The Life Of Christina Of Markyate

The Life of Christina of Markyate is a biography of a young girl who was betrothed at a young age to a local nobleman, but the marriage was not consummated. Eventually, Christina escaped her marriage and became a nun. The Life was written by one of her chaplains, largely from her own reminiscences. It was discovered, or rediscovered, by C.H. Talbot in a Cotton Manuscript in the British Library. First published by the Clarendon Press in 1959, the Life is now reissued.

The Life of Christiana of Markyate gives an exceptionally vivid account of the struggles of a young girl, vowed at an early age to celibacy, to escape the matrimonial snares set by her parents and her friends. She was born of well-to-do burgesses of Huntingdon in the opening years of the twelfth century, who succeeded in betrothing her to a local nobleman. But the marriage was not consummated, and eventually she escaped, became a recluse and a nun, and the prioress of a small community at Markyate in Hertfordshire, under the patronage of the abbot and monks of St Albans, who made the famous St Albans' Psalter for her. The Life, written by one of her chaplains largely from her own reminiscences, was discovered, or rediscovered, by C.H. Talbot in a Cotton Manuscript in the British Library. First published by the Clarendon Press in 1959, it is now reissued. It is one of the remarkable discoveries of our time, and a classic of historical literature. Review: Through this reissue of the 1959 edition and translation, readers can enjoy a bit of first-rate detective work by C.H. Talbot, who published the life from a single badly damaged manuscript. They will also gain substantial insight into social and religious customs within the twelfth-century Anglo-Saxon community. Church History