John of Wallingford
Encyclopedia
John of Wallingford also known as John de Cella, was Abbot of St Albans Abbey in the English
county of Hertfordshire
from 1195 to his death in 1214. He was previously prior of Holy Trinity Priory
at Wallingford in Berkshire
(now Oxfordshire
), a cell of St Albans.
According to local tradition, he was a member of the Hyde family of South Denchworth
in Berkshire
(now Oxfordshire
). He studied in Paris
, and was considered a great grammarian, poet and physicist. His document "flod at London
brigge" predicted the high water mark
of the Thames, and is credited as the first of its type. His Chronica Joannis Wallingford covers events from 449 to 1036, including the St. Brice's Day massacre
of the Danes
in 1002, during the reign of Ethelred the Unready
. He notes that "the Danes, thanks to their habit of combing their hair every day, of bathing every Saturday and regularly changing their clothes, were able to undermine the virtue of married women and even seduce the daughters of nobles to be their mistresses."
He was regarded by the 19th century scholar Henry Richards Luard
as the predecessor as chronicler at St Albans
Abbey of the famous Matthew Paris
, but this has since been questioned.
There is some confusion with another John of Wallingford, infirmarius at St Albans, who died in 1258, whose own chronicles appear in the same manuscript Cotton MS. Julius D vii. The St Albans chronicler Matthew Paris
adapted the work of the abbot and was a friend of the infirmarius. Some Matthew Paris drawings are bound in the same manuscript, and also a picture and a description of the elephant
presented to the King of England
in 1255, the first elephant seen in that country. This was probably drawn by the younger John, copying other drawings by Matthew Paris. The later John's Chronicle was largely an abbreviated version of Matthew Paris's.
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...
county of Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
from 1195 to his death in 1214. He was previously prior of Holy Trinity Priory
Wallingford Priory
Wallingford Priory was a Benedictine priory dedicated to the Holy Trinity in Wallingford in the English county of Berkshire .Nothing remains of Holy Trinity Priory, which is believed to have stood on the site of the Bullcroft recreation ground off the High Street...
at Wallingford in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
(now Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
), a cell of St Albans.
According to local tradition, he was a member of the Hyde family of South Denchworth
Denchworth
Drayton is a village and civil parish about north of Wantage. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred the Vale of White Horse to Oxfordshire.The parish is bounded by the Land Brook in the west and the Childrey Brook in the east...
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
(now Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
). He studied in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and was considered a great grammarian, poet and physicist. His document "flod at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
brigge" predicted the high water mark
Ordinary high water mark
Ordinary high water mark refers to the highest level reached by a body of water that has been maintained for a sufficient period of time to leave evidence on the landscape. It may be indicated by destruction of terrestrial vegetation, the presence of marks on trees or debris deposits...
of the Thames, and is credited as the first of its type. His Chronica Joannis Wallingford covers events from 449 to 1036, including the St. Brice's Day massacre
St. Brice's Day massacre
The St. Brice's Day massacre was the killing of Danes in the Kingdom of England on 13 November 1002, ordered by King Æthelred the Unready. The name refers to St Brice, fifth century Bishop of Tours, whose feast day is 13 November.-Background:...
of the Danes
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
in 1002, during the reign of Ethelred the Unready
Ethelred the Unready
Æthelred the Unready, or Æthelred II , was king of England . He was son of King Edgar and Queen Ælfthryth. Æthelred was only about 10 when his half-brother Edward was murdered...
. He notes that "the Danes, thanks to their habit of combing their hair every day, of bathing every Saturday and regularly changing their clothes, were able to undermine the virtue of married women and even seduce the daughters of nobles to be their mistresses."
He was regarded by the 19th century scholar Henry Richards Luard
Henry Richards Luard
Henry Richards Luard was a British medieval historian and antiquary.-Biography:Luard was the son of Henry Luard. He received his early education at Cheam. He graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1847, and 1849 was elected to a Fellowship. He entered holy orders, and served as vicar of...
as the predecessor as chronicler at St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
Abbey of the famous Matthew Paris
Matthew Paris
Matthew Paris was a Benedictine monk, English chronicler, artist in illuminated manuscripts and cartographer, based at St Albans Abbey in Hertfordshire...
, but this has since been questioned.
There is some confusion with another John of Wallingford, infirmarius at St Albans, who died in 1258, whose own chronicles appear in the same manuscript Cotton MS. Julius D vii. The St Albans chronicler Matthew Paris
Matthew Paris
Matthew Paris was a Benedictine monk, English chronicler, artist in illuminated manuscripts and cartographer, based at St Albans Abbey in Hertfordshire...
adapted the work of the abbot and was a friend of the infirmarius. Some Matthew Paris drawings are bound in the same manuscript, and also a picture and a description of the elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
presented to the King of England
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
in 1255, the first elephant seen in that country. This was probably drawn by the younger John, copying other drawings by Matthew Paris. The later John's Chronicle was largely an abbreviated version of Matthew Paris's.
Further reading
- Vaughan, Richard. "The Chronicle of John of Wallingford." The English Historical Review 73.286 (January 1958). pp. 66-77.
