Pseudo-Ingulf

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pseudo-Ingulf is the name given to an unknown English author of the Historia Monasterii Croylandensis, also known as the Croyland Chronicle. Nothing certain is known of Pseudo-Ingulf although it is generally assumed that he was connected with Croyland Abbey.

The Historia Monasterii Croylandensis is attributed to Abbot Ingulph, an 11th century Abbot of Croyland, but is generally accepted to be a 14th century work. Those parts of the work written after Pseudo-Ingulf, that is the 15th century, are considered a valuable source. Pseudo-Ingulf himself is not; while may have had access to genuine traditions or documents at Croyland, "he misunderstood or garbled these beyond any possibility of recognition".

A number of distinguished 19th century historians attempted to extract reliable material from Pseudo-Ingulf, notably E. A. Freeman and Sir Francis Palgrave, with limited success.