Old English Scholarship in the Seventeenth Century: Medievalism and National Crisis

During the mid-seventeenth century, Old English scholars in England experienced civil wars, regicide, and religious and social debates, which inspired them to produce landmark texts in early Old English studies. The opening chapters examine the book collecting and lexicographic endeavors of Simonds D Ewes, Abraham Wheelock, Roger Twysden, William Somner, and William Dugdale, who used Old English texts to engage with contemporary debates about the English church and state.

Format: Hardback
Length: 252 pages
Publication date: 07 March 2023
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd

In the mid-seventeenth century, a group of Old English scholars found themselves navigating through some of the most turbulent periods in English history. Despite the challenges they faced, this book argues that the upheaval inspired them to produce some of the most famous landmark texts in early Old English studies.

England in the 1640s and 1650s was a time of civil wars, regicide, and intense debate over religious and social structures. However, it was also a period of significant milestones in the field of early medieval English studies. The scholars of Old English who produced these works did so not in spite of but because of the intense political upheaval surrounding them.

The opening chapters of the book examine the book collecting and lexicographic endeavors of two prominent figures: Simonds D Ewes, a Parliamentarian who sponsored the professorship of Saxon at Cambridge University, and Abraham Wheelock, a pro-Stuart Old English poet and editor of the Old English Historia Ecclesiastica. Ewes' efforts to collect and preserve Old English texts, particularly those related to the Parliamentarian cause, are explored, as well as Wheelock's contribution to Old English poetry and his edition of the Old English Historia Ecclesiastica, which included puritan overtones.

The book then moves on to consider the constitutionalist Roger Twysden's depiction of early English laws as the cornerstone for English identity in his edition of Archaionomia and the Leges Henrici Primi. Twysden's belief in the importance of preserving and promoting early English laws and customs is examined, as well as his use of Archaionomia to argue for the unity and stability of the English nation.

William Somner, a royalist and Laudian scholar, is also examined in the book. Somner's chorographic work, which depicted the topography of England, and his Dictionarium Saxonico-Latino-Anglicum, the first printed dictionary of Old English, are explored. Somner's work reflects his royalist and Laudian beliefs, as well as his attempt to promote the use of Old English in scholarly and literary circles.

Finally, the book concludes by exploring the way
way in which William Dugdale deployed early medieval events to comment on his present day in his monumental county history, Antiquities of Warwickshire. Dugdale's use of historical events to provide commentary on contemporary issues, particularly those related to the English church and state, is examined, as well as his contribution to the field of early medieval English studies.

The volume as a whole suggests that the crises through which these scholars lived and worked spurred their research to engage with both the past and present, using Old English texts as a lens through which to view, understand, and contribute to contemporary debates about the English church and state. The scholars of Old English demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt and respond to the changing political and social landscape of their time, using their knowledge of Old English to shape their understanding of the past and contribute to the ongoing discussions about the English church and state. Their work remains a valuable resource for scholars and researchers today, providing insight into the complex and dynamic world of early medieval English studies.

Weight: 498g
Dimension: 551 x 163 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781843846529