St Bartholomew’s Priory, West Smithfield: the tomb of Rahere and the book of the foundation

A case exists for revising the dates normally assigned to two late medieval objects which commemorate the origins of St Bartholomew’s priory in West Smithfield (founded 1123). It is possible to show that the effigy of Rahere in the priory church is an addition, rather than original, to the founder’s tomb on the north side of the choir, and also that the manuscript containing the so-called Book of the Foundation was made considerably later than is usually thought. Doing so entails accounting for the assumptions on which the received dates rest (this is done first). It also involves looking more closely and critically at the objects in question than anyone seems to have done in the recent past.