FITZSTEPHEN, William, an English historian, was a native of London, and died in 1191. Becoming a monk of Canterbury, he had very confidential relations with Thomas à Becket. Shortly after the death of Thomas he wrote his life in Latin, a work which bears internal evidence of greater impartiality and truthfulness than most of the archbishop’s biographies, and is besides of interest as containing a long description of the city of London. There is a manuscript copy of the work in the British Museum.

A translation of the description of London was inserted by Stowe in his Survey of London, and in 1772 Dr Pegge published a new and more correct edition, in Latin and English, accompanied with notes and an essay on the author. A corrected version, with a translation, was also inserted in the edition of Stowe’s Survey published in 1843.