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

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.

WHO WILL BENEFIT? HOW?

The most easily identifed non-academic beneficiaries of this project are people in the Furness peninsula. This project will promote the history and significance of a local heritage site. Furness abbey is a focus for community identity and local pride, with images of the ruins often appearing on local community websites and literature. The landscape around Furness is dominated by the interplay of sea and land and so the maritime culture and heritage of the area is constantly on show and a source of local interest. This project emphasises the historic connections of Furness across the Irish Sea. In more recent times Barrow-in-Furness developed as as an industrial centre for ship-buidling and many local families are descended from Irish and Manx immigrants. This project offers the potential for people's immediate sense of heritage and identity to be tied in to the medieval past. This project will enhance the resources available to learn about local history and it will promote an inclusive view of the region's history.

Local heritage sites, in particular Furness Abbey and the Dock Museum, will benefit from research which can inform and engage visitors. Tourism has provided a major source of employment in the area following the decline of heavy industry. Initial contacts which have been made with local heritage sites concerning this project have elicited overwhelmingly positive responses and this will assist greatly in knowledge transfer. The publicity generated by this project will help increase visitor numbers, particularly at the time of the CWAAS funded conference which will be held at the Abbey House Hotel, next to Furness Abbey.

Visitors to local heritage sites will potentially benefit from knowledge acquired from this project. Patrons of Furness Abbey are already well provided with information about the site via site panels, a guide book and an audio tour. Naturally emphasis is placed on interpreting the physical remains of the site, and the role of the abbey in the local economy during the Middle Ages. Nevertheless, an enhanced understanding of the mental and cultural landscape in which the monks lived may enrich the visitors' experiences by providing a new angle into the abbey's past. Knowledge transfer would be assisted by the plan to work with local children to mount an temporary exhibition in the Abbey's educational resources room to explore this dimension, in addition to the proposed public lectures and school visits.

There is a potential interest in Jocelin's life and works at a number of locations, as they relate to the medieval history of Cumbria, Glasgow, Melrose, and Ulster (work on early saints' cults by Davies, Downham and Edmonds has generated non-academic enquiries and interest in different parts of Britain which encourages this view). An illustrated pamphlet would be an effective way of reaching this geographically diffuse audience, as well as publicising the project through the media and posting details on relevant local history and community websites. History is often a medium through which cross-border relations are interpreted. One of the potential strengths of the project is its ability to highlight both connections and conflicts between Insular polities during the Middle Ages, rather than offering a simplified or one-sided narrative.


WHAT WILL BE DONE TO ENSURE THEY BENEFIT?

The attached 'Impact Plan' provides a detailed response to this question. Two approaches will be employed:
1) Knowledge transfer by direct communication. This includes engaging the research team directly with the public through the conference, lectures to local societies, and school visits,
2) Indirect communication. The co-authored book will become an accessible resource in local libraries and archives. The illustrated pamphlet will be affordable and directed towards a general audien