The Tower of London Elephant, Westminster Abbey, and Matthew Paris

Matthew Paris, the chronicler of St Albans, drew the elephant which was presented to King Henry III, and kept at the Tower of London from 1255 to 1257. Matthew also wrote short passages of text, to accompany these drawings. One of these texts is printed here for the first time, showing how Matthew continued to repeat the myths about elephants copied from bestiaries, while stressing that he had drawn one from life. There are several references to the elephant in contemporary chronicles and government records. These references provide the few definite facts about the elephant’s arrival in England and brief life at the Tower, as distinct from the speculation found in popular works and online.