MA Researching the Middle Ages: Hagiography and Socio-Medical History. Handout

MA and M(Res) Medieval Studies: Researching the Middle Ages R. Salter

{1}

Hagiography and Socio-Medical History

Miracles were a ubiquitous feature of medieval Christian

culture. We might even say, following a strict

Augustinian line, that there could be no Christian society

without the miraculous… St Augustine took pains to

emphasise that ‘even now miracles are being performed

either by his [God’s] sacrament or by the prayers or the

memorials of his saints’. Augustine saw the saints as

enjoying a particular role in boosting the Christian

faithful with a reminder of God’s power, manifest in the

form of miracles.

Yarrow, S. Saints and Their Communities. p.11

What is hagiography?

Hagiography is a genre of literature that focuses on saints. It can appear in multiple formats but

the most frequently found are:

Vita (life) – the life of the saint (‘biographic’), acts as justification of their holiness.

Miracula (miracles) – accounts of the miracles preformed posthumously, acts as proof of

their holiness and closeness to God.

Vita at Miracula (life and miracles) – in these instances the two parts of a saint’s ‘career’ are

brought together

Translatio (translation) – account connected to the translation of a saint’s body/relics, often

connected to miraculous occurrences.

Miracles may also be found in other types of work including monastic chronicles. The Liber Eliensis

(Book of Ely) for example contains a much better collection of miracles performed by Ely

Cathedral’s main saint, Æthelthryth, than Gosecelin of St Bertin’s hagiographies for Ely’s female

saints.2

There was an increase in writing hagiographies following the Norman conquest generally this is

seen as being attributed to the Norman scepticism of Anglo-Saxon saints and therefore can be

seen as ‘part of a process of cultural and political assimilation’.3

1 Yarrow, S. Saints and Their Communities: Miracles Stories in Twelfth-Century England. (Clarendon Press, Oxford. 2006) p.1 2 Liber Eliensis: A History of the Isle of Ely. trans. Fairweather, J. (The Boydell Press, Woodbridge. 2005); Goscelin of St Bertin. The Hagiogrpahy of the Female Saints of Ely. ed. and trans. Love, R. (Oxford University Press, Oxford. 2005) 3 Yarrow, S. Saints and Their Communities. p.6


{2}

The locations of the eight cults (and their hagiographies) that I focus on:

Anon. Miracula S. Swithuni – Winchester Cathedral Priory c.1100

Eadmer of Canterbury. Miracula S. Dunstani – Christ Church, Canterbury c.1110

Eadmer of Canterbury. Miracula S. Oswaldi – Worcester Cathedral Priory c.1115

Thomas/Richard of Ely Liber Eliensis – Ely Cathedral Priory c.1130-1180

Geoffrey of Burton. Vita et Miracula S. Moduenne Uirginis – Burton-on-Trent Abbey c.1118-35

Thomas of Monmouth. The Life and Miracles of St William of Norwich – Norwich Cathedral

Priory c.1172-3

Anon. Vita et Miracula S. Æbbe Virginis – Coldingham Priory c.1190

Anon. The Miracles of the Hand of St James – Reading Abbey c.1190-1200

St Æbbe, Coldingham and St Abb’s Head

St Æthelthryth, Ely

St William, Norwich St Modwenna, Burton-on-Trent

St Oswald, Worcester

St Dunstan, Canterbury

St James the Greater, Reading

St Swithun, Winchester


{3}

Analysing Hagiography

(this is only a sample of my analysis, please contact me directly if you are interested)

Some of the afflictions referred to within the hagiographies:

Ailment Type MaS MD MO LE VSM WoN MÆ HoJ Total As

Percent Blindness and other Eye Afflictions 17 9 0 4 3 3 8 2 46 16%

Bodily Paralysis (partial or full paralysis, 'humps', curvature of the spine or knees etc.)

16 6 3 6 2 13 11 7 64 22%

Complaints relating to bodily pain (internal organs or limbs, or both, but with no reference to sickness or paralysis)

0 0 0 2 0 5 0 1 8 3%

Complaints relating to the mouth (toothache, ulcers etc.) 0 0 1 2 0 3 0 0 6 2%

Drunkenness 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 >1%

'Illness' (unspecific but including sickness, fever etc.) 2 4 1 7 2 28 1 8 53 18%

Injuries (accidents, incidents, animal bites/stings/attacks or other unfortunate events resulting in bodily damage)

2 0 0 3 7 2 1 2 17 6%

'Leprosy' 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 >1%

Penitential bonds (breaking of irons and healing of associated wounds)

1 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 4 1%

Distances travelled by cure-seekers in three of the hagiographies:

Local (under 20 miles)

Mid-Distance (20-50 miles)

Long-Distance (50+ miles)

Other UK country

Continental Connections

Unclear/No Journey

MaS 11 9 7 0 3 19

23% 18% 14% 0% 6% 39%

LE 9 2 5 0 1 9

35% 8% 18% 0% 4% 35%

WoN 48 23 5 0 0 9

56% 27% 6% 0% 0% 11%


{4}

The travel terminology used in two of the hagiographies:

Latin verb English translation Present in MaS Present in MD

accurro, -ere to attend to ✓

adduco, -ere to bring to ✓ ✓

adeo, -ire to go to ✓

adveho, -ere to carry ✓

advenio, -ire to come

✓

arrepo, -ere to creep ✓

deambulo, -are to walk ✓

deduco. -ere to bring ✓

defero, -erre to bring ✓ ✓

deporto, -are to carry ✓

duco, -ere to lead ✓

eo, ire to go ✓

expono, -ere to set out ✓

festino, -are to hurry ✓

fugio, -ere to flee ✓

invenio, -ire to come upon ✓

itinero, -are to travel ✓

navigo, -are to sail ✓

perduco, -ere to bring

✓

pergo, -ere to proceed ✓

pertraho, -ere to forcibly bring

✓

pervenio, -ire to come to

✓

procedo, -ere to progress

✓

refero, -erre to return

✓

requiro, -ere to search for ✓

vado, -ere to go ✓

venio, -ire to come ✓ ✓


{5}

Palaeography and Translation

The Miracles of the Hand of St James.12 from Gloucester Cathedral Library MS.1


{6}

Quedam mulier de suffolchia cum filia sue ra-/ding’ uenit in die sancto pentecostes. Hanc autem/

adolescentulam a natiuitate sua ita natura/ dampnauerat ut a genibus et infra nulla os-/suum

soliditas tibiis in esse uideretur non flectendi/ uel extendendi poplitem facultas. Tibie enim car-

/ne et cute obdute tanquam cartillagines plicari/ potuerunt et brachio circundua. Hanc autem spe/

salutis recuperande mater circumquaque per sanctorum/ loca circumduxerat ut sanctis

interuenientibus dominus ei/ propiciaretur et eam consolidare et erigere dignaretur./ Igitur cum

in processione capsam quam manus beati jacobi/ continebatur intuita esset puella diuine uirtutis

in/ se sensit suffragium et apostolice prefentie adiutorium./ Tibie enim eius ilico rigescere et in

offei robus ce-/perunt conualescere. Quibus conalescentibus protinus/ consolidate sunt bases eius

et plante ita ut in breui/ in sanitatem forties firmaretur et ambulandi feacl’-/tatem namcis/ ceretur.

Quedam mulier de Suffolchia cum filia sue Rading’ uenit in die sancto pentecostes. Hanc autem

adolescentulam a natiuitate sua ita natura dampnauerat ut a genibus et infra nulla ossuum

soliditas tibiis in esse uideretur non flectendi uel extendendi poplitem facultas. Tibie enim carne

et cute obdute tanquam cartillagines plicari potuerunt et brachio circundua. Hanc autem spe

salutis recuperande mater circumquaque per sanctorum loca circumduxerat ut sanctis

interuenientibus dominus ei propiciaretur et eam consolidare et erigere dignaretur. Igitur cum in

processione capsam quam manus beati Jacobi continebatur intuita esset puella diuine uirtutis in

se sensit suffragium et apostolice prefentie adiutorium. Tibie enim eius ilico rigescere et in offei

robus ceperunt conualescere. Quibus conalescentibus protinus consolidate sunt bases eius et

plante ita ut in breui in sanitatem forties firmaretur et ambulandi facilitatem namcis ceretur.

A certain woman of Suffolk came to Reading with her daughter on the holy day of Whitsun. Now

nature had so condemned this girl from birth, that from her knees down she appeared to have

firm bones in her shins and could not bend or straighten her knees. For her shins were fill of

flesh and skin and could be folded over like gristle and pulled around her arm. In the hope of

recovering her health, her mother had taken her around the shrines of saints everywhere, in

order that by the intervention of saints everywhere the Lord might have mercy on her and deign

to heal and raise her up. So then, when the girl saw in the procession the reliquary in which the

hand of blessed James was kept, she felt the aid of divine power for her and the assistance of the

apostle’s presence. In fact her shins immediately began to harden and gain strength as firm

bones, and as they did so her feet and the soles of her feet instantly hardened, with the result that

in a short while she was fully restored to health and acquired the power of walking.


{7}

Finding Medical Knowledge

‘Vein man’ with accompanying calculations of suitable blood-letting dates, late fourteenth century.

Wellcome Trust MS.40 f.5v:


{8}

Bramble with accompanying information about the plant and its uses.

Bodl. MS. Bodley 130 f.26r:

MA Researching the Middle Ages: Hagiography and Socio-Medical History. Handout

Documents