Laurence Nowell
Encyclopedia
Two sixteenth-century English cousins, one an antiquarian and the other a churchman, were named Laurence Nowell. Their biographies have been confused since the seventeenth century.
Nowell attended King's School in Westminster from the early 1530s until 1549 before attending Christ Church, Oxford, where he received an MA in 1552. By 1562, he was living in the London house of his patron, Sir William Cecil
, where he collected and transcribed Anglo-Saxon documents and compiled the first Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, the Vocabularium Saxonicum. During this time he became the friend and mentor of William Lambarde
, another early scholar of Anglo-Saxon. In 1563, Nowell came into possession of the only extant manuscript of Beowulf
. The manuscript is bound in what is still known as the Nowell Codex
(Cotton
Vitellius A. xv).
Nowell devoted much effort in the 1560s to a large-scale atlas of Anglo-Saxon Britain, though he never completed the work. For Cecil, he made the first accurate cartographic survey of the East coast of Ireland, as well as a small, accurate pocket-sized map of Britain, which Cecil always carried with him.
In 1563, Nowell was made the tutor of Cecil's ward, Edward de Vere, the seventeenth Earl of Oxford. Nowell visited the Continent to study in 1568, and probably died there between 1570 and 1572. His books and manuscripts passed into the possession of William Lambarde
.
, in Frankfort.
Nowell returned to England with the accession of Elizabeth
in 1558. That year he became Archdeacon of Derby. In March 1560, he became Dean of Lichfield. He died in 1576, and is believed to be buried at Weston, Derbyshire.
and Anthony Wood
made the mistake, and it persisted through the Dictionary of National Biography
and into the twentieth century. In the 1970s, however, Retha Warnicke
's analysis of a 1571 court case made it clear that there were two different Laurence Nowells, and their biographies have since been disentangled.
Antiquarian
Laurence (or Lawrence) Nowell (c. 1515 – c. 1571) was an antiquarian, a cartographer and a pioneering scholar of Anglo-Saxon language and literature.William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley , KG was an English statesman, the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer from 1572...
, where he collected and transcribed Anglo-Saxon documents and compiled the first Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, the Vocabularium Saxonicum. During this time he became the friend and mentor of William Lambarde
William Lambarde
William Lambarde was an antiquarian and writer on legal subjects.-Life:Lambarde was born in London. His father was a draper , an alderman and a sheriff of London. In 1556, he was admitted to Lincoln's Inn...
, another early scholar of Anglo-Saxon. In 1563, Nowell came into possession of the only extant manuscript of Beowulf
Beowulf
Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
. The manuscript is bound in what is still known as the Nowell Codex
Nowell Codex
Cotton Vitellius A. xv is one of the four major Anglo-Saxon literature codices. It is most famous as the manuscript containing the unique copy of the epic poem Beowulf; in addition to this it contains a fragment of The Life of Saint Christopher, and the more complete texts Letters of Alexander to...
(Cotton
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...
Vitellius A. xv).
Nowell devoted much effort in the 1560s to a large-scale atlas of Anglo-Saxon Britain, though he never completed the work. For Cecil, he made the first accurate cartographic survey of the East coast of Ireland, as well as a small, accurate pocket-sized map of Britain, which Cecil always carried with him.
In 1563, Nowell was made the tutor of Cecil's ward, Edward de Vere, the seventeenth Earl of Oxford. Nowell visited the Continent to study in 1568, and probably died there between 1570 and 1572. His books and manuscripts passed into the possession of William Lambarde
William Lambarde
William Lambarde was an antiquarian and writer on legal subjects.-Life:Lambarde was born in London. His father was a draper , an alderman and a sheriff of London. In 1556, he was admitted to Lincoln's Inn...
.
Churchman
Laurence (or Lawrence) Nowell (died 1576) was a churchman and first cousin of Laurence Nowell the antiquarian. He entered Brasenose College, Oxford, in 1536 and received his MA in 1544. Having strong Protestant views, Nowell fled England when Mary took the throne, eventually joining his brother, Alexander NowellAlexander Nowell
Alexander Nowell was an English Puritan theologian and clergyman, who served as dean of St Paul's during much of Elizabeth I's reign.-Biography:...
, in Frankfort.
Nowell returned to England with the accession of Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
in 1558. That year he became Archdeacon of Derby. In March 1560, he became Dean of Lichfield. He died in 1576, and is believed to be buried at Weston, Derbyshire.
Biographical confusion
The biographies of the two Laurence Nowells have been confused and conflated since the seventeenth century. Both William DugdaleWilliam Dugdale
Sir William Dugdale was an English antiquary and herald. As a scholar he was influential in the development of medieval history as an academic subject.-Life:...
and Anthony Wood
Anthony Wood
Anthony Wood or Anthony à Wood was an English antiquary.-Early life:Anthony Wood was the fourth son of Thomas Wood , BCL of Oxford, where Anthony was born...
made the mistake, and it persisted through the Dictionary of National Biography
Dictionary of National Biography
The Dictionary of National Biography is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published from 1885...
and into the twentieth century. In the 1970s, however, Retha Warnicke
Retha Warnicke
Retha Marvine Warnicke is an American historian and Professor of History at Arizona State University. Warnicke graduated with a B.A. from Indiana University, magna cum laude, in 1961. She then moved on to Harvard University, where she earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in 1963 and 1969, respectively...
's analysis of a 1571 court case made it clear that there were two different Laurence Nowells, and their biographies have since been disentangled.