S 1211

c. A.D. 959. Eadgifu, queen, to Christ Church, Canterbury; grant of land at Cooling, and at Osterland, Kent, with an account of the history of these estates. English.

Archive: Canterbury, Christ Church

MSS: BL Stowe Ch. 28 (s. x med.; OS Facs., iii. 29; Golden Age, p. 163, no. 167)

Printed: Lye, Dictionarium, Appendix ii, no. 4; K 499; Thorpe, pp. 201-4, with translation; Essays, pp. 342-7, with translation; Sweet, Reader, pp. 55-6; B 1064; Harmer, SEHD, no. 23 (pp. 37-8), with translation, pp. 66-8; Wyatt 1919, pp. 118-19.

Comments: Sweet, Reader, p. 246; Harmer, SEHD, pp. 125-7, authentic, cf. p. vi; Wallenberg, KPN, pp. 286-8; John 1966, p. 174 n., on background; Keynes 1980, p. 33 n. 57, p. 34 n. 59, cited; Brooks 1984, pp. 250, 378 nn. 143, 153, contemporary; Golden Age, p. 164 (no. 167); Wormald 1988, nos 32-5; Keynes 1992, p. 55 n. 12, cited; Meyer 1993, pp. 86-7, cited; Dumville 1994, pp. 146-7, 155 n. 122, on script; Kennedy 1995, p. 162 n. 124, p. 163 n. 126, p. 182 n. 193, on legal background.

Endorsements:
(1) Quomodo Ediua Regina recuperavit Culinge quam postea dedit conventui ecclesie Christi Cantuarie.
(2) Eadgyua Regina.
(3) Anno ML.
(4) Anglice.

+ Eadgifu cyþ þam arcebisceop 7 Cristes cyrcean hyrede hu hire land com æt Culingon. Þæt is þæt hire læfde hire fæder land 7 boc, swa he mid rihte beget 7 him his yldran læfdon. Hit gelamp þæt hire fæder aborgude XXX punda æt Godan 7 betæhte him þæt land þæs feos to anwedde; 7 he hit hæfde VII winter. Þa gelamp, emb þa tid, þæt man beonn eall Cantware to wigge to Holme. Þa nolde Sigelm hire fæder to wigge faron mid nanes mannes scette unagifnum; 7 agef þa Godan XXX punda 7 becwæþ Eadgife his dehter land, 7 boc sealde.

Þa he on wigge afeallen wæs, þa ætsoc Goda þæs feos ægiftes 7 þæs landes wyrnde oð þæs on syxtan geare. Þa spræc hit fæstlice Byrhsige Dyrincg swa lange oð þa witan þe þa wæron gerehton Eadgife þæt heo sceolde hire fæder hand geclænsian be swa myclan feo; 7 heo þæs aþ lædde on ealre þeode gewitnesse to Æglesforda, 7 þær geclænsude hire fæder þæs ægiftes be XXX punda aþe. Þa gyt heo ne moste landes brucan ær hire frynd fundon æt Eadwearde cyncge þæt he him þæt land forbead, swa he æniges brucan wolde; 7 he hit swa alet.

Þa gelamp on fyrste þæt se cynincg Godan oncuþe swa swyþe swa him man ætrehte bec 7 land, ealle þa þe he ahte; 7 se cynincg hine þa 7 ealle his are, mid bocum 7 landum, forgeaf Eadgife to ateonne swa swa heo wolde. Þa cwæð heo þæt heo ne dorste for Gode him swa leanian swa he hire to geearnud hæfde, 7 agef him ealle his land, buton twam sulungum æt Osterlande; 7 nolde þa bec agifan ær heo wyste hu getriwlice he hi æt landum healdan wolde.

Þa gewat Eadweard cyncg 7 fencg Æþelstan to rice. Þa Godan sæl þuhte, þa gesohte he þone kynincg Æþelstan, 7 bæd þæt he him geþingude wiþ Eadgife his boca edgift. 7 se cyncg þa swa dyde. 7 heo him ealle agef buton Osterlandes bec; 7 he þa boc unnendre handa hire to let 7 þara oþerra mid eaðmettum geþancude; 7 ufenan þæt, twelfa sum, hire aþ sealde, for geborenne 7 ungeborenne, þæt þis æfre gesett spæc wære. 7 þis wæs gedon on Æþelstanes kynincges gewitnesse 7 his wytena æt Hamme wiþ Læwe. 7 Eadgifu hæfde land mid bocum þara twegea cyninga dagas hire suna.

Þa EadrEd geendude 7 man Eadgife berypte ælcere are, þa namon Godan twegen suna, Leofstan 7 Leofric, on Eadgife þas twa forespecenen land æt Culingon 7 æt Osterlande, 7 sædon þam cilde Eadwige, þe þa gecoren wæs, þæt hy rihtur hiora wæren þonne hire. Þæt þa swa wæs oþ Eadgar astiþude. 7 he '7' his wytan gerehton þæt hy manfull reaflac gedon hæfden, 7 hi hire hire are gerehton 7 agefon. Þa nam Eadgifu, be þæs cynincges leafe 7 gewitnesse 7 ealra his bisceopa, þa bec, 7 land betæhte in to Cristes cyrcean, mid hire agenum handum upon þone altare lede, þan hyrede on ecnesse to are 7 hire sawle to reste; 7 cwæþ þæt Crist sylf mid eallum heofonlicum mægne þane awyrgde on ecnesse þe þas gife æfre awende oþþe gewanude. Þus com þeos ar in to Cristes cyrcean hyrede.

Eadgifu informs the archbishop and the community at Christ Church how her estate at Cooling came [into her hands]. The fact is that her father left her the estate and the title-deed having lawfully come into possession of them, as an inheritance from his ancestors. It came to pass that her father borrowed thirty pounds from Goda, and handed the estate over to him as security for the money; and Goda had it for seven years. When it befel, about that time, that all the Kentish troops were summoned to battle at 'Holm', her father Sigelm was not willing to go to battle leaving any man's money unpaid; and he paid Goda thirty pounds and bequeathed the estate to his daughter Eadgifu, giving her the title-deed.

When Sigelm had fallen in battle, Goda denied that the money had been repaid him and refused [to restore] the estate until six years later. Then Byrhtsige Dyring protested constantly, until the council of that time directed Eadgifu to clear her father by [an oath equivalent in value to] the sum involved; and she thereupon produced the oath at Aylesford in the presence of the whole assembly, and there cleared her father with respect to the repayment by an oath of thirty pounds. Even then she could not get possession of the estate until her friends induced King Edward to declare that Goda must restore the estate, if he wished to hold any land at all; and so he relinquished it.

Then, in course of time, it came to pass that the king became so indignant with Goda, that all the deeds and lands which he possessed were declared forfeit; and then the king gave him and all his property, with deeds and with lands, to Eadgifu, to deal with as she pleased. Then she said that she dared not, for fear of God, requite him as he had deserved of her, but she restored to him all his lands, with the exception of two ploughlands at Osterland; but she refused to give back the title-deeds until she knew how faithfully he would behave towards her, with regard to the lands.

Then King Edward died and Aethelstan succeeded to the throne. When Goda thought he had a favourable opportunity, he made his way to King Aethelstan and begged that he would intercede for him with Eadgifu for the return of the title-deeds. And then the king did so. And she restored them all except the title-deed of Osterland; and he willingly abandoned that deed to her, and humbly thanked her for the rest; and moreover, with eleven others, he swore to her an oath, on behalf of those living and those yet to come, that this suit should be for ever settled. And this was done with the cognisance of King Aethelstan and his councillors at Hamsey, near Lewes. And Eadgifu had the estate together with the title-deeds during the lifetime of the two kings who were her sons.

When Eadred died and Eadgifu was despoiled of all her property, two of Goda's sons, Leofstan and Leofric, took from Eadgifu these two above-mentioned estates at Cooling and at Osterland and told the young prince Eadwig, who had then been proclaimed king, that they had a juster claim to them than she. Matters stood thus until Eadgar obtained full power (?). And he and his council declared that Goda's sons had committed wicked robbery, and declaring that the porperty was hers, restored it to her. Then Eadgifu, with the leave and cognisance of the king and all his bishops, took the deeds and gave the estates to Christ Church, and with her own hands laid them on the altar for the perpetual benefit of the community and for the repose of her soul; declaring that Christ Himself with all the heavenly host would curse to all eternity any man who should ever divert or curtail this gift. Such was the manner in which this benefaction came to the community of Christ Church.