John Clyn
Encyclopedia
John Clyn of the Friars Minor, Kilkenny
, was a 14th century Irish monk and chronicler who lived at the time of the Black Death
.
some years prior to 1300, possibly at Baile a Clinn/Clyn's town/Clintstown, in the parish of Conahy, some six and a half miles north-west of Kilkenny
. The surname Clyn is found in Somerset
and Bristol
, which may have been where his Anglo-Norman
ancestors originated.
stated, possibly in error, that Clyn was a doctor
of the Franciscan Order. This statement may be a presumption as it has no supporting evidence. Clyn was well educated, though just where he received his education is unknown. He may have attended the university at Dublin, while Oxford
and Cambridge
remain more distant possibilities.
Clyn is recorded as the guardian of the friary of Carrick
in 1336; Bernadette Williams believes that he would have been about fifty in 1336 ("around the same age as his hero Fulk de la Freigne") as someone mature would have been needed to become guardian of Carrick in 1336.
He may have attended the general chapter of the Friars Minor at Marseilles in 1346. At some point between 1336 and 1348 he moved to Kilkenny. He was still alive after 17 June 1349, his last entry in his annals being a eulogy for Fulk de la Freigne. As the Black Death
had ceased by this point, Clyn may have survived it. If this is the case, he may have ceased writing " ... because of the death of his friend, and perhaps patron, Fulk de la Freigne."
Indeed the latter family are mentioned fulsomly in his annals.
As a person "from a military and chivalric background ... he displayed an acceptance of the military situation on the ground" but abhorred "treachery and unprovoked violence."
He would be unknown as the author had he not identified himself in his entry on the Black Death
.
In 2007 an edition of the annals of Friar Clyn was translated into English by Dr. Bernadette Williams.
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
, was a 14th century Irish monk and chronicler who lived at the time of the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
.
Background
Clyn was probably born in LeinsterLeinster
Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled...
some years prior to 1300, possibly at Baile a Clinn/Clyn's town/Clintstown, in the parish of Conahy, some six and a half miles north-west of Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
. The surname Clyn is found in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
and Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, which may have been where his Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
ancestors originated.
Career
Bishop James UssherJames Ussher
James Ussher was Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland between 1625–56...
stated, possibly in error, that Clyn was a doctor
Doctor (title)
Doctor, as a title, originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb docēre . It has been used as an honored academic title for over a millennium in Europe, where it dates back to the rise of the university. This use spread...
of the Franciscan Order. This statement may be a presumption as it has no supporting evidence. Clyn was well educated, though just where he received his education is unknown. He may have attended the university at Dublin, while Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
remain more distant possibilities.
Clyn is recorded as the guardian of the friary of Carrick
Carrick-on-Suir
Carrick-on-Suir is a town in South Tipperary in Ireland. As the name – meaning "the rock of the Suir" – suggests, the town is situated on the River Suir. The of the town gives the population as 5,906 and shows that it has grown by 5.7% since 2002...
in 1336; Bernadette Williams believes that he would have been about fifty in 1336 ("around the same age as his hero Fulk de la Freigne") as someone mature would have been needed to become guardian of Carrick in 1336.
He may have attended the general chapter of the Friars Minor at Marseilles in 1346. At some point between 1336 and 1348 he moved to Kilkenny. He was still alive after 17 June 1349, his last entry in his annals being a eulogy for Fulk de la Freigne. As the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
had ceased by this point, Clyn may have survived it. If this is the case, he may have ceased writing " ... because of the death of his friend, and perhaps patron, Fulk de la Freigne."
The Annals of Ireland
In an effort to identify Clyn's purpose in writing his annals, Bernadette Williams states:"They are not a house chronicle, a town chronicle or a political history. ...the difference between a city and county annalist is quite evident; Clyn was not a member of the burgage population of Kilkenny but a man of the countryside. ... The reality is that Clyn was writing a military history of the geographical area of Kilkenny and TipperaryTipperaryTipperary is a town and a civil parish in South Tipperary in Ireland. Its population was 4,415 at the 2006 census. It is also an ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, and is in the historical barony of Clanwilliam....
... his audience was either the military men of that area or more specifically a military family such as the de la Freignes."
Indeed the latter family are mentioned fulsomly in his annals.
As a person "from a military and chivalric background ... he displayed an acceptance of the military situation on the ground" but abhorred "treachery and unprovoked violence."
He would be unknown as the author had he not identified himself in his entry on the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
.
In 2007 an edition of the annals of Friar Clyn was translated into English by Dr. Bernadette Williams.
Notable entry
"So that notable deeds should not perish with time, and be lost from the memory of future generations, I, seeing these many ills, and that the whole world encompassed by evil, waiting among the dead for death to come, have committed to writing what I have truly heard and examined; and so that the writing does not perish with the writer, or the work fail with the workman, I leave parchment for continuing the work, in case anyone should still be alive in the future and any son of Adam can escape this pestilence and continue the work thus begun."
See also
- Irish annalsIrish annalsA number of Irish annals were compiled up to and shortly after the end of Gaelic Ireland in the 17th century.Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days...
- Annals of UlsterAnnals of UlsterThe Annals of Ulster are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years between AD 431 to AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, under his patron Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the...
- The Chronicle of Ireland
- Chronicon ScotorumChronicon ScotorumChronicon Scotorum is a medieval Irish chronicle.According to Nollaig Ó Muraíle, it is "a collection of annals belonging to the 'Clonmacnoise group', covering the period from prehistoric times to 1150 but with some gaps, closely related to the 'Annals of Tigernach'...