S 117

A.D. 780. Offa, king of Mercia, to the church of St Peter, Bredon, for the use of the bishop of Worcester; grant of 10 hides (manentes) at Wærsetfelda (cf. Wast Hills in Alvechurch), 5 hides (cassati) at Cofton Hackett and 5 hides (mansae) at Rednal in Kings Norton, Worcs. Latin

Archive:

Worcester

MSS:

1. London, British Library, Cotton Augustus ii. 30 (s. xi; dated 730; M Facs., i. 11)
2. Lost Somers charter 5
3. London, British Library, Cotton Nero E. I, pt 2, ff. 181-84v, f. 182r (s. xi)
4. London, British Library, Cotton Tiberius A. XIII, ff. 1-118, f. 6r-v (s. xi 1)
5. London, British Library, Cotton Vitellius C. IX, f. 130v (s. xvii; incomplete; from lost Somers charter 5)

Printed:

Mon. Angl., i. 122, ex MS 4; Smith, Bede, pp. 767-8, ex MS 2; Hearne, Heming, pp. 12-13, 453-5, ex Mon. Angl.; Hearne, Heming, p. 564, ex MS 5; K, 138, ex Smith and MS 1; Mon. Angl. (rev. edn), i. 586 (no. 11); B, 234, ex MS 1; B, 847, ex MS 3; Pierquin, Recueil, pt 1, no. 70

Comments:

Wanley, Catalogus, p. 301, no. 5, MS 2 not contemporary with given date; BM Facs., iv, p. 7, MS 1 of the 11th century; Plummer 1892; 1899, ii, p. 48, authentic; Taylor 1894, p. 292, MS 1 original; Stevenson 1914, p. 697 n., MS 1 in 11th-century hand but cartulary text probably older and cannot have been forged later than c. 1000; Stenton 1918, pp. 444-6, suspicious reservation clause need not be fatal to authenticity of the text (= Stenton 1970, pp. 58-60); PN Worcs., p. xvii n.2, no material reason for doubt; Ker 1948, p. 70 n. 3; Brooks 1971, p. 78 n. 3, doubtful authenticity; Finberg, ECWM, no. 226, authentic; Scharer 1982, pp. 249-50, spurious; Hooke 1985, pp. 139, 174, on estate history; Hooke 1990, pp. 29-30, on estate; Sims-Williams 1990, pp. 153-4 n. 56; Whybra 1990, p. 33

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    Old Text

    • Endorsements: (1) Hu Offa cyning geaf to breadune wearsetfeld 7 coftune . 7 wreodanhale (2) to breodune offa bocade (3) inu Cuncta labilis vitæ huius subsistentia momentanea et caduca præ oculis decessu præsentium proximorum cernentes festinandum nobis est summopere . ut 'operemur bonum ad omnes' sicut veridica apostolici dogmatis comprobat assertio 'maxime autem ad domesticos fidei' ; Quapropter ego Offa caelica fulciente clementia rex Merciorum simulque aliarum circumquaque nationum ad æcclesiam quam Eanulfus avus meus in honore beati Petri principis apostolorum construxit ubi dicitur æt breodune pro salute animæ meae priorumque meorum largior terram . x . manentium ubi dicitur æt Wærsetfelda . 7 æt Coftune . v . cassatorum tantundem æt Wreodanhale id . est . v . mansarum cum silva quae eisdem terris adjacet . æt cum pratis . pascuis . aquarum rivulis . sine ullo obstaculo contradictionis posterum meorum principum vel ducum in usum episcopi Weogernensis æcclesiae maneat . Sit autem terra illa libera ab omni exactione regum et principum et subditorum ipsorum . præter pontis et arcis restauratione et hostilem expeditionem . Anno autem dominicæ incarnationis . dcc o . xxx o . conscripta est haec donatio telluris a me et ab episcopis ac principibus meis quorum infra nomina adnotabo . + Ego Offa Dei dono rex hanc meam donationem signo sancte crucis munio . + Ego Cyne∂ry∂ Dei gratia regina Merciorum huic donationi regis consensi . 7 subscripsi . + Ego Ioanberhtus archiepiscopus . + Ego Eadberhtus episcopus . + Ego Ceolwulfus episcopus . + Ego Tilherus episcopus . + Signum manus Brordan principis . + Signum manus Berhtuudi ducis . + Signum manus Eadbaldi principis . + Signum manus Eadbaldi ducis . Cuncta labilis vite subsistentia momentanea et præ oculis caduca decessu presentium proximorum cernentes . festinandum nobis est summopere . 'ut bonum operemur ad omnes' . sicut affirmat apostolica locutio . 'maxime autem ad domesticos fidei' . Quapropter ego Offa celica fulciente clementia rex Merciorum . simulque aliarum circumquaque nationum . ad æcclesiam quam Eanulfus avus meus in honore beati Petri principis apostolorum construxit . ubi dicitur æt Breotune pro salute animæ meæ priorumque meorum largior terram . xx . manentium . ubi dicitur æt Wærsethylle 7 æt Coftune . cum silva quæ eidem terræ adjacet . et cum pratis . pascuis . aquarum rivulis . sine ullo obstaculo contradictionis posterum meorum principum vel ducum in usum episcopi Weogernensis æcclesiæ maneat . Sit autem terra libera ab omni exactione regum vel principum a'c' subditorum ipsorum preter pontis et arcis restaurationem et hostilem expeditionem . Anno autem dominicæ incarnationis .dcc o . lxxx o . conscripta est hæc donatio telluris a me et ab episcopis meis ac principibus quorum infra nomina adnotabo . + Ego Offa rex hanc meam donationem signo crucis munio . + Ego Kyneˇry∂ regina Merciorum huic dono consensi . + Ego Ioanberhtus archiepiscopus . + Ego Ceolwulfus . episcopus . + Ego Eadberhtus episcopus . + Ego Tilhere episcopus . + Signum manus Brordan principis . + Signum manus Eadboldi principis . + Signum Herwudi ducis . + Signum Eadboldi ducis :---