Bede
One man who made Bede's work possible was Benedict Biscop.  He founded the Wearmouth and Jarrow monasteries. More importantly he created the library that Bede's got most of his information from. By the time of his death in 689 he had completed four trips to Rome and the south and brought back large collections of books each time. Bede's work would still not be possible if not for Ceolfrid, the fourth abbot. He doubled the size of the library left by Benedict Biscop. Bede himself traveled no farther than York and Lindisfarne. There is no record of his ever visiting libraries in distant places. Bede says the following about his sources: