Edmund of Hadenham facts for kids
Edmund of Hadenham was an English monk and historian who lived around the year 1307. He was part of the monastery in Rochester, Kent, England. A monk was a religious man who lived in a monastery and often spent his time studying, praying, and sometimes writing. Edmund was a chronicler, which means he wrote down historical events in the order they happened, like keeping a diary for history.
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Who Was Edmund of Hadenham?
Edmund of Hadenham was a monk at Rochester. Monks often played a big role in keeping records and writing history during the Middle Ages. They had access to books and quiet places to work.
Edmund's Historical Writings
A famous historian named William Lambard believed that Edmund of Hadenham wrote an important history book. This old book is now kept in the British Library (which used to be part of the British Museum). It was once part of a very old and important collection of manuscripts called the Cottonian Library.
The Rochester Chronicle
This historical book is a copy of a well-known history called the Flores Historiarum, which means 'Flowers of History'. What makes this copy special is that it includes extra notes and details about the history of Rochester, where Edmund lived. These special notes about Rochester's past are called the "Rochester annals." They were later published in a book by Henry Wharton called 'Anglia Sacra'.
The main part of the book was written in one handwriting up until 1307. After that, someone else continued writing in the book until 1377, but these later parts didn't focus on Rochester anymore.
Who Else Helped Write It?
Some historians think that Edmund might not have been the only writer. In 1935, a historian named Josiah Cox Russell suggested that John of Renham, who was the head monk (called a prior) at Rochester, might have also helped write parts of the Rochester annals.
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