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William of Newburgh

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William of Newburgh or Newbury (Latin: Guilelmus Neubrigensis,[1] Wilhelmus Neubrigensis,[2] or Willelmus de Novoburgo.[3] 1136 – 1198), also known as William Parvus, was a 12th-century English historian and Augustinian canon of Anglo-Saxon descent from Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire.[4]

William experienced the Jewish pogroms in York in the late 12th century mentioning, "the slaughter was less the work of religious zeal than of bold and covetous men who wrought the business of their own greed".[5] William also composed a lengthy Marian exposition on the Song of Songs and three sermons on liturgical texts and Saint Alban.

History of English Affairs

William's major work was Historia rerum Anglicarum or Historia de rebus anglicis ("History of English Affairs"), a history of England from 1066 to 1198, written in Latin. The work is valued by historians for detailing The Anarchy under Stephen of England. It is written in an engaging fashion and still readable to this day, containing many fascinating stories and glimpses into 12th-century life. He is a major source for stories of medieval revenants, animated corpses that returned from their graves, with close parallels to vampire beliefs,[6] and the only source for the bishop-pirate Wimund.

The 19th-century historian Edward Augustus Freeman expressed the now outdated opinion that William was "the father of historical criticism."[7] Indeed, he was very critical of King John, whom he describes as "nature's enemy",[8] and in general his discussion of English kings is "loyal but critical and cool".[9]

William saw his own work as being based on reliable sources, unlike Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, of which Newburgh was highly critical, saying "only a person ignorant of ancient history would have any doubt about how shamelessly and impudently he lies in almost everything."[10] He criticised Geoffrey for writing a history that conflicted with the accounts found in the writings of Bede and the church.

Because belief in souls returning from the dead was common in the 12th century, William's Historia briefly recounts stories he heard about revenants, as does the work of Walter Map, his Welsh contemporary. Although they form a minor part in each work, these folklore accounts have attracted attention within occultism.[11] He also described the arrival of green children from "St. Martin's Land" and other mysterious, wondrous occurrences. While he says that these have an apparent signification, he does not explain what that meaning might be: "he offers these prodigious events to his readers with questions, hesitations, and doubt – with, in short, all the confessions of a critical and honest mind".[12]

"The latest complete edition of William's history is still that found in Chronicles of the Reigns of Stephen, Henry II and Richard I. Edited by Richard Howlett. Rolls Series no. 82. London, 1884-9. Books 1-4 of William's history appear in volume 1, book 5 in volume 2."[13]

From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia

William of Newburgh — Historian, b. at Bridlington, Yorkshire, 1136; d. at Newburgh, Yorkshire, 1198, where he went as a boy to the small and recently-founded Augustinian priory. There he remained to the end as an Augustinian canon. There is no evidence that he travelled, and hardly anything is known of what was probably a very uneventful life. It would appear that he wrote his history within a short period of his death; if this was the case he must have long been preparing his materials. His "Historia rerum anglicarum" opens with a short introductory sketch of the reigns of the Conqueror and his sons, followed by a fuller account of that of Stephen. The main purpose of the writer was to produce a philosophical commentary on the history of his own times, and books II-V cover the period 1154-98. They are more than a mere chronicle; they form a real history in which the connection of events is traced, a proper sense of proportion observed, and men and their actions judged from an intelligent and independent point of view.

William of Newburgh, with his contemporary Roger of Hoveden, belongs to the northern school of historians, who carried on the admirable traditions of the Venerable Bede. This was a spirit very unlike that which inspired Geoffrey of Monmouth's mythical "History of the British Kings" with its tales of King Arthur, and William attacks Geoffrey and his legends with great indignation, calling the latter "impudent and shameless lies". This striking illustration of his historic integrity won for him from Freeman the title of "the father of historical criticism", and the compliment is not altogether undeserved. Living in a remote Yorkshire monastery William could not have had an intimate first-hand knowledge of public events, but he used his authorities, such as Symeon of Durham and Henry of Huntingdon, with excellent judgment. Though his chronology is confused and untrustworthy his work is of the greatest value, especially for the early years of the reign of Henry II. The best edition of the History is that edited by R. Howlett for the Rolls Series (Chronicles of Stephen, Henry II, and Richard I, vols. I and II).

HOWLETT, preface to Rolls Series; NORGATE in Dict. Nat. Biog., s. v.; JONES in the Cambridge History of English Literature, I, 171.

References

  1. Back to citation "Guilielmi Neubrigensis Historia sive Chronica rerum anglicarum...", openlibrary.org, OL 21880186M
  2. Back to citation Ruch, Lisa M. (14 June 2016). Dunphy, Graeme; Bratu, Cristian (eds.). "William of Newburgh". Encyclopedia of the Medieval Chronicle. Retrieved 21 June 2021 – via referenceworks.brillonline.com.
  3. Back to citation of Newburgh, William (1719). "Epistola Willelmi Viri Religiosi Canonici de Novoburgo Prefacionalis operis sequentis et Apologetica ad Abbatem Rievallis". In Hearne, Thomas; Picard, Jean de Beauvais (eds.). Guilielmi Neubrigensis Historia sive Chronica rerum anglicarum, libris quinque. E codice ms. pervetusto, in bibliotheca prænobilis domini Dni. Thomæ Sebright (in Latin). Oxonii, e Theatro Sheldoniano – via archive.org.
  4. Back to citation Lawrence-Mathers, Anne (December 2007). "William of Newburgh and the Northumbrian construction of English history". Journal of Medieval History. 33 (4): 339–357. doi:10.1016/j.jmedhist.2007.09.002. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  5. Back to citation Tuchman, Barbara Wertheim (1978). A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th century. New York: Knopf. p. 112. ISBN 978-0-394-40026-6.
  6. Back to citation The Encyclopedia of Monsters, by Daniel Cohen
  7. Back to citation Freeman, Edward Augustus (1878). "Froude's Study of Thomas Becket 1". Contemporary Review. XXXI. A. Strahan. Retrieved 21 June 2021. Freeman, Edward Augustus (1878). "Froude's Study of Thomas Becket 2 & 3". Contemporary Review. XXXII. A. Strahan. Retrieved 21 June 2021. Freeman, Edward Augustus (1878). "Froude's Study of Thomas Becket 2 & 3". Contemporary Review. XXXII. A. Strahan. Retrieved 21 June 2021. Freeman, Edward Augustus (1878). "Froude's Study of Thomas Becket". Contemporary Review. XXXII. A. Strahan: 216.
  8. Back to citation McGlynn, Sean (June 2010). "King John and the French invasion of England, BBC History magazine". BBC History Magazine. Bristol Magazines. ISSN 1469-8552.
  9. Back to citation Partner, Nancy F. (1977). Serious Entertainments: The Writings of History in Twelfth-Century England. University of Chicago Press. p. 97. ISBN 0226647633.
  10. Back to citation Historia rerum Anglicarum, Book I, Preface, retrieved 7 January 2005
  11. Back to citation see references in Medieval revenants
  12. Back to citation Partner 115.
  13. Back to citation of Newburgh, William (1198). Halsall, Paul; McLetchie, Scott (eds.). The History of English Affairs. Internet History Sourcebooks Project. New York: Fordham University Center for Medieval Studies. “Source: The Church Historians of England, volume IV, part II; translated by Joseph Stevenson (London: Seeley's, 1861).”

Bibliography

Sources

  • of Newburgh, William (1198). Halsall, Paul; McLetchie, Scott (eds.). The History of English Affairs (Books I to V). Internet History Sourcebooks Project. New York: Fordham University Center for Medieval Studies. “Source: The Church Historians of England, volume IV, part II; translated by Joseph Stevenson (London: Seeley's, 1861). Spelling modernised 1999 by Scott McLetchie.”
  • The History of 'William of Newburgh' (1066–1198), Joseph Stevenson (Translator), LLanerch Press, 1996, ISBN 1-86143-013-2, This is believed to be the Seeley's 1861 version as seen above, without Scott McLetchie's spelling updates.
  • Chronicles of the Reigns of Stephen, Henry II and Richard I. Edited by Richard Howlett. Rolls Series no. 82. London, 1884–9. Books 1–4 of William's history appear in volume 1, book 5 in volume 2. Most recent complete source.
  • The History of English Affairs, Book I (Medieval Latin Texts), by William, P. G. Walsh, M. J. Kennedy, 1988, ISBN 0-85668-304-3, Book I only.
  • The Sermons of William of Newburgh (Latin Edition), ed. A.B. Kraebel.
  • The History of English Affairs, Book I. Ed. and trans. P. G. Walsh and M. J. Kennedy. Warminster: Aris and Phillips, 1988.
  • The History of English Affairs, Book II. Ed. and trans. P. G. Walsh and M. J. Kennedy. Oxford: Aris and Phillips, 2007.
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