From episcopal conception to monastic compilation: Hemming's Cartulary in context

Abstract

This article examines the structure and the contents of the late eleventh century Worcester cartulary which forms the second part of London, British Library, Cotton Tiberius A. XIII. Its sections are analysed and checked against the explanatory statements on the composition of the libellus provided by Hemming in his Enucleatio. This essay then contextualizes the composition of the cartulary through an analysis of its various components. Particular attention is paid to the development of the monastic community of Worcester in the late eleventh century and the ways in which the manuscript seems to reflect their acquisition of a specific and distinctive identity. The development, therefore, of their relationship with the bishop of Worcester is especially significant. The evidence provided by the cartulary suggests that, by the time the Norman Samson succeeded Bishop Wulfstan II in 1096, the monks’ attitude towards their bishop had noticeably changed from the time when Wulfstan had first suggested the cartulary's composition.