Sulcard
Sulcard (floruit c. 1080) was a Benedictine monk at St. Peter's, Westminster Abbey, and the author of the first history of the abbey.
Little is known of Sulcard, whose unusual name may reflect either Anglo-Saxon or Norman parentage.[1] His entrance into the monastery may be dated to the 1050s and it is possible that he was previously attached to the cathedral priory at Rochester, which receives a noticeable degree of attention in his work.[1]
Prologus de Construccione Westmonasterii
The sole work which Sulcard is known to have produced is the so-called Prologus de Construccione Westmonasterii (“Prologue concerning the Building of Westminster”), dedicated to Abbot
Apart from relating local traditions about St. Peter's miraculous involvement, the narrative of Sulcard's prologus is relatively free of embellishments.
A critical edition of the text based primarily on MS
Death and legacy
Sulcard was later said to have been awarded the privilege of burial in the abbey's cloister.[1] At the instigation of Henry III (r. 1216–1272), his remains were translated to the newly built chapter house of the abbey.[1][8] The Prologus continued to reach an audience throughout the Middle Ages and was extensively used by the monk John Flete (d. 1466) for his own History of Westminster Abbey.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Harvey, "Sulcard (fl. c. 1080)."
- ^ Barlow, The Life of King Edward who Rests at Westminster, p. xxxvi and xxxvi note 100.
- ^ The full title reads: Hic incipit Prologus de prima constructione ecclesie Westmonasterii et de dedicatione loci eiusdem per sanctum Petrum apostolorum principem. HRI online.
- ^ Barlow, The Life of King Edward who Rests at Westminster, p. xxx.
- ^ Barlow, The Life of King Edward who Rests at Westminster, pp. xxxvii, xxxix, lxxx.
- ^ Barlow, The Life of King Edward who Rests at Westminster, pp. xxxvi-xxxvii.
- ^ Barlow (ed. and tr.), The Life of King Edward who Rests at Westminster, p. 114-5.
- ^ Scholz, "Sulcard of Westminster." p. 60
Sources
- Barlow, Frank (1992). The Life of King Edward who Rests at Westminster Attributed to a Monk of Saint-Bertin. 2nd ed. Oxford.
- Harvey, Barbara F. (2004). “Sulcard (fl. c. 1080).” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Accessed 22 April 2009.
Further reading
- Scholz, Bernard W. (1964). "Sulcard of Westminster. Prologus de construccione Westmonasterii." Traditio 20: 59–91.