Richard Rolle of Hampole

Richard Rolle (c. 1300–1349) was an English hermit, mystic, and religious writer, often considered the first significant English author due to the widespread influence of his vernacular works. His early life involved a brief period at Oxford, sponsored by Thomas de Neville, Archdeacon of Durham, before he left at a young age to pursue a life of solitude as a hermit. Information about his early life and education is scarce, primarily derived from later devotional texts compiled for his canonization, which ultimately did not occur.

Rolle experienced mystical visions, which he described as physical warmth, sweetness, and heavenly music, particularly associated with chanting the Psalms. These experiences shaped his writings, most notably "Incendium Amoris" (The Fire of Love), which detailed his mystical journey and the stages of spiritual purification. He wrote extensively in both Latin and English, with his English works, likely composed after 1340, becoming particularly influential. His final work, "The Form of Living," was a guide for his disciple Margaret Kirkby, an anchoress. Rolle died at Hampole in 1349, possibly from the Black Death, and his later veneration led to his burial site becoming a place of pilgrimage.

Richard Rolle was born around 1300 into a farming family and raised in Thornton-le-Dale. He briefly attended the University of Oxford, supported by Thomas de Neville, Archdeacon of Durham, where he focused on theology and biblical studies. Described as having a passionate temperament, Rolle left Oxford at eighteen or nineteen to become a hermit, initially living in a forest near Thornton. Fearing family interference, he relocated and stayed with a squire named John Dalton in Pickering for about three years. During this time, his sister provided him with materials to fashion a hermit's habit.

Rolle's first recorded mystical experience occurred while he was living with John Dalton, approximately two years and eight months after beginning his hermit life. A subsequent experience followed a year later, leading him to disengage from worldly matters. The circumstances of Dalton's arrest in 1322 suggest Rolle had already departed his household. The period between 1321/22 and his death in 1349 remains largely unclarified. One theory suggests he studied at the Sorbonne in Paris, based on 17th-century manuscript entries, though scholarly consensus is divided. It is more likely he spent much of this time in Richmondshire, either with his family or moving between patrons due to regional instability.

Rolle's literary output, spanning Latin and English, likely began in the early 1330s. His English works generally date from after 1340. A central theme in his writing is affective mysticism, emphasizing the direct, emotional experience of God's presence. In "Incendium Amoris" (The Fire of Love), he describes his mystical encounters as a physical warmth, profound sweetness, and celestial music, outlining a path to God through stages of purification: open door, heat, song, and sweetness. He asserted that his extensive scriptural commentaries, written in both Latin and vernacular, were divinely inspired, lending them significant authority. His works include commentaries on various biblical texts, treatises, and epistles, many of which survive in numerous manuscripts.

Margaret Kirkby, an anchoress, was a principal disciple of Richard Rolle, receiving many of his writings, including "The Form of Living," a guide for her anchoritic life written in 1348. Her role was crucial in establishing Rolle's posthumous reputation. Following Rolle's death at Hampole in 1349, possibly from the Black Death, a cult of veneration developed, particularly in northern England. Margaret Kirkby later moved to the Hampole priory, possibly to be near Rolle's remains. A liturgical office for Rolle, containing biographical details, was composed between 1381 and 1383. His works achieved considerable popularity in the 14th and 15th centuries, surpassing even those of Chaucer in readership.