Early-Medieval-England.net : S 951

S 951

A.D. 1018. King Cnut to Burhwold, bishop; confirmation of a grant made by King Edmund (Ironside) of 4 hides (cassatae) at Landrake and at Tinnell in Landulph, Cornwall, in exchange for land at Throwleigh, Devon. The land at Landrake to revert on the bishop's death to St German's. Latin with English and English bounds.

Archive: Exeter (ex St Germans)

MSS: 1. Exeter, D. & C., 2524 (s. xi²; OS Facs., ii, Exeter 9)
2. BL Lansdowne 966, 75r-76r (s. xvii)

Printed: K 728, Latin only; Mon. Angl. (rev. edn), ii. 525-6 (no. 2); HS, i. 686-8, Latin only; Davidson 1883, pp. 287-9, with translation of bounds; Pierquin, Recueil, pt 6, no. 2; Hooke 1994, pp. 55, 59, bounds only.

Translated: Whitelock, EHD, no. 131 (pp. 597-9).

Comments: Davidson 1883, pp. 285-7, authentic; Larson 1910, p. 725 n. 28; Stevenson 1914, p. 698 n. 24, slightly later hand; Finberg, ECDC, no. 53 (pp. 14, 19); Stenton 1955, p. 82, cited; Chaplais 1966, pp. 21-2 (no. 21), script unlikely to be earlier than third quarter of s. xi, the document as a whole is not authentic and it is impossible to say how much genuine material it may contain (= 1981, XV pp. 21-2); Stenton 1971, p. 409, cited; HRH, p. 232, subscriptions are consistent, but charter is probably not authentic; Whitelock, EHD, p. 597; Keynes 1980, p. 27 n. 43, on formula; Olson 1989, p. 77 n. 153; Dumville 1993, p. 133, cited; Lawson 1993, p. 66 n. 29, p. 238, suspect, probably a local production; Hooke 1994, pp. 55-62, 186-7, on bounds; Keynes 1994/1, p. 52 n. 51, p. 68 n. 148, probably spurious, but witness-list from genuine text.

+ In nomine sanctae trinitatis. Cum mundi cursus uario, ut cotidie cernimus, incertoque discrimine tendat ad calcem, cuique mortalium opus est, ut sic caducam peragat uitam, ut quandoque possit dei adiutus [beneficio] possidere perpetuam, et quamdiu uitae istius utitur aura cuncta quae iusto statuuntur examine certis apicum lineis inserere, ne forte subsequentibus ueniant in obliuionem, et sic a iunioribus paruipendatur institutio seniorum. Quapropter ego Cnut rex subthronizatus Angligenum, cuidam meo fidelissimo episcopo, qui noto uocitamine nuncupatur Burhwold, condono in aeternae ius haereditatis, quandam telluris particulam, cassatas scilicet quatuor, in duobus locis diuisas, ubi ab incolis dicitur Landerhtun, et terra aliud Tinieltun; ut habeat quamdiu uitalis spiritus in hac aerumnosa uita fragile corpus aluerit; et post obitum eius terram Landerhtun commendat pro anima eius et regis sancto Germano in perpetuam libertatem; et Tinieltun faciat episcopus quod sibi uisum fuerit. Maneatque, prout iam praedixeram, donum istud ab omni saeculari seruitio exinanitum, cum omnibus ad se rite pertinentibus, campis, siluis, pascuis, pratis, excepta expeditione tantum si necessitas coegerit, et captio furum, libertatem teneat ut superius titulatur. Hanc uero meam donationem, quod opto absit a fidelium mentibus, minuentibus atque frangentibus, fiat pars illorum cum illis de quibus e contra fatur, 'Discedite a me maledicti in ignem aeternum,' et caetera; nisi hic prius satisfaciant ante mortem. Istis terminis ista terra hinc inde gyratur.

Ærest on woldrisoc up on ðære riðe to horswille þanon to þyrlestane þonne to ælmarches wylle on þa riðe on tudi up on tudi to þære litlan riðe þonne west to cructerlan þonne west to ðære riðe adun on ða riðe oð bot frysc þonne norð to þam beorge angerihte to þam fyrcledan stibbe þonne east on þa rycg wale to þæs mores heafod on þone broc on tudi up on tudi to difrod up on þa riðe to þam forda þonne east to ðæs mores heafod adun on þone broc to bryhter up on þam broce to þam herpoðe þonne norðrihte to þam litan forda þonne up to þæs cumbes heafdon þonne norð on þonne weg oð~þæt slæd þonne east to þam cumbe on þære riðe to þam gemyðo up on þone broc to þæs cumbes heafod þonne to þam herpoþe þonne norð on þone weg to emnes ðær litlan byrig þonne east rihte to þam wylle adun on þone broc to linar adun on stream to poldrysoc.

Þis sindon þa land gemæro þæs hiwisces to þinieltune.

Ærost of carrecron on ða riðe west to þæs wylles heafod þanon west to ðam wege þonne norð on þone weg to þam stybbe þonne west to þam wylle adun on þa riðe to þam fleote up to cynges mylne up on þone broc to nantnewiou þonne suð riht to behrates wylle on þa riðe to þa gemyðo þonne up on þone broc to þelbricce norð on þone weg to þære dic þonne west on þa wale to þam wylle on þære riðe to þam gemyðo þonne west on ða ealdan landscaru þonne norð to þære riðe þonne east on þæt slæd to þam broce þonne east to þam wege on þone hric to þam wylle adun to þam broce oð tamer adun to carrecron.

Anno dominicae incarnationis millesimo octodecimo scripta est huius munificentiae syngrapha, his testibus consentientibus quorum nomina inferius caraxata esse uidentur.

+ Ego Cnut totius Britanniae monarchus meae largitatis donum agiae crucis taumate roboraui.
+ Ego Liuingus Dorobernensis aecclesiae episcopus consensi et subscripsi.
+ Ego Wlfstan Eboracensis aecclesiae archiepiscopus signo sanctae crucis subscripsi.
+ Ego Ælfgyfa regina humillima adiuui.
+ Ego Ælfsinus episcopus non renui.
+ Ego Brihtwold episcopus adquieui.
+ Ego Æðelwine episcopus confirmaui.
+ Ego Brihtwine episcopus consilium dedi.
+ Ego Eadnoð episcopus consolidaui.
+ Ego Burhwold episcopus conclusi.
+ Ðurcil dux.
+ Yrric dux.
+ Egillaf dux.
+ Ranig dux.
+ Æðelweard dux.
+ Godwine dux.
+ Brihtrig abbas.
+ Æðelsige abbas.
+ Brihtmær abbas.
+ Ælfsige abbas.
+ Æluere abbas.
+ Æðelwold abbas.
+ Ðored minister.
+ Aslac minister.
+ Tobi minister.
+ Ælfgar minister.
+ Odda minister.
+ Ælfgar minister.

Her swutelað on þissum gewrite hu eadmund cyning gyrnde þæs hiwisces landes æt þrulea æt burhwolde biscope. þa se cyning nam þæt æt him þa sealde he him þa [iiii] hida æt landherhtune 7 þa ane hide æt tinieltune ongean þrulea. 7 þa ic cnut cyng feng to ryce æftor eadmunde cyninge. þa cydde se biscop me hu hi landa hwyrdon swa hit herbufan cwið þa ic cnut cyning cydde þam biscope burhwolde þæt ic uðe þara ylca lande ealswa eadmund cyning him ær geuþe sacleas æfre his dæg. 7 ofer his dæge gange þæt land æt landherhtune into sanctae Germanes mynster þan hiredum to fostre þa hwyle þe cristendom wunige. 7 se biscop deð ymbe þæt land æt tinieltune swa him god wisige. 7 ic an þæt þa land beon freohe ælces þeowdomes þe æfre of land arise, Gode to lofe 7 sanctae Germane buton fyrdgun ane 7 gebedrædene for minre sawle.