In this volume, the twenty-seventh in Boydell and Brewer’s Anglo-Saxon Studies series, Malasree Home presents a detailed analysis of the early twelfth-century version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle created by the Benedictine monks of Peterborough Abbey. As is clearly set out in the introduction, the Peterborough Chronicle (also referred to as the E version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle) was derived from a copy of the Chronicle apparently acquired from Canterbury, into which the Peterborough scribes interpolated material pertaining to the early history of the abbey, as well as continuing the chronicle into the twelfth century.

Like the other versions of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the Peterborough Chronicle was written in the vernacular, but it is unusual in that it was continued in the vernacular at a time when most contemporary historiographical documents, including others being created at Peterborough, were being written in Latin. In this regard, Home argues, the document straddles both old and new traditions, and its creation seems to have formed part of a wider campaign of documentary consolidation (undertaken following a fire in 1116) that also included the creation of the first cartulary and the Latin Chronicle of Hugh Candidus.

In setting out her argument, Home suggests that the interrelated nature of the versions of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle has historically led to scholarly effort focusing on understanding the transmission of one version to another, with a view to recovering a single, unified Chronicle. This has been at the expense, she argues, of an appreciation of the local identities inherent in the different versions of the Chronicle – in this case, one created and maintained at Peterborough – and her study, therefore, focuses on what the manuscript can tell us about the local political and ideological agenda in Peterborough itself during the twelfth century.

Home presents her discussion in four main chapters, the first of which, ‘Textualising the Past’, focuses on the copied text of the Chronicle and the interpolations inserted to give it a distinctly Peterborough focus. It is apparent that the copying and expansion of the text were undertaken as a single exercise, with a deliberate attempt made to match the style and cadence of the new material with that of the original. The new material was derived from charters, origin legends, abbey history and abbatial successions, and places a strong emphasis on the seventh-century foundation of Medeshamstede (the Anglo-Saxon precursor to Peterborough Abbey) and focuses especially on the re-founding of the abbey in 973, following the despoliation of the site by Danish raiders in 870. As might be expected, both episodes are used to emphasise the longevity of the institution, with the latter also including references to the discovery of earlier documents in the ruins, which supported later claims to lands embodied in its earliest surviving cartulary. Such details highlight the importance of documented land holdings in the post-Norman Conquest world, and emphasise the point that the Peterborough Chronicle was part of a suite of legitimising documents being produced in Peterborough at this time.

The second chapter, ‘Continuing the Chronicle’, looks at the two phases of Continuations, which were appended to the text of the original Chronicle. The First Continuation, as it is known, spans the period 1121–31, while the Second Continuation was written retrospectively in the mid-1150s and covers the period 1132–54. In terms of the relationship between the First Continuation and the creation of the manuscript, evidence is presented that the same compiler worked on both the copying and interpolations into the original Chronicle and then continued to update it during the 1120s following the same format and style. It is suggested that the hiatus following 1131 may be the result of the death of the original compiler. The Second Continuation, by contrast, appears to have been added en bloc in or soon after 1154 and is in an early version of Middle English. It concerns the tumultuous events of the Anarchy, although again the story of Peterborough remains firmly at its heart. The Second Continuation differs markedly from the earlier entries in its more thematic approach to recording the past, and the work is clearly that of a different scribe, whose hand can be identified in contemporary Peterborough documents, although an attempt has been made to copy the lettering of the original Chronicle. The Chronicle ends on a positive note, with the accession to the throne of Henry ii, and, in Home’s words, constitutes ‘a powerful expression of the abbey’s origins, identity and fortunes, integrated within a document of national historiography in the vernacular’ (p 99).

Chapter Three, ‘Making the Chronicle’, takes a step backwards and places the production and continuation of the Chronicle into the wider context of manuscript production at the abbey. Due consideration is given to the complex and highly-skilled role of the compiler of such a work, which required the gathering and collation of material, the construction and drafting of new text, and the translation from one language to another. The complex interrelationship between the Chronicle and other works produced in Peterborough at the time are explored, as are wider connections between Peterborough and Canterbury, whence the original copy of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle was acquired. Finally, the Peterborough Chronicle is examined against the background of the broader nationwide move away from the annalistic tradition and the emergence of later Latin chroniclers, many of whom used the contents of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles in their writing.

Chapter Four, ‘Beyond the Chronicle’, focuses on the specific relationship between the Peterborough Chronicle and the later twelfth-century Chronicle of Hugh Candidus, which was also produced at Peterborough, used the Peterborough Chronicle as a source and presented another articulation of the history of the abbey. This juxtaposition serves to demonstrate that the long-established Anglo-Saxon tradition of chronicle composition co-existed alongside and was firmly enmeshed with alternative forms of Latin historiography, such as cartularies, house-histories and the work of later chroniclers. The Peterborough Chronicle should, therefore, be seen as part of an active tranche of documents being produced during the twelfth century and which has as much to tell us about contemporary practices as it does about the past that it chronicles.

Ultimately, there are many very strong and important messages contained within this book that deserve to be more widely known and appreciated. The book rightly highlights the significance of the contents of the Peterborough Chronicle itself, while also serving to demonstrate the rewards to be gained by considering the circumstances surrounding the compilation of the Chronicle and its contemporary setting, as well as simply the words that it contains. It is to be hoped that the approaches and conclusions presented here might readily be applied to the other manuscript versions of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle with equal success, and Home is to be congratulated on producing a well-argued and thought-provoking work.