The Mysteries of the
Book of St. Albans

Five years ago a package arrived in my mailbox. Although the parcel was flat, and felt like a book, I carefully punctured a small hole in one corner and with a penlight peered inside. It was indeed a book. I opened the package and pulled the item out. There was a note taped to the front of the book:

Detective O'Shea,
Having read this book, and the legends surrounding it, I thought you'd be interested in this. It's over 500 years old, yet surrounded by undocumentable claims of printer and actual authorship. Please help me solve this mystery.
J.B.I.

I picked the envelope back up. There appeared to be several postmarks on the package. It was obvious that it had been misdelivered by several local postal offices before finally making it to me. There'd be no way for me to correctly identify whree it had originally been placed for shipment. A 500 year old cold case. This was indeed going to be difficult. J.B.I. had me intrigued. I began my own investigation. The following notes, taken during the investigation , are just that-notes. No clear path to the guilty parties has been found. My nose is twitching. I must be close. O'

The Book
The Book of St. Albans was first printed in the year 1486. The book's title, however, is somewhat misleading, as it does not follow the normal conventions for naming. Although the title reads The Book "of" St. Albans, it is not about Saint Albans- the town, abbey, or Saint. The Book of St. Albans can be considered a compilation of gentlemanly activity as it contained three separate works within it's binding. The three works were those of Hunting, Hawking, and Heraldry. The heraldry section contains two categories - Coats of Arms and Blazons.

Wynkyn de Worde, William Caxton's apprentice, and successor after Caxton's death in 1491 , gave us the only clue to the identity of the man who first printed the Book of Saint Albans.

Wynkyn reprinted a book which had been printed in 1473 by the school master printer titled "The Chronicles of England". De Worde ends the book with "Here endeth the Chronycle of Englande with the fruit of tymes; compiled in a book and emprynted by one sometyme Scholemaster of St. Albans, on whose soul God has mercy

This simple ending thus dubbed the man who printed the Book of St. Albans as "The Scholemaster Printer", and as such he's been known for 500 years. De Worde had made it known that the schoolmaster printer was accountable for six works. Four were in French, with the remaining two in English. Those two were the Boke of St. Albans ' and The Chronycle of Englande.

Mystery #1 Who printed the book?

Suspects: John Insomuch and Otwel Fulle

Suspect #1: John Insomuch
Last known whereabouts: Town of St. Albans, England
Detective Notes: Local St. Albans legend has it that John established a printing press at St Albans Abbey around 1479. For want of any other known surname, posterity bestowed on him the improbable soubriquet INSOMUCH, that being the word with which, equally improbable, a number of his surviving texts begin.

Possible Deduction: John, last name unknown, established a printing press at, or near, the Abbey of St. Albans. This is the only citation found to date giving any credence to John Insomuch. Obviously an alias, no true name known. I see nothing that could refer him as a schoolmaster at all.

Suspect #2: Otwel Fulle
Last known whereabouts: House St. Albans, London England
Detevtive notes: The first time that the actual name, House St. Albans, appeared in the Westminister Abbey Muniments was for the years 1473-74. It is within these records almost ten years later that we find Muniment record WAM 23879 for the years 1482-83.
This record follows the general heading for St. Albans in the Sacrist Rolls.. The Sacrist rolls were the account receivable and payable rolls before they were renamed "The Steward Books" in 1564.
This record shows a payment of 10 shillings for rent of living space to the west of the Abbey. Dr. Scott had stated that as 'Master of Westminster Grammar School, it would seem that he (Otwel) would have lived in the house known as St. Albans in the precincts.
As the reader first views the map below, it may seem odd that a school master would live in such a large house. It is important to note that another muniment record, WAM 19723, shows the house rented to Robert Stowell, master mason of the Abbey. The house, based on these records, shows that the house was divided and rented to multiple people employed by the Abbey.
Although the house did not disappear until 1890, the name 'House St. Albans" disappears during the middle of the eighteenth century.

This map was created to show the different properties owned by William Caxton within the Abbey Precincts. If you look to the right of the Chapter House, you will see the House St. Albans. This is the only map yet to be discovered that shows the actual location of the House St. Albans.

Possible Deduction: Otwel Fulle printed the Book of St. Albans while living in the House St. Albans in London, England in the year 1486. Six books have been counted for by Wynkyn de Worde that were printed by Otwel Four were printed in French, and two he printed in English. Wynkyn de Worde reprinted, and acknowledged their original printing to the "Scholemaster Printer" Otwel stated in the colophons of his books the words 'apud villa Sancti Albani'. Translated, with the current information, resources, and maps, it is evident that this can be translated as 'at the House Saint Albans'.

Printer Overview and status: 2 know suspects,one an actual schoolmaster. Requests for information have been issued for additional records for John Insomuch, including the local schholmaster in St. Albans as well as their local legends / historian experts.

Mystery #2 Who wrote the Boke of St. Albans?

Suspect #1: Dame Julianna Berners
Last known whereabouts: Sopwell Priory
Detetive notes: Prioress of the nunnery of Sopwell, near St. Alban's; a lady of noble family, and celebrated for her learning and accomplishments. Legend names her as daughter of Sir James Berners, or Berners Roding, in Essex, Knight, & Sister to Richard Lord Berners. She was Lady Prioresse of Sopwell, a Nunnery neere St. Albons.The last line of the hunting treatise reads "explcit dame Julyans Barnes in her boke of huntyng
Possible Deduction:No documentable evidence has been found on either Julianna, or her supposed knight/father James. The rolls and accounts of Westminster Abbey have been searched and there are no accounts listed for Berners or Barnes. John Leland, antiquarian, mentions nothing of Dame Julianna, either. Leland makes notes of important people and writers within the church during the time of the resolution.
Although she cannot be fully discounted, no evidence has been brought forward to prove her existance.

Suspect #2: Multiple authors
Last known whereabouts: Unknown
Detective Notes:Reading through the seaparate works of the Boke of St. Albans offers evidence of different authorship. Sentence structure, style,and spelling differ from one treatise to another. Also, whereas one treatise appears to be written from and educational 'how to' point of view, another is a blunt and forward, "Listen to me!" point of view. Lastly, The end of the Book of Blazons reads, "Here endeth the Book of Blazons of Arms, translated and compiled at Saynt Albans."
Possible Deduction:Several writers were involved in the writing of the multiple treatises. A single author would not have to translate and compile their own work.

Suspect #3: Anna Fulle
Last known whereabouts: House St. Albans
Detevtive Notes:In the Westminster Abbey muniments, for the rolls of 1491/92 it shows that Otwel donated a sum of money to preserver his wife, "Anna's" pew space. Although the book is attributed to Dame Juliann, the word 'dame' doesn't just refer to a nun or prioress. Dame can also mean teacher.
Possible Deduction: Anna Fuller, Otwel's wife, was a teacher. It was she who compiled and translated the various treatises and presented them to her husband for printing.

Suspect #4: Anonymous Psedonym
Last known whereabouts:The road from London to the town of St. Albans
Detevtive notes:View the map below. Start at St. Albans and head south, towards London, and you'll see the following in this order: St. Albans, Sopwell House, St. Julians Hospital, and Sopwell Barnes.
Possible Deduction: The printer, whoever he was, may have formed the pseudonym Dame Julianna Barnes while traveling from St. Albans to London, or in reverse.