A Culture of Inquiry: Scientific Thought and its Transmission in the Severn Valley, c. 1090–c. 1150

Abstract

The twelfth century saw the first appearances of translations of Arabic documents into Latin on astronomy and mathematics in England. This thesis will investigate individuals in the twelfth century Severn Valley interested in the new scientific texts: who owned them, how they got them, and how they used them. Specifically, case studies in the reception of the new sciences will be developed for William of Malmesbury, Walcher of Great Malvern, and John of Worcester. These scholars were chosen because sufficient material survives to illustrate a before-and-after picture in their work, reflecting varying reactions to the new knowledge. A regional study of audience reception of the new sciences has not yet been undertaken. The underlying considerations of this thesis are the intellectual and institutional pre-conditions that may have supported these intellectual endeavours in the Severn Valley and also may have been a draw for scholars in the new sciences, such as Petrus Alfonsi and Adelard of Bath, who sought patronage and employment in the area.