Osbern Bokenam
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Osbern Bokenam English
writer author and friar, was born, by his own account, on the 6th of October 1393. He may have been a native of Bokeham, now Bookham, in Surrey
, or of Buckenham in Norfolk
and derived his name from either place. In a concluding note to his Lives of the Saints, he is described as a "Suffolke man, frere Austyn of Stoke Clare
" [friar at Clare Priory
in Suffolk]. He travelled in Italy
on at least two occasions, possibly living for a time in Venice and Rome, and in 1445 was a pilgrim
to Santiago de Compostela
in Spain.
Bokenam wrote a series of thirteen legends of holy maidens and women. These are written chiefly in seven and eight-lined stanza
s, and nine of them are preceded by prologue
s. Bokenam was a follower of Chaucer and Lydgate
, and doubtless had in mind Chaucer's Legend of Good Women. His chief, but by no means his only, source was the Legenda Aurea of Jacobus de Voragine
, archbishop of Genoa, whom he cites as Januence. The first of the legends, Vita S[an]c[t]ae Margaretae, virginis et martyris, was written for his friend, Thomas Burgh, a Cambridge
monk
. Others are dedicated to pious ladies who desired the history of their name-saints.
The Arundel MS. 327 (in the British Museum
) is a unique copy of Bokenam's work; it was finished, according to the concluding note, in 1447, and presented by the scribe, Thomas Burgh, to an unnamed convent
that the nuns may remember him and his sister, Dame Betrice Burgh.
The poems were edited (1835) for the Roxburghe Club
with the title Lyvys of Seyntys …, and by Dr. Carl Horstmann as Osbern Bokenams Legenden (Heilbronn, 1883), in Eugen Kölbing
's Altengl. Bibliothek, vol. i. Both editions include a dialogue written in Latin and English
taken from William Dugdale
's Monasticon Anglicanum (ed. 1846, vol. vi, p. 1600); this is a dialogue between a "Secular asking and a Frere answerynge at the grave of Dame Johan of Acres shewith the lyneal descent of the lordis of the honore of Clare fro ... MCCXLVIII to ... MCCCLVI". Bokenam wrote, as he tells us, plainly, in the Suffolk
speech. He explains his lack of decoration on the plea that the finest flowers had been already plucked by Chaucer, Gower
and Lydgate.
In 2004 a manuscript copy of Bokenam's version of the Legenda Aurea was discovered in the library of Abbotsford House
, Scotland. It had been purchased in 1809 by Sir Walter Scott and subsequently forgotten.
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...
writer author and friar, was born, by his own account, on the 6th of October 1393. He may have been a native of Bokeham, now Bookham, in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, or of Buckenham in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
and derived his name from either place. In a concluding note to his Lives of the Saints, he is described as a "Suffolke man, frere Austyn of Stoke Clare
Stoke-by-Clare
Stoke-by-Clare is a small village in Suffolk located in the valley of the River Stour, about two miles west of Clare.In 1124 Richard de Clare, 1st Earl of Hertford moved the Benedictine Priory that had been established at his castle in Clare to Stoke-by-Clare. The Priory, which was controlled by...
" [friar at Clare Priory
Clare Priory
Clare Priory is a modern English house of the Augustinian order, established 1248 near Clare Castle on the banks of the River Stour in Suffolk. It was one of the first English monastic houses suppressed in 1538 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, but the Irish Augustinian Friars purchased...
in Suffolk]. He travelled in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
on at least two occasions, possibly living for a time in Venice and Rome, and in 1445 was a pilgrim
Pilgrim
A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system...
to Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
in Spain.
Bokenam wrote a series of thirteen legends of holy maidens and women. These are written chiefly in seven and eight-lined stanza
Stanza
In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. In modern poetry, the term is often equivalent with strophe; in popular vocal music, a stanza is typically referred to as a "verse"...
s, and nine of them are preceded by prologue
Prologue
A prologue is an opening to a story that establishes the setting and gives background details, often some earlier story that ties into the main one, and other miscellaneous information. The Greek prologos included the modern meaning of prologue, but was of wider significance...
s. Bokenam was a follower of Chaucer and Lydgate
John Lydgate
John Lydgate of Bury was a monk and poet, born in Lidgate, Suffolk, England.Lydgate is at once a greater and a lesser poet than John Gower. He is a greater poet because of his greater range and force; he has a much more powerful machine at his command. The sheer bulk of Lydgate's poetic output is...
, and doubtless had in mind Chaucer's Legend of Good Women. His chief, but by no means his only, source was the Legenda Aurea of Jacobus de Voragine
Jacobus de Voragine
Blessed Jacobus de Varagine or Voragine was an Italian chronicler and archbishop of Genoa. He was the author, or more accurately the compiler, of Legenda Aurea, the Golden Legend, a collection of the legendary lives of the greater saints of the medieval church that was one of the most popular...
, archbishop of Genoa, whom he cites as Januence. The first of the legends, Vita S[an]c[t]ae Margaretae, virginis et martyris, was written for his friend, Thomas Burgh, a 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...
monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
. Others are dedicated to pious ladies who desired the history of their name-saints.
The Arundel MS. 327 (in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
) is a unique copy of Bokenam's work; it was finished, according to the concluding note, in 1447, and presented by the scribe, Thomas Burgh, to an unnamed convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
that the nuns may remember him and his sister, Dame Betrice Burgh.
The poems were edited (1835) for the Roxburghe Club
Roxburghe Club
The Roxburghe Club was formed on 17 June 1812 by leading bibliophiles, at the time the library of the Duke of Roxburghe was auctioned. It took 45 days to sell the entire collection. The first edition of Boccaccio's Decameron, printed by Chrisopher Valdarfer of Venice in 1471, was sold to the...
with the title Lyvys of Seyntys …, and by Dr. Carl Horstmann as Osbern Bokenams Legenden (Heilbronn, 1883), in Eugen Kölbing
Eugen Kölbing
Eugen Kölbing was a German philologist, a specialist in the study of Nordic, English, and French language and literature and comparative linguistics and literature.-Academic Career:...
's Altengl. Bibliothek, vol. i. Both editions include a dialogue written in Latin and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
taken from William Dugdale
William 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:...
's Monasticon Anglicanum (ed. 1846, vol. vi, p. 1600); this is a dialogue between a "Secular asking and a Frere answerynge at the grave of Dame Johan of Acres shewith the lyneal descent of the lordis of the honore of Clare fro ... MCCXLVIII to ... MCCCLVI". Bokenam wrote, as he tells us, plainly, in the Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
speech. He explains his lack of decoration on the plea that the finest flowers had been already plucked by Chaucer, Gower
John Gower
John Gower was an English poet, a contemporary of William Langland and a personal friend of Geoffrey Chaucer. He is remembered primarily for three major works, the Mirroir de l'Omme, Vox Clamantis, and Confessio Amantis, three long poems written in French, Latin, and English respectively, which...
and Lydgate.
In 2004 a manuscript copy of Bokenam's version of the Legenda Aurea was discovered in the library of Abbotsford House
Abbotsford House
Abbotsford is a historic house in the region of the Scottish Borders in the south of Scotland, near Melrose, on the south bank of the River Tweed. It was formerly the residence of historical novelist and poet, Walter Scott...
, Scotland. It had been purchased in 1809 by Sir Walter Scott and subsequently forgotten.