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Richard of Devizes

c.1150 – c.1200

A Benedictine monk of St Swithun’s Priory, Winchester, he is included as an example of one the medieval chroniclers whose works happen to have survived. His proper place is amongst those like Leland and Campden who recorded events and places of their age. He was writing at a time when Winchester was at the centre of national life, both in terms of church and state.  He was probably the editor of the Annals of Winchester (Annales Monasterii Wintonia), which is now available online, together with Hyde Annals. It includes Richard’s account of the reign of Richard I (De rebus gestis Richardi primi), which has also been printed three times, most recently in 1963. A translation of Henry Luard’s Latin edition of 1868 of the Annals of Winchester in the second volume of his Annales Monastici has also recently been published.

The works of Richard of Devizes have also become part of the dialogue on Jewish history. He was the first person to use the word ‘holocaust’, in the context of mass murder of Jews in London, albeit in a difference sense from modern usage. He also wrote satirically on the myth held in Winchester at the time that Jews carried out sacrificial murders of Christian boys.

Sources

  • G.H. Martin, ‘Richard of Devizes’, ODNB, 2004

  • Wikipedia

Portrait

Contribution to county’s history

In as much as Winchester was at the centre of national life at the time, his chronicles serve to emphasise the status of the County of Southampton.  

Relevant published works

  • J.T. Appleby, The Chronicle of Richard of Devizes (Chronicon Richardi Divisensis), 1963.

  • Christopher Smith, Annals of Winchester: Annales Monasterii de Wintonia (Medieval Texts Translated), 2023.

  • Brill, Winchester Annals.

Critical Comments

Other Comments

Much later, in the 15th century, St Swithun’s spawned another notable chronicler, Thomas Rudborne

Contributor

Barry Shurlock, 14 March 2024

Key Words

St Swithun’s Priory, Winchester. Jewish history

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