Ordericus Vitalis was born at Atcham, near Shrewsbury, in 1075. His father, Odelerius, was a Norman and his mother was English. At the age of ten he was sent to an abbey at St. Evroul in Normandy. He later wrote that his father was "weeping when he gave me, a weeping child, into the care of the monk Reginald, and sent me away into exile for love of God, and never saw me again."

Ordericus Vitalis eventually came to England and built his own monastery at Shrewsbury. Later he returned to Normandy where he spent the rest of his life. Between 1123 and 1141 he wroteThe Ecclesiastical Historywhich mainly dealt with the rule of William the Conqueror.

Inspired by the work of Bede, Ordericus Vitalis used original documents, interviews and literary sources to write his history books. In his work he criticized the violence and greed of the Norman conquerors. He also attacked the English for being degenerate who benefited from Norman rule. Ordericus Vitalis died in about 1143.