The "Chronicle" is biased in places. There are occasions when comparison with other medieval sources makes it clear that the scribes who wrote it omitted events or told one-sided versions of stories. There are also places where the different versions contradict each other. Taken as a whole, however, the "Chronicle" is the single most important historical source for the period in England between the departure of the Romans and the decades following the Norman conquest. Much of the information given in the "Chronicle" is not recorded elsewhere. In addition, the manuscripts are important sources for the history of the English language; in particular, the later Peterborough text is one of the earliest examples of Middle English in existence.