Englishmen in the later middle ages had a well developed sense of their national identity. Their common experience of statehood already stretched back at least half a millennium, and the widespread belief in the Trojan foundation of the realm of England gave them a shared mythical past. By the fourteenth century, traditions regarding the nation's history were regularly drawing strength from provincial sources. In 1352 Edward III summoned Ranulf Higden from the very margins of his kingdom to bring his chronicles to Westminster to consult with the royal council. Presumably the aged monk of Chester was expected to dredge up historical precedents to support some new claim of the English crown. It is not known how he had come to the attention of the king and councillors, but a number of connections can be surmised. In fact there existed innumerable institutional and personal channels through which talent and resources from all corners of the realm could be drawn into national projects. In addition to his being a native of the earldom of Chester, the appanage of the king's eldest son, and a member of a monastic order with houses all across the kingdom, Higden was doubtless known to some of the many men from his own district who had established themselves in the capital.