Byrhtferth facts for kids

Byrhtferth (born around 970, died around 1020) was a smart monk and priest who lived in England a long, long time ago. He lived at a place called Ramsey Abbey in what is now Cambridgeshire. Byrhtferth was a very important thinker and scientist in Anglo-Saxon England. He wrote many books about science (like how to calculate dates), stories about saints, and history.

He was known as a leading man of science. His most famous book was called the Manual (or Enchiridion). It was like a science textbook for his time. Byrhtferth learned a lot from a famous teacher named Abbo of Fleury. Abbo visited Ramsey Abbey, where Byrhtferth lived, between 985 and 987. Abbo taught him about history, logic, astronomy (studying stars), and mathematics. We don't know much else about Byrhtferth's life, except what he wrote in his own books.

Byrhtferth's Writings

Byrhtferth's name is only clearly on two of his works: his Latin and Old English Manual, and his Latin Preface. He also wrote other important books.

• He wrote a book in Latin about the life of Egwin, a saint.
• He put together a history book about the Kingdom of Northumbria in the 990s.
• Around the year 1000, he wrote a Latin book about the life of Oswald of Worcester, called the Vita Oswaldi.
• Some people think he wrote the first parts of a book called the Historia regum (History of the Kings). This book is usually said to be by Simeon of Durham. They think this because the writing style is very similar to Byrhtferth's.
• A small piece of an Old English text about computus (calculating dates) is also thought to be his. This is because the writing style is similar to his Manual.
• A scholar named Cyril Roy Hart also suggested that Byrhtferth wrote a poem called the Menologium. This poem is found at the beginning of a copy of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

Some other works were once thought to be Byrhtferth's. These include notes on books by Bede and a book about Dunstan, another saint. However, many experts now believe these were not written by Byrhtferth. They think these books were put together by different writers. This is because the writing style of these books is much smoother than Byrhtferth's known works, the Manual and the Preface.

The Manual

Byrhtferth's Latin Enchiridion, or Manual, is kept in a library called the Bodleian Library. This book is written in both Latin and Old English. A big part of it is about computus, which is the study of how to calculate important dates, like Easter.

The Manual also talks about the idea that the order of the universe can be understood by studying numbers. This makes it very useful for learning about how people in the Middle Ages thought about numbers and their meanings. The book also has sections on writing and grammar. It includes a table of weights and measures. Plus, it has three religious sections about the ages of the world, the freeing of Satan, and the eight main sins.

The Preface

Another important work by Byrhtferth is his Latin Epilogus, or Preface. This is found in a manuscript at St John's College, Oxford. This manuscript also contains other works about computus by different writers.

In this manuscript, Byrhtferth also created a large diagram. This diagram showed how different parts of the universe were connected. It suggested links between the cosmos (the universe), numbers, and how the human body works. Byrhtferth might have written other parts of this manuscript too, but we can't be sure. He may have also put together much of this material from notes that Abbo of Fleury left behind at Ramsey Abbey.

Published Books

Byrhtferth's important works have been published so people today can read them.

• Byrhtferth's Manual (AD 1011) was edited by Samuel J. Crawford in 1929. It includes the original text, a translation, and notes.
• Byrhtferth's Enchiridion was edited and translated by Peter S. Baker and Michael Lapidge in 1995.