Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a group of old English records that tell the history of the Anglo-Saxons. It started as one version in the late ninth century, probably in Wessex, during the time of King Alfred the Great. This early core material, which drew on older sources, is called the Common Stock.
Copies of the Common Stock were made and sent to monasteries across England. Each place sometimes added its own notes and updates. All the copies together are what historians call the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Most entries are written as year-by-year notes.
The Chronicle begins with very early dates and moves into world history stories, such as Julius Caesar’s invasions. By about the year 449, it shifts its focus to the English and their own history, including the growing kingdom of Wessex and the Viking raids. Over time the entries became longer and more narrative.
The Chronicle is one of the main sources for early English history, but it is not neutral. The Common Stock often supports Alfred’s dynasty and the West Saxon rulers. Copyists sometimes altered or left out events to fit political ideas, and different manuscripts give different versions of some events. Because of these changes, scholars compare manuscripts carefully to understand what happened.
The text is also important for studying the English language. In the later part, especially the Peterborough Chronicle, some of the writing shows a shift from Old English toward early Middle English.
The Common Stock likely began in Wessex around 893 and drew on many local sources. It probably wasn’t all written down in one place or time, and some of its early parts mix invention with history, especially in stories about place-names or early kings.
Today nine manuscripts survive, though none is the original. The oldest surviving copy is the Winchester/Parker Chronicle, written in Old English up to 1070 and then Latin to 1075. Other major copies include the Abingdon Chronicle, the Worcester Chronicle, the Peterborough Chronicle, and a Canterbury bilingual edition that presents entries in both Old English and Latin. There are also shorter or fragmentary copies that scholars study to understand how the Chronicle was copied and changed over time.
Over the centuries, editors and translators prepared many editions. In the 19th century, Benjamin Thorpe published a widely used Rolls Series edition that grouped several versions together. Since the late 20th century, scholars have produced modern scholarly editions and translations, helping readers access the Chronicle in clearer English while still showing its many manuscript differences.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 10:22 (CET).