Symeon of Durham facts for kids

Symeon of Durham (who lived until after 1129) was an English historian and a monk from Durham Priory. He wrote important books about the history of England, especially about the northern parts.

Symeon's Early Life and Role

Symeon joined a Benedictine monastery when he was young. This monastery was first in Jarrow, but it moved to Durham in 1074. Symeon officially became a monk there around 1085 or 1086.

He likely traveled with William of Saint-Calais when William returned from exile in 1091. Symeon later became the precentor of the priory. A precentor was a monk in charge of the choir and the monastery's books.

We can still see examples of Symeon's own handwriting. It appears in several old books from Durham. These include the Liber Vitae and other historical writings he created.

Symeon's Important Books

Symeon wrote two main history books. These books are very useful for learning about events in northern England.

The Libellus de Exordio

His most important work is called Libellus de Exordio. This long title means "The Little Book on the Origins and Progress of this Church, that is of Durham." It tells the story of the Durham community. This community started in Lindisfarne and continued up to the year 1096.

Symeon wrote this book between 1104 and 1107. His leaders asked him to write it. They wanted him to show that Durham's history was continuous. This was important even though the community faced big changes. These changes included the Viking invasions and the more recent Norman Conquest.

Symeon also wanted to explain why William of Saint-Calais removed the old priests from Durham in 1083. William replaced them with Benedictine monks from Wearmouth and Jarrow. Symeon showed that the community's history was always connected. This was because their special patron, Saint Cuthbert, was always with them.

The Libellus includes exciting stories about miracles done in Saint Cuthbert's name. For example, one story tells how Cuthbert turned part of the Irish Sea into blood. This stopped his followers from taking his holy items out of England. Another story describes how Durham was founded. Cuthbert's body, being moved on a cart, refused to move further. This showed he wanted to stay in Durham.

The Historia Regum

Around 1129, Symeon started writing another book. This one was called Historia regum Anglorum et Dacorum. It means "History of the Kings of the English and Danes." This book picks up where the Ecclesiastical History by Bede ends.

For the early parts, Symeon copied old records from Durham. These records are important because they are not found anywhere else. For later years, he copied from another historian, John of Worcester. However, the part of the book covering the years 1119 to 1129 is Symeon's own original writing.

Symeon wrote clearly for his time. His main strength was that he carefully collected and copied information.

Other Writings

Symeon also wrote short biographies of the archbishops of York. He wrote a letter about some mistakes in the ideas of a writer named Origen. Other writings have been linked to him, but we are not sure if he wrote them.

His works have been published in different collections over the years. Important editions include those by Roger Twysden (1652) and Thomas Arnold (1882–1885). A newer edition of the Libellus was published by Rollason in 2000.