Usuard martyrologies produced in England 950–1300: what their contents reveal about their individual communities and the hagiographical developments of pre- and post-Conquest England

This thesis studies the surviving corpus of Usuard martyrologies in England from 950–1300. Martyrologies began as simple lists to record the feast days of the early Christian martyrs, which over time expanded to include biographical detail and other significant figures in the Christian Church. Usuard wrote his martyrology in the 860s in Paris, which developed into two separate recensions. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, sixteen surviving English martyrologies were analysed for additions to Usuard’s base text, to examine which recensions were used and the subsequent relationships between the English texts. By recording and comparing the additions to the main text at the point of copying (rather than the later additions in the margins), connections were made between versions and paths of dissemination.
This thesis first examines the use of martyrologies in English monastic houses, then takes a qualitative overview of the earliest surviving martyrologies. The Canterbury and St Augustine’s martyrologies are then compared, teasing out similarities and differences that reflect the individual preferences of the houses, followed by a martyrology from a female house. The Insular additions were examined closely and compared to analyse trends in hagiography, particularly for women, which then broadens out into a general overview of all Insular additions in the corpus.
Overall, it was found that most of the martyrologies could be traced back to the first Canterbury martyrology in England from the late tenth century, probably copied under the wishes of Dunstan. The martyrologies then diversified, but showed a preference for the second recension, and most had a clear bias for recording English saints into the main text.
The post-Conquest additions indicated a favouring towards the pre-Conquest saints, particularly with the additions of women. There was no significant increase in additional female saints as the medieval period progressed, which in turn questioned the importance of the gender of saints. Apart from two examples from Canterbury in the early to mid twelfth century, the martyrologies were fairly plain and undecorated, indicating their use as a functional object. However, from close textual analysis, important conclusions can be drawn regarding the development of Usuard’s text in England and the underlying importance of particular saints to particular houses.