S 1527

s. xi, probably before A.D. 1038. Will of Thurketel, including bequests of land at Palgrave, Suffolk, to Bury St Edmunds; half of Palgrave, Suffolk, to Bury St Edmunds, and half to the bishop; land at Roydon, Norfolk, Scortland, and the priest's toft, to the church; land at Shrimpling and half the land at Roydon, Norfolk, to his wife, Leofwyn; land at Wingfield, Suffolk, to his brother's sons Ulfketel and Thurketel; 15 acres at Palgrave, Suffolk, and a toft to Leofcwen; land at Thrandeston, Suffolk, to Osbeorn; 20 acres at Roydon, Norfolk, to his nephew Leofric, his kinsman Godwine, and Wulfwine and his brother. English.

Archive: Bury St Edmunds

MSS: 1. Cambridge, U.L., Ff. 2. 33, 48v (s. xiii2)
2. BL Add. 14847, 18v-19r (s. xiv)
3. BL Add. 45951, 1r (s. xv)

Printed: K 959; Thorpe, pp. 579-81, with translation; B 1020; Whitelock, Wills, no. 24 (pp. 68-9), with translation.

Comments: Whitelock, Wills, pp. 179-80; Hart, ECEE, no. 90 (pp. 66, 92), authentic; Finberg 1972, p. 490, cited; Wormald 1988, no. 82; Lowe 1993b, on vocabulary; Pelteret 1995, pp. 123-6, 130; Faith 1997, p. 63, cited; cf. S 1213.

Notes: Issued in triplicate, with portions held by Bury St Edmunds, the bishop of Elmham and Thurketel.

[H]er Switeleþ ihu Þurketel an his ahte after his day þat is erst for his soule Palegraue into seynt Eadmund and Witingham half and half þe bisscop. and alle mine men fre. and ilk habbe his toft and his metecu 7 his metecorn. And ic an at Reydoneberh þat midleste forlong fre into þe kirke. and Scortland 7 þe prestes toft al into þe kirke fre. And ic an Lefwen min wif Simplingham al þat ceaplond. 7 þat oþer þat ic mid hire nam and half Reydone mid mete and mid Erue to þat forwarde þat we spreken habben 7 mine men fre. And ic an Wingefeld mine broþeres sunes Vlfketel 7 Þurfketel. And ic an Lefquene fiftene acres at Palegraue 7 an toft. and Wlwine habbe þat lond þe he mines hafde. 7 Alfwold habbe mid ton þe he her hauede .XVI. acres mid tofte mid alle. And Osebern habbe þat lond besiden Thrandestone þat ic þer hauede. And ic an Lefric mine neue and Godwine mine mey and Wlwine 7 his brother .XX. acres at Reydone. and þe mor þe ic 7 þo munekes soken ymbe min del fremannen to note so he er deden. er daye 7 after daye. Se þe þis awende. Wende him god fro heuene riche into helle Witerbrogen bute he it þe deppere bete. er his ending day. Þise write sinden þre. on is at seynt Eadmundesbiri. oþer haueð þe bisscop. þridde haueð Þurketel himself.


It is here made known how Thurcytel grants his possessions after his death. First, for his soul, Palgrave to St Edmund's, and half Whittingham, and half to the Bishop. And all my men are to be free, and each is to have his homestead and his cow and his corn for food. And I grant the middle furlong at Roydon hill free to the church; and Shortland and the priest's homestead, all free to the church. And to my wife Leofwyn I grant Shimpling, all the purchased estate and the other which I received when I married her; and half Roydon with produce and with livestock on those terms upon which we have agreed; and my men are to be free. And I grant Wingfield to my brother's sons, Ulfketel and Thurketel. And I grant Leofcwen fifteen acres at Palgrave and a homestead. And Wulfwine is to have that land of mine which he held. And Ælfwold, as well as the ten which he had before, is to have sixteen acres with a homestead and everything. And Osbeorn is to have the land near Thrandeston which I have had there. And I grant to Leofric my nephew and my kinsman Godwine and Wulfwine and his brother, twenty acres at Roydon. And [I grant] the moor about my part of which the monks and I contended, for freemen to use, as they did before, both before my death and after. He who alters this - may God expel him from the kingdom of heaven to the torments of hell, unless he repent it all the more deeply before his last day. There are three of these documents: one is at Bury St Edmunds; the second the Bishop has; the third Thurketel himself has.