Itineraries of William Wey

William Wey, fifteenth-century Devon priest, Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford, and Bursar of Eton College, made three pilgrimages between 1456 and 1462 – to Compostella, Rome and the Holy Land. The complete text of his narrative has never before been translated into modern English. For students of the period, which bridges the medieval and early modern worlds, Wey's account adds a new dimension to the phenomenon of pilgrimage. He himself is an attractive and intriguing person of many talents, adventurous, highly observant, and eminently resourceful. While waiting for the pilgrim galley to sail to Jaffa, for example, Wey spent over a month in Venice and gives a colorful account of that city in its heyday. His biblical knowledge is formidable and his use of sources exact and apposite. He also provides practical and homely advice on kit, conduct and currency. Medieval pilgrim accounts are relatively rare and The Itineraries provides a fascinating insight into travel, religious faith and the topography of fifteen-century Europe and beyond.