Back

 

Anglo-Saxon ChronicleClick for footnotes
A.D. 664. This year the sun was eclipsed, on the eleventh of May (Sign of doom);... This same year there was a great plague in the island Britain,... (Sign of doom)
A.D. 671. This year happened that great destruction among the fowls. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 678. This year appeared the comet-star in August, and shone every morning, during three months, like a sunbeam. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 679. ...and the monastery of Coldingiham was destroyed by fire from heaven. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 685. This year there was in Britain a bloody rain, and milk and butter were turned to blood. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 729. This year appeared the comet-star. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 733. ...; the sun was eclipsed;... (Sign of doom)
A.D. 734. This year was the moon as if covered with blood. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 744. The stars went swiftly shooting. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 774. This year also appeared in the heavens a red crucifix, after sunset(Sign of doom) ;...; and wonderful serpents were seen in the land of the South-Saxons.
A.D. 793. This year came dreadful forewarnings over the land of the Northumbrians, terrifying the people most woefully: these were immense sheets of light rushing through the air, and whirlwinds (Sign of doom), and fiery dragons flying across the firmament. These tremendous tokens were soon followed by a great famine (Sign of doom): and not long after, on the sixth day before the ides of January in the same year, the harrowing inroads of heathen men made lamentable havoc in the church of God in the Holy-island, by rapine and slaughter.
A.D. 795. This year was the moon eclipsed, between cock-crowing and dawn, on the fifth day before the calends of April. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 800. This year was the moon eclipsed, at eight in the evening, on the seventh day before the calends of February;... (Sign of doom)
A.D. 802. This year was the moon eclipsed, at dawn, on the thirteenth day before the calends of January. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 806. This year was the moon eclipsed, on the first of September;... (Sign of doom) This year also, on the next day before the nones of June, a cross was seen in the moon, on a Wednesday, at the dawn; and afterwards, during the same year, on the third day before the calends of September, a wonderful circle was displayed about the sun. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 807. This year was the sun eclipsed, precisely at eleven in the morning, on the seventh day before the calends of August. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 827. This year was the moon eclipsed, on mid-winter's mass-night. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 879. The same year also the sun was eclipsed one hour of the day. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 891. And the same year after Easter, about the gang-days or before, appeared the star that men in book-Latin call "cometa": some men say that in English it may be termed "hairy star"; for that there standeth off from it a long gleam of light, whilom on one side, whilom on each. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 904. This year the moon was eclipsed. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 905. ... and a comet appeared on the thirteenths day before the calends of November. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 926. This year appeared fiery lights in the northern part of the firmament. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 975.

Then too was seen,
high in the heavens,
the star on his station,
that far and wide
wise men call --
lovers of truth
and heav'nly lore --
"cometa" by name. (Sign of doom)
Widely was spread
God's vengeance then
throughout the land,
and famine scour'd the hills. (Sign of doom)

(...and then soon, in the same year, during harvest, appeared "cometa" the star (Sign of doom); and then came in the following year a great famine (Sign of doom), and very manifold commotions among the English people.)

A.D. 976. This year was the great famine in England. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 979. This same year was seen a bloody welking oft-times in the likeness of fire; and that was most apparent at midnight, and so in misty beams was shown; but when it began to dawn, then it glided away. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 986. ... and in this year came first the great murrain of cattle in England. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 995. This year appeared the comet-star. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 1005. This year was the great famine in England so severe that no man ere remembered such. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 1014. This year, on the eve of St. Michael's day, came the great sea-flood, which spread wide over this land, and ran so far up as it never did before, overwhelming many towns, and and innumerable multitude of people. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 1032. This year appeared that wild fire, such as no man ever remembered before, which did great damage in many places. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 1042. All that year was the season very severe in many and various respects: both from the inclemency of the weather, and the loss of the fruits of the earth. More cattle died this year than any man ever remembered, either from various diseases, or from the severity of the weather. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 1044. This year there was very great hunger over all England, and corn so dear as no man remembered before; so that the sester of wheat rose to sixty pence, and even further. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 1046. And in the same year, after Candlemas, came the strong winter, with frost and with snow, and with all kinds of bad weather; so that there was no man then alive who could remember so severe a winter as this was, both through the loss of men and through the loss of cattle; yea, fowls and fishes through much cold and hunger perished. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 1049. (And this year also there was an earthquake, on the kalends of May, in many places in Worcester, and in Wick, and in Derby, and elsewhere (Sign of doom); and also there was a great mortality among men, and murrain among cattle (Sign of doom): and moreover, the wild-fire did much evil in Derbyshire and elsewhere.(Sign of doom))
A.D. 1053.

About this time was the great wind, on the mass-night of St. Thomas; which did much harm everywhere. And all the midwinter also was much wind.

(This year was the great wind on Thomas's-mass-night, and also the whole midwinter there was much wind;) (Sign of doom)

A.D. 1054. And in this year was so great loss of cattle as was not remembered for many winters before. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 1060. This year was a great earthquake on the Translation of St. Martin. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 1066.

Then was over all England such a token seen as no man ever saw before. Some men said that it was the comet-star, which others denominate the long-hair'd star. It appeared first on the eve called "Litania major", that is, on the eighth before the calends of May; and so shone all the week.

(And this year appeared a comet on the fourteenth before the kalends of May.) (Sign of doom)

A.D. 1077. This year also was the dry summer; and wild fire came upon many shires, and burned many towns; and also many cities were ruined thereby. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 1082. ... and this year also was a great famine. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 1086. And the same year there was a very heavy season, and a swinkful and sorrowful year in England, in murrain of cattle (Sign of doom), and corn and fruits were at a stand (Sign of doom), and so much untowardness in the weather, as a man may not easily think; so tremendous was the thunder and lightning, that it killed many men; and it continually grew worse and worse with men. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 1087. In the one and twentieth year after William began to govern and direct England, as God granted him, was a very heavy and pestilent season in this land. Such a sickness came on men, that full nigh every other man was in the worst disorder, that is, in the diarrhoea; and that so dreadfully, that many men died in the disorder (Sign of doom). Afterwards came, through the badness of the weather as before mentioned, so great a famine over all England, that many hundreds of men died a miserable death through hunger (Sign of doom). Alas! how wretched and how rueful a time was there! When the poor wretches lay full nigh driven to death prematurely, and afterwards came sharp hunger, and dispatched them withal! Who will not be penetrated with grief at such a season? or who is so hardhearted as not to weep at such misfortune? Yet such things happen for folk's sins, that they will not love God and righteousness.
A.D. 1089. There was also over all England much earth-stirring on the third day before the ides of August... (Sign of doom)
A.D. 1097. Then upon the feast of St. Michael, the fourth day before the nones of October, appeared an uncommon star, shining in the evening, and soon hastening to set. It was seen south-west, and the ray that stood off from it was thought very long, shining south-east. And it appeared on this wise nearly all the week. Many men supposed that it was a comet. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 1098. Before Michaelmas the heaven was of such an hue, as if it were burning, nearly all the night (Sign of doom). This was a very troublesome year through manifold impositions; and from the abundant rains, that ceased not all the year, nearly all the tilth in the marshlands perished. (Sign of doom)
A.D. 1099. This year also, on the festival of St. Martin, the sea-flood sprung up to such a height, and did so much harm, as no man remembered that it ever did before. And this was the first day of the new moon. (Sign of doom)
The Thief in the Night Signs of Doom Back