Robert Mannyng
Encyclopedia
Robert Manning (c. 1275 – c. 1338) was an English chronicler and Gilbertine
monk. Mannyng provides a surprising amount of information about himself in his two known works, Handlyng Synne and a Chronicle
. In these two works, Mannyng tells of his residencies at the Gilbertine houses of Sempringham
(near Bourne) and Sixhills
, and also at the Gilbertine priory at Cambridge
, St Edmund’s.
), thirteen kilometres south of Sempringham, the site of the mother house of the Gilbertine Order
. Both places lie on the western edge of the Lincolnshire
fens
. He entered the house in 1288, was trained there and moved to Cambridge, probably as part of his training. He was moved on to Sixhills1 priory at (TF1787) in the Lincolnshire Wolds near Market Rasen
. He will have spent most of his life at Sempringham, despite the frequent modern assertion that he was a monk of Bourne Abbey
. The latter was an Arrouasian
house, later regarded as Augustinian.
This interpretation is supported by Mannyng's introduction to Handlyng Synne, in which he says that he had been at the abbey fifteen years: ten in the time of John Camelton (Hamilton) (the prior at Sempringham from c1298 to 1312), and five winters with Hamilton's successor, John Clyntone. However, he clearly retained an interest in the people of Bourne, as he addressed Handlyng Synne "to all Christian men under the sun and to good men of Bourne and specially ... the fellowship of Sempringham".
rhymed couplets, deriving many of its exempla from the Anglo-Norman
Manuel des Peches of William of Waddington.
Mannyng's Chronicle
, supposedly completed in 1338, translates Wace
's Roman de Brut
for British history from the Anglo-Norman
, before translating Piers Langtoft
's (Peter of Langtoft) Chronicle for English and post-Conquest history.2
is part of a larger movement at the beginning of the fourteenth century towards the replacement of Latin and Anglo-Norman by written works in Middle English, but is not groundbreaking. It is as a history writer, in particular, through his indebtedness to the great twelfth century histories of Henry of Huntingdon
, William of Malmesbury
, and Geoffrey of Monmouth
, that Mannyng stands out. His verse is often seen as rather pedestrian; however, in the exempla in Handling Synne, in particular, there is a life and a colour which give vibrancy to the tales and which make the work very entertaining to read—unlike several other contemporary penitential works.
Gilbertine Order
The Gilbertine Order of Canons Regular was founded around 1130 by Saint Gilbert in Sempringham, Lincolnshire, where Gilbert was the parish priest...
monk. Mannyng provides a surprising amount of information about himself in his two known works, Handlyng Synne and a Chronicle
Mannyng's Chronicle
Mannyng's Chronicle is a chronicle written in Middle English by Robert Mannyng in about 1338.Mannyng began writing his chronicle at the beginning of Edward III’s reign in 1327 and probably finished it in 1338, dated at the end of the second part. The chronicle consists of two parts...
. In these two works, Mannyng tells of his residencies at the Gilbertine houses of Sempringham
Sempringham
Sempringham is a hamlet in Lincolnshire, England that is located north of Bourne, on the Lincolnshire fen edge. Sempringham is now a very small hamlet consisting of a church, a house and a well, giving little clue to the history embodied within its parish boundary. Most of its houses are a...
(near Bourne) and Sixhills
Sixhills
Sixhills is a village in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, about south-east from Market Rasen. It lies just south of the A631 between Market Rasen and Ludford....
, and also at the Gilbertine priory at 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...
, St Edmund’s.
Upbringing
His name, Robert de Brunne, indicates that he came from the place then known as Brunne (Bourne, LincolnshireBourne, Lincolnshire
Bourne is a market town and civil parish on the western edge of the Fens, in the District of South Kesteven in southern Lincolnshire, England.-The town:...
), thirteen kilometres south of Sempringham, the site of the mother house of the Gilbertine Order
Gilbertine Order
The Gilbertine Order of Canons Regular was founded around 1130 by Saint Gilbert in Sempringham, Lincolnshire, where Gilbert was the parish priest...
. Both places lie on the western edge of the 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...
fens
The Fens
The Fens, also known as the , are a naturally marshy region in eastern England. Most of the fens were drained several centuries ago, resulting in a flat, damp, low-lying agricultural region....
. He entered the house in 1288, was trained there and moved to Cambridge, probably as part of his training. He was moved on to Sixhills1 priory at (TF1787) in the Lincolnshire Wolds near Market Rasen
Market Rasen
Market Rasen is a town and civil parish within the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies on the River Rase northeast of Lincoln, east of Gainsborough and southwest of Grimsby. According to the 2001 census, it has a population of 3,200....
. He will have spent most of his life at Sempringham, despite the frequent modern assertion that he was a monk of Bourne Abbey
Bourne Abbey
Bourne Abbey and the Parish Church of St. Peter and St. Paul is a scheduled Grade I church in Bourne, Lincolnshire, England. The building remains in parochial use, despite the 16th century Dissolution, as the nave was used by the parish, probably from the time of the foundation of the abbey in...
. The latter was an Arrouasian
Arrouaise (Abbey and Order)
The Abbey of Arrouaise was the centre of a form of the Augustinian monastic rule, the Arrouaisian Order, which was popular among the founders of abbeys during the decade of the 1130s. The community began to develop when Heldemar joined the hermit Ruggerius in 1090 but its first abbot, elected in...
house, later regarded as Augustinian.
This interpretation is supported by Mannyng's introduction to Handlyng Synne, in which he says that he had been at the abbey fifteen years: ten in the time of John Camelton (Hamilton) (the prior at Sempringham from c1298 to 1312), and five winters with Hamilton's successor, John Clyntone. However, he clearly retained an interest in the people of Bourne, as he addressed Handlyng Synne "to all Christian men under the sun and to good men of Bourne and specially ... the fellowship of Sempringham".
His works
Handlyng Synne (1303) is a twelve thousand line devotional or penitential piece, written in Middle EnglishMiddle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
rhymed couplets, deriving many of its exempla from the Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman language
Anglo-Norman is the name traditionally given to the kind of Old Norman used in England and to some extent elsewhere in the British Isles during the Anglo-Norman period....
Manuel des Peches of William of Waddington.
Mannyng's Chronicle
Mannyng's Chronicle
Mannyng's Chronicle is a chronicle written in Middle English by Robert Mannyng in about 1338.Mannyng began writing his chronicle at the beginning of Edward III’s reign in 1327 and probably finished it in 1338, dated at the end of the second part. The chronicle consists of two parts...
, supposedly completed in 1338, translates Wace
Wace
Wace was a Norman poet, who was born in Jersey and brought up in mainland Normandy , ending his career as Canon of Bayeux.-Life:...
's Roman de Brut
Roman de Brut
Roman de Brut or Brut is a verse literary history of Britain by the poet Wace. Written in the Norman language, it consists of 14,866 lines....
for British history from the Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman language
Anglo-Norman is the name traditionally given to the kind of Old Norman used in England and to some extent elsewhere in the British Isles during the Anglo-Norman period....
, before translating Piers Langtoft
Piers Langtoft
Peter Langtoft, also known as Peter of Langtoft was an English historian and chronicler who took his name from the small village of Langtoft in the East Riding of Yorkshire....
's (Peter of Langtoft) Chronicle for English and post-Conquest history.2
His legacy
Mannyng was primarily a historiographer, and his significance lies in his participation in the tri-lingual tradition of writing history. His work in Middle EnglishMiddle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
is part of a larger movement at the beginning of the fourteenth century towards the replacement of Latin and Anglo-Norman by written works in Middle English, but is not groundbreaking. It is as a history writer, in particular, through his indebtedness to the great twelfth century histories of Henry of Huntingdon
Henry of Huntingdon
Henry of Huntingdon , the son of a canon in the diocese of Lincoln, was a 12th century English historian, the author of a history of England, Historia anglorum, "the most important Anglo-Norman historian to emerge from the secular clergy". He served as archdeacon of Huntingdon...
, William of Malmesbury
William of Malmesbury
William of Malmesbury was the foremost English historian of the 12th century. C. Warren Hollister so ranks him among the most talented generation of writers of history since Bede, "a gifted historical scholar and an omnivorous reader, impressively well versed in the literature of classical,...
, and Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth was a cleric and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur...
, that Mannyng stands out. His verse is often seen as rather pedestrian; however, in the exempla in Handling Synne, in particular, there is a life and a colour which give vibrancy to the tales and which make the work very entertaining to read—unlike several other contemporary penitential works.
See also
- Mannyng's ChronicleMannyng's ChronicleMannyng's Chronicle is a chronicle written in Middle English by Robert Mannyng in about 1338.Mannyng began writing his chronicle at the beginning of Edward III’s reign in 1327 and probably finished it in 1338, dated at the end of the second part. The chronicle consists of two parts...
- English historians in the Middle AgesEnglish historians in the Middle AgesHistorians of England in the Middle Ages helped to lay the groundwork for modern historical historiography, providing vital accounts of the early history of England, Wales and Normandy, its cultures, and revelations about the historians themselves....
- Ayenbite of InwytAyenbite of InwytThe Ayenbite of Inwyt is a confessional prose work written in a Kentish dialect of Middle English...
Footnotes
- Note 1: Not to be confused with Six Hills, in the neighbouring county of LeicestershireLeicestershireLeicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
. - Note 2: There are in England, two places called Langtoft, one is in the Yorkshire WoldsYorkshire WoldsThe Yorkshire Wolds are low hills in the counties of East Riding of Yorkshire and North Yorkshire in northeastern England. The name also applies to the district in which the hills lie....
(TA0166). The other is nine kilometres south of Bourne (TF1212). Peter seems to have come from the formerLangtoft, East Riding of YorkshireLangtoft is a small village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Situated north of Driffield town centre and lying on the B1249 between Driffield and Foxholes.According to the 2001 UK census, Langtoft parish had a population of 457....
.
External links
- Robert Mannyng of Brunne’s Handlyng Synne from The Cambridge History of English and American LiteratureThe Cambridge History of English and American LiteratureThe Cambridge History of English and American Literature was originally published by Cambridge University Press in 1907–1921. The 18 volumes include 303 chapters and more than 11,000 pages edited and written by a worldwide panel of 171 leading scholars and thinkers of the early twentieth century...
, Volume I, 1907–21. - Index to Robert Mannyng's Chronicle compiled at the English Department of the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands.