A.D. 1052 x 1066. Writ of King Edward declaring that he has granted to Archbishop Stigand and the community at Christ Church judicial and financial rights over their own men and over as many thegns as he has granted them to have. English

Archive:

Canterbury, Christ Church

MSS:

1. London, British Library, Campbell Charter xxi. 5 (s. xi med.; BM Facs., iv., plate after no. 37; Harmer, Writs, plate 1; Bishop and Chaplais 1957, pl. 3; English Romanesque Art, p. 30)
2. Canterbury, D.C., Reg. I, f. 58r (s. xiii ex.)
3. London, British Library, Stowe 665, f. 73r (s. xviii)
4. London, Lambeth Palace Library, 582, p. 101 (s. xviii; incomplete)
5. London, Public Record Office, C 66, 12 Hen. VI, pt 2, m. 9
6. London, Public Record Office, C 56, 19, no. 4
7. London, Public Record Office, C 56, 27, no. 6

Printed:

Birch 1874, p. 146

Printed and Translated:

Harmer, Writs, no. 33 (p. 186), ex MS 1

Comments:

Harmer 1938, p. 347; Harmer, Writs, pp. 173-5, 451-2, an authentic writ, with all but the first three lines rewritten later; Bishop and Chaplais 1957, authentic writ but altered at Christ Church in s. xii; Chaplais 1966, pp. 18-19, (= 1981, XV pp. 18-19); Chaplais 1966a, p. 175 n. 124, (= 1973, p. 60 n. 124); Dumville 1983, pp. 49-50, attributes 12th-century tampering to the scribe of ASC MS F (BL Cotton Domitian viii), cf. also S 1221; Brooks 1984, p. 388 n. 140; English Romanesque Art, p. 30, on seal; Golden Age, p. 167 (no. 170); Keynes 1988, p. 215 n. 180; Wormald 1995, p. 129, on a formula; Sharpe 2003, p. 287, part of sequence of writs

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  • Metadata

    Text

    • + Eadweard cyngc gret ealle mine bisceopes . 7 mine eorlas . 7 mine gerefan . 7 ealle mine þegenas on þam sciran þær Stigande arcebisceop . 7 se hired æt Cristes cyrcean on Cantwarabyrig habbað land inne freondlice . 7 ic cyðe eow þæt ic habbe him geunnan þæt hi beon heora saca 7 socne wurþe . on strande 7 on streame . on wudan 7 on feldan . tolnes 7 teames . griþbrices 7 hamsocne . forestealles 7 infangenes þeoues . 7 flemena fermþe ouer hera agene menn binnan burgan 7 butan . swa full 7 swa forþ swa mine agene wicneras hit secan scoldan . 7 ouer swa fela þegena swa ic heom to gelæten hæbbe . 7 ic nelle þæt æni man æni þing þær on teo butan hy 7 heora wicneras þe hi hit betæcan wyllaþ . for þan þingan þe ic habbe þas gerihta forgiuen minre sawle to ecere alysednesse . swa Cnut cyng ær dyde . 7 ic nelle geþauian þæt æni man þis tobrece be mina freondscipe.
  • Metadata

    Translation

    • King Edward greets to all my bishops and my earls and my reeves and all my thegns in the shires in which Archbishop Stigand and the community at Christ Church have land, in friendship. And I make known to you that I have granted them that they be legally entitled to their sake and soke, on strand and in stream, in woodland and in open country, to toll and team, to breach of the peace, to hamsocn, to foresteall and to infangenetheof and to flymenafyrmth over their own men within boroughs and without, as fully and to the same extent as my own officials would expect it, and over as many thegns as I have assigned them to have. And I forbid that any man should take anything therefrom except themselves and their officials to whom they wish to entrust it, because I have given these rights for the eternal salvation of my soul, as King Cnut did previously. And I will not tolerate that any man breach this, by my friendship.
  • Metadata

    Old Text

    • Eadweard cyngc gret ealle mine biscopes 7 mine eorlas 7 mine gerefan 7 ealle mine ˇegenas on ˇam sciran ˇær Stigande arcebiscop 7 se hired æt Cristes cyrcean on Cantwarabyrig habba∂ land inne freondlice. 7 ic cy∂e eow ˇæt ic habbe him geunnan ˇæt hi beon heora saca 7 socne wurˇe on strande 7 on streame on wudan 7 on feldan tolnes 7 teames, griˇbrices 7 hamsocne, forestealles 7 infangenes ˇeoues 7 flemena fermˇe ouer hera agene menn binnan burgan 7 butan swa full 7 swa forˇ swa mine agene wicneras hit secan scoldan 7 ouer swa fela ˇegena swa ic heom to gelæten hæbbe. 7 ic nelle ˇæt æni man æni ˇing ˇær on teo butan hy 7 heora wicneras ˇe hi hit betæcan wyllaˇ for ˇan ˇingan ˇe ic habbe ˇas gerihta forgiuen minre sawle to ecere alysednesse swa Cnut cyng ær dyde. 7 ic nelle geˇauian ˇæt æni man ˇis tobrece be mina freondscipe.