Historia Monasterii S. Augustini Cantuariensis, by Thomas of Elmham, Formerly Monk and Treasurer of that Foundation

Thomas of Elmham's 'Historia Monasterii S. Augustini Cantuariensis' provides a significant historical account of St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury, leveraging extensive documentary sources from the Abbey's renowned library. The work, compiled around 1414, aimed to offer a comprehensive history from 597 to 1414 but was left incomplete due to Elmham's appointment as Prior of Lenton. It includes original charters and earlier historical works, though many sources were later found to be forgeries or corrupt transcripts, often used to bolster the Abbey's claims to royal and ecclesiastical privileges. This edition, edited by Charles Hardwick in 1858, sheds light on the Abbey's complex history and its strategic use of documentation.

Thomas of Elmham. (2012). Historia Monasterii S. Augustini Cantuariensis, by Thomas of Elmham, Formerly Monk and Treasurer of that Foundation (C. Hardwick, Ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781139162920