Anglo-Saxon Chronicle 5: MS C

This volume presents a semi-diplomatic edition of the text of MS C (London, British Library Cotton, Tiberius B.i). Usually referred to as ‘the Abingdon Chronicle’, it was substantially copied in the mid-eleventh century and continued to be so sporadically thereafter; the supplement to its abrupt ending by a twelfth-century reader suggests that it was still of interest in the period after the Conquest. The C-text is an important source of information for the reign of Edward the Confessor, and it brings a unique political perspective to the ascendency of Godwine and his sons. The traditional association of the text, manuscript or both with the reformed monastery of Abingdon has been an important feature of the current understanding of the interrelationships among the several texts of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. The present edition examines the various arguments for associating the C-text with Abingdon and the difficulties inherent in these arguments. It brings to bear evidence from the palaeography and codicology of the manuscript as well as text historical and linguistic evidence. The introduction to the text considers the different strands composing the C-text, and the close relationships of this text to MSS B, D, and E, and the volume is completed with indices of persons, peoples and places. Professor KATHERINE O'BRIEN O'KEEFFE teaches in the Department of English at the University of Notre Dame.