Hagiography at the Frontiers: Jocelin of Furness and Insular Politics (Resubmission)

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The main focus of this project is to produce a book about Jocelin of Furness, one of the most influential hagiographers of the Insular Middle Ages who lived at the turn of the thirteenth century. Four substantial Lives composed by Jocelin survive, namely of St Patrick (patron saint of Ireland), St Kentigern (patron saint of Glasgow), St Waltheof (abbot of Melrose), and St Helena of Britain (mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great). Jocelin worked under the patronage of prominent British and Irish ecclesiastical and secular leaders. These included Jocelin, bishop of Glasgow; Patrick, abbot of Melrose; and John de Courcy, conqueror of Ulster. Jocelin's significance as a historical figure has been somewhat overlooked (although the significance of his saintly biographies is clear). No overview of his work has yet been published, perhaps because his work ranged across modern political boundaries. Neither Jocelin nor his writings belong to the history of one nation. As an author he displayed familiarity with Gaelic, English, French and Latin. Scholars have disagreed over whether he was English, Scottish, Irish or Manx, for his work also shows sympathy with the identities of different political groups. It is precisely to explore the cross-cultural significance of Jocelin's output that this project is being proposed. Jocelin wrote about relations between England, Ireland, Scotland and the Brittonic world at a time when national identities were still at a formative stage in their development. He did so under the influence of broader currents of ecclesiastical reform and political ideology and the concerns and connections of his community in Furness. The project results will include a book containing complete editions and translations of two of Jocelin's Lives (The 'Life of Saint Waltheof' and the 'Life of Saint Helena') thus making these primary sources available for further research. Further chapters will cast light on the geographical and cultural context of Jocelin's works with a study of the cross cultural connections of medieval Furness and the Abbey (which had daughter houses in England, Ireland and the Isle of Man). The political circumstances of Jocelin's compositions will also be explored. Rather than mining hagiography as a source of 'facts' about saints, Jocelin's texts can be viewed as a commentary on contemporary cross-border relations. His works can provide an alternative viewpoint to charters and chronicles. Jocelin himself will be compared with other medieval hagiographers of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries whose cultural interests were split between rival political groups.In addition to producing a book, this project will raise awareness of Jocelin's work through the publication of an illustrated pamphlet and through a series of knowledge transfer activities, including a two-day conference, lectures and school visits. The potential applications and benefits of this project are varied. It will promote research by making primary sources available to a wider audience, by providing the first overview of the career of Jocelin as a significant medieval author, and by giving a new perspective on frontier relations. This project will also highlight the historical significance of Furness Abbey. The site is in a relatively deprived borough within the UK (see government statistics http://www.barrowbc.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=1572&theme=default). The heritage industry provides significant employment in South Cumbria and research on the area's medieval past can be directed in a positive way in partnership with the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society (See 'Project Partners'), local organisations and visitor attractions. Jocelin's writings also bear on the local history of other places including Glasgow, Melrose, Ulster and the Isle of Man. They invite consideration of thecomplex relationship between different Insular polities in the Middle Ages.