Adam Abell's "The riot or quheill of tyme" : an edition
Abstract
This thesis presents an edition of the complete text of The Roit or
Quheill of Tyme a chronicle composed in Scots by the Scottish Franciscan
friar Adam Abell during the 1530s. An example of the mediaeval genre of
"universal" chronicle, it opens with a retelling of the creation story of
Genesis and continues its narrative through biblical, classical Greek and
Roman, mediaeval Scottish and European history. The main body of the
chronicle ends in 1533, but Abell later added a continuation which follows
events to 1537. The edition is based on the unique manuscript preserved
in the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh, NLS MS 1746. An
introduction which places the chronicle within not only its social and
cultural context in late mediaeval Scotland, but also the contexts of
Scottish and international mediaeval historiography, is included. A
glossary has also been appended to provide guidance with vocabulary.
The Roit or Quheill of TyLne, which has never before been edited in
full, is significant for a number of reasons. It is the last surviving
Scottish chronicle composed before the Reformation, and provides an
eyewitness narrative of the reigns of James III, James IV and James V.
Furthermore, it is one of the very few examples of Franciscan secular
historical writing which survive from mediaeval Europe, and is therefore
an international rarity. Although much about Abell himself is obscure, the
variety of materials quoted within the chronicle and his awareness of
contemporary events provide insights into the education of, and resources
available to, an ordinary Scottish religious in the early sixteenth century.
Type
Thesis, PhD Doctor of Philosophy
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