for the English Historical Society in 1838, and by Mr. Howlett in vol. iii. of the ‘Chronicles of the Reigns of Stephen, Henry II, and Richard I’ for the Rolls Series in 1886, and has been translated by Stevenson in the series of ‘Church Historians,’ vol. v., and by Giles, reprinted, with differences, in ‘Chronicles of the Crusaders’ in Bohn's Antiquarian Library.
Along with both the manuscripts of the ‘Gesta’ is bound the ‘Annales de Wintonia,’ a chronicle ascribed to Richard by Bale, followed by Pits. Stevenson, in his preface to the ‘Gesta,’ says that he sees no ground for Bale's statement, but his opinion has been controverted by later authorities. This chronicle as given in the C. C. C. Cambr. MS., the earlier of the two, ‘begins with a description of Britain, and goes down to the year 1135,’ though after 1066 it is extremely meagre (Luard). It was certainly written by a Winchester monk of the time of Richard, and presents some likeness to his undoubted work, specially in a passage which, although considered obscure by Luard, obviously refers to the divorce of Queen Eleanor from her first husband. It begins with a dedication to a ‘Master Adam,’ which has been mutilated in binding so that the author's name has been lost. It is possible that Bale saw it before this mutilation, and found Richard's name. In any case it is probable that he was the author (ib.). It presents several inaccuracies, and relates some events, specially those connected with Winchester, in some detail. The other version, in Cotton MS. Dom. A. xiii., which was printed by Luard in his ‘Annales Monastici’ (vol. ii. in the Rolls Series), has evidently been copied, down to 1066, with some alterations, from the C. C. C. Cambridge manuscript, and is carried on in the same handwriting ‘of the end of the thirteenth or beginning of the fourteenth century to the year 1202’ (ib.) Mr. Howlett considers that the four pieces, viz. the ‘Gesta’ and the Chronicle in both manuscripts, are all written by one hand, and by the author himself, who must therefore, according to his view, have been alive in 1202.
[Editions of the Gesta Ricardi I by Stevenson (Engl. Hist. Soc.) and by Howlett (Rolls Ser.); Annales Monastici, vol. ii., Luard's preface (Rolls Ser.); Bale's Scriptt. Brit. Cat. cent. iii. No. 28; Hardy's Cat. of Mat. vol. ii.; Wright's Biogr. Brit. Lit. vol. ii.]
RICHARD of Ely (d. 1194?), historian, was a monk of Ely who may probably be identified with the Richard who was sent by the monks of Ely to Rome bearing a letter to Pope Eugenius (1149–1154), against the clerk Henry, son of the archdeacon of Ely. He is therein described as a man of good life who had been from boyhood a monk of Ely. He became prior in 1177, and died in or before 1194.
Richard was author of an account of Ely which is not known to be extant. Many quotations from it are incorporated in the ‘Liber Eliensis’ by Thomas of Ely (fl. 1170) [q. v.], who acknowledges his indebtedness to Richard. Wharton also credits Richard with the authorship of ‘Continuatio Historiæ Eliensis ab anno 1107 ad annum 1169,’ which he printed in his ‘Anglia Sacra,’ but it is really an epitome of Richard's work by a writer who acknowledges his indebtedness. Tanner ascribes to Richard a volume of sermons beginning ‘Ascendet sicut virgultum coram,’ and a volume of songs and of familiar epistles, referring to No. 169 of Boston of Bury's ‘Catalogue.’
[Wharton's Anglia Sacra, i. xlv and 615; Stewart's edition of the Liber Eliensis.]
RICHARD of Ely (d. 1198), bishop of London. [See Fitzneale or Fitznigel, Richard.]
RICHARD de Templo (fl. 1190–1229), reputed author of the ‘Itinerarium Regis Ricardi,’ the chief authority for the third crusade, may have been a chaplain to the templars, and in some sense a dependent of the Earl of Leicester (1191–1206).
From the ‘Itinerarium’ itself we learn that the author of the work was at Lyons with Richard Cœur de Lion in July 1190; from Lyons he passed through Orange to Marignane ‘on the sea’ and Marseilles, whence he took ship for Sicily, and reached Messina before 14 Sept., having thus outsailed the king, who left Marseilles on 7 Aug. and landed at Messina on 23 Sept. He was obviously an eye-witness of much that he records during Richard's six months' stay in Sicily, and on 10 April 1191 embarked for Acre in a vessel belonging to the English fleet. With Richard, he experienced the great Good Friday storm off the coast of Crete (12 April), and in the king's company was driven to Rhodes—an island whose ruined capital he compares to Rome for size and appearance. He left Rhodes on 1 May with the king, but not in Richard's own ship, and was probably present at the conquest of Cyprus and the rest of the English crusade till the return home in October 1192. In some parts, however, his narrative lacks the precise detail we should expect from an eye-witness, and the first person practically drops out of his pages at the departure from Rhodes (p. 181, bk. ii. c. 28) only to reappear at the very end of the
