Ranulf Higden was a Benedictine monk of Saint
Werburgh’s Abbey in Chester, who wrote several
theological texts but is best known for his Historia
polychronica, or Polychronicon—a universal history
in Latin prose.
Higden entered the monastery in 1299. During
his long tenure at Werburgh’s, he wrote Speculum
curatorum (Mirror of curates) in 1340, a book on
Latin grammar (Paedagogicon grammatices) and
one on theology (Distinciones theologicae), and,
about 1346, Ars componendi sermons (Art of
preaching). This last text has gained some scholarly attention recently as a readable and concise
manual for medieval preachers, owing much to
contemporary rhetorical texts. By 1352, Higden
had the position of keeper of the abbey library and
head of St. Werburgh’s scriptorium. His death is
recorded in 1364.
Higden’s major literary contribution was his
Polychronicon. The book is a compendium of the
scientific, geographical, and historical knowledge
of its time, and aims to be both instructive and entertaining. In its first edition Higden gives a history
of the world, with a particular focus on Britain,
down through the year 1327. It was written in
seven books, the first of which concentrated on geography. The early version was circulated locally.
Higden subsequently revised the text to bring the
history down to 1352, and this later, longer version of the text gained widespread popularity
through the 14th century. There were manuscripts
in many religious houses, where the material was
regularly updated.
Higden’s text was translated into MIDDLE ENGLISH by John TREVISA in 1387. In this form it became even more popular. Trevisa’s translation was
printed by William CAXTON in 1482, and went
through two more printed editions by 1527. Higden’s fame as author of the Polychronicon led to the
attribution of other texts to him that he almost
certainly did not write. The best-known example
of this is the popular myth that Higden, sometimes
known as Ranulf of Chester, was the author of the
CHESTER CYCLE of MYSTERY PLAYS. But there is no
real evidence of this.
Bibliography
Higden, Ranulf. Ars componendi sermons. Translated
by Margaret Jennings and Sally A. Wilson, with
an introduction and notes by Margaret Jennings.
Paris: Peeters, 2003.
———. Polychronicon Ranulphi Higden monachi Cestrensis: Together with the English translations of
John Trevisa and of an unknown writer of the fifteenth century. Edited by Rev. Joseph Rawson
Lumby. Published by the authority of the Lords
commissioners of Her Majesty’s Treasury, under
the direction of the Master of the rolls. 9 vols.
London: Longman and Co., 1865–86.
Jennings, Margaret. Higden’s Minor Writings and the
Fourteenth-Century Church. Leeds, U.K.: Leeds
Philosophical and Literary Society, 1977.
Taylor, John. The “Universal Chronicle” of Ranulf Higden. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1966.