S 124

A.D. 785. Offa, king of Mercia, to St Peter's, Westminster; grant of 10 hides (cassati) at Aldenham, Herts., in return for 100 mancuses of gold in a bracelet. Latin with English bounds

Archive:

Westminster

MSS:

1. London, Westminster Abbey, W. A. M. II (s. xi; OS Facs., ii, Westminster 2, no. 1; Heslop 1992, pl. 54b, in part; Hunting 1981, p. 18)
2. London, Westminster Abbey, W. A. M. III (s. xii; OS Facs., ii, Westminster 2, no. 2)
3. London, British Library, Add. 4558, ff. 140r-142r (s. xviii)
4. London, Westminster Abbey, W. A. Muniment Book 11, f. 185v (s. xiv)

Printed:

Widmore 1743, Appendix, no. iii; K, 149, ex Widmore; Mon. Angl. (rev. edn), i. 291 (no. 1); B, 245, ex K and MSS 1, 2

Comments:

Robinson 1918, p. 67, can hardly be genuine in its present form; Robinson 1919, p. 28, untrustworthy; PN Middx, p. 165; Harmer, Writs, pp. 500-1, authenticity doubtful; Brooke and Keir 1975, pp. 295 n. 3, 367, 369, spurious in received form, but probably based on a genuine tradition; Harvey 1977, p. 345; Gelling, ECTV, no. 161, spurious, bounds from a pre-Conquest source; Scharer 1982, pp. 269-70, spurious; Campbell 1989, pp. 26 n. 28, 27 n. 35, almost certainly a fake; counter-payment; Heslop 1992, probably forged in late 1150s, MS 1 possibly written by same scribe as S 1293, MS 2 may be slightly older but looks less 'authentic'; Crick 2002, examines circumstances of forgery

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    • Endorsement (s. xi): ˇis is Ældenham boc . ∂æ offa mercene reccere gebocede sancte petre 7 ˇam hirede on westmunstre on ece yrfe Px In nomine Dei summi salvatoris mundi . Solus ille rex seculari de potestate regimen recte disponit . qui terrenis ac caducis celestia comparare conatur premia . Iccirco ego Offa divina dispensante pietate monarchia Merciensis regni munitus pro amore omnipotentis Dei in memoria æterna dedi sancto Petro et plebi Dei degenti in Torneia in loco terribili quod dicitur aet Westmunster ; quandam partem terræ id est . x. casatorum ubi solicoli clamare suescunt aet Ældenham cum omnibus aptis usibus pratis pascuis piscariis silvis silvarum densitatibus cunctisque necessariis utilitatibus ut habeant in propriam potestatem perpetualiter concedens donavi . Accepto quoque ab æcclesiæ ejusdem abbate Ordbrihto placabili pretio . c . mancusas auri obrizi in una armilla . Jam sequitur istius ruris cirgyrata terminatio . Ærest upp of colenea æt ˇære lange hegge ænde . east into heidene . up to boiwic fram boiwic to ˇam cupe . fram ∂am cupe into ˇam middelan ∂ere strete . Andlang strete into hilce slo∂ fram hilcen slo∂ to Ti∂ulfes treow fram Ti∂ulfes treow to hæselhyrste gate. fram ˇanon to ˇam fulen gate. ∂anon into ˇam west heale swa to bule∂e heige fram bule∂e heige to lusebyrge swa ∂anon into cealden lea . and swa eft into colenea be midelen streame . Hanc autem donationem si quis face demonis subpositus aliquibus maculis turpare frangere minuere auferre satagerit . sciat se de supernis pulsu demonum in ima cadendum nisi prius hic ad emendationem venire maluerit . Anno dominicæ incarnationis . dcclxxxv . acta est hec præfata donatio . sub horum testimonio quorum nomina flavescunt infra . + Ego Offa rex Merciorum hanc elemosinam Deo donante cum signo sanctæ crucis confirmo . + Ego Cyne∂ry∂ regina figens crucem + gaudenter consignavi . + Ego Iambriht archiepiscopus commodum duxi . + Ego Headered episcopus . + Ego Uttel episcopus . + Ego Eadberht dux . + Ego Esne dux . + Ego Eatta dux . et regis discifer consensi . + Ego Brorda dux . . + . + Ego Cenwulf minister . . + . + Ego Ealhhelm minister . . + .