Jocelyn of Furness facts for kids
Jocelyn of Furness was a monk who lived a long time ago, between about 1175 and 1214. He was an English writer who specialized in writing about the lives of saints. These stories are called hagiographies. He is famous for writing about Saint Waltheof, Saint Patrick, Saint Kentigern, and Saint Helena. Jocelyn is likely the reason many people believe Saint Patrick chased all the snakes out of Ireland.
A Monk and a Writer
Jocelyn was a monk at Furness Abbey. This abbey is now in a place called Barrow-in-Furness, in Cumbria, England. He took old stories about Celtic saints and rewrote them. He made them easier for Anglo-Norman readers to understand. Anglo-Normans were people in England after the Norman Conquest.
He wrote a special story about Saint Kentigern for Jocelyn, Bishop of Glasgow. He also wrote about Saint Patrick for John de Courcy and Thomas, who was the Archbishop of Armagh. His book about Saint Waltheof helped make Waltheof more well-known. Waltheof used to be an abbot at Melrose. Jocelyn probably wrote the story of Saint Helena of Constantinople for a group of women in England. Some people also think he wrote a book about British bishops.
Some stories say that Jocelyn was also an abbot at Rushen Abbey. An abbot is the head of an abbey. It has also been said that he was an architect, someone who designs buildings. However, these ideas are just some of the many different guesses about who he might have been.
What Jocelyn Wrote
Jocelyn wrote several important books about saints. These books are called "Lives" because they tell the life stories of these holy people.
- He wrote the Life of Saint Patrick. This book tells the story of Ireland's patron saint.
- He also wrote the Life of Saint Kentigern. Kentigern is also known as Saint Mungo.
- Another work was the Life of Saint Waltheof. Waltheof was an important abbot.
- He also wrote The Life of Saint Helena. Helena was a famous empress.
These writings are still studied by historians today. They help us understand more about the lives of saints and how stories were shared long ago.
