudo-Ingulf although it is generally assumed that he was connected with Croyland Abbey....
, was probably written in order to support claims to property around Crowland, particularly in regard to incursions from Spalding
Spalding, Lincolnshire
Spalding is a market town with a population of 30,000 on the River Welland in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. Little London is a hamlet directly south of Spalding on the B1172 road....
. Crowland was on a small gravel ridge in wet fen
Fen
A fen is a type of wetland fed by mineral-rich surface water or groundwater. Fens are characterised by their water chemistry, which is neutral or alkaline, with relatively high dissolved mineral levels but few other plant nutrients...
. All of the Abbey's arable lands listed in Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
were in other parishes, such as Spalding.