S 255
A.D. 739 (10 April). Æthelheard, king, to Forthhere, bishop; grant of 20 hides (cassati) at Crediton, Devon. Latin with English bounds.
Archive: Exeter (ex Crediton)
MSS: Bodleian, Eng. hist. a. 2, no. 1 (s. xi2; BA Facs., 29; Hooke 1994, pl. V, opp., p. 87))
Printed: B 1331; Napier and Stevenson, pp. 1-3.
Translated: Crediton 1913, pp. 185-7; Whitelock, EHD, no. 69 (pp. 495-6), bounds omitted.
Comments: Napier and Stevenson, pp. 37-64, authentic, discussion of bounds, see also S 1546b; Crediton 1913, pp. 181-8, on bounds; Stevenson 1914, p. 703, authentic; PN Devon, p. 402 n.; Rose-Troup 1942, pp. 243-8, on bounds; Finberg 1953, p. 8 (no. 2), pp. 20-7, on bounds (also in Finberg 1964, pp. 116-24); Bishop 1955, p. 195, MS an apograph; Chaplais 1966, p. 10 (no. 8), written c. 1069 in same hand as S 433 MS 2, and Exeter, D. & C., MS 2528, dubious authenticity (= 1981, XV, p. 10); Finberg 1969, pp. 61-5, improved copy of genuine charter (= Finberg 1968); Brooks 1971, pp. 75-6, vernacular bounds probably later interpolation but Latin text has no obvious anachronisms, discusses immunity; Whitelock, EHD, pp. 495-6, suspicious features but may have authentic basis; Wormald 1985, p. 25, broadly trustworthy; Abels 1988, p. 229 n. 69; Edwards 1988, pp. 255-8, basically authentic, but interpolated and rewritten in 11th century, hidation altered; O'Donovan, Sherborne, pp. liv, 2, text and witness-list authentic, bounds added; BA Facs., p. 9, basically authentic charter of Æthelheard combined with independent bounds of Creedy-land.
Notes: The bounds of Creedy Land (previously listed as S 255 MSS 2, 3) are now S 1546b.
Endorsements from various times:
(1) B . boc . xx . hyda to Crydian . Æðelardi Regis . de . xx . hidis de Cridia .
(2) vel Criditonia .
+ In nomine domini nostri Jhesu Christi salvatoris . 'Omnia quæ videntur' secundum apostolum 'temporalia sunt . et quæ non videntur æterna sunt' . Idcirco terrenis ac caducis rebus perpetua et mansura Deo patrocinium prestante mercanda sunt . Quamobrem ego Aethelardus rex aliquam terram ad construendum monasterium id est . xx . cassatos in loco ubi dicitur Cridie pontifici nostro Forthhero perpetualiter impendere curavi cum commoditatibus cunctis in ea consistentibus . hanque donationem coram idoneis testibus corroboravi . ut nemo sine periculo animæ suæ infringere valeat . quod coram tam egregiis consiliariis peractum est . Territoria autem hæc sunt .
Ærest of cridian brycge on herpað . andlanges herpaðes on sulhford to exan . þonne andlang eaxan oð focgan igeðas . of focgan igeðum on landsceare hricg . of landsceare hricge on luhan treow . of luhan treowe on hagan get . of hagan gate on doddan hrycg . of doddan hrycge on grendeles pyt . of grendeles pytte on ifigbearo . of ifigbeara on hrucgan cumbes ford . of hrucgan cumbes forda on fearnburh . of fearnbyrig on earnes hricg . of earnes hrycge on wealdan cumbes ford . of wealdan cumbe on tettan burnan . of tettan burnan up on stream oð lyllan broc . of lyllan broce on middel hrycg . of middel hrycge on herepað ford . of herepað forda on cyrtlangeat . of cyrtlan gate on suran apuldre . of suran apuldran on grenan weg . of grenan wege on wulfpyt . of wulfpytte on stream oð þa laca tolycgaþ . þonne up on hrycg myddeweardne andlang hrycges oð þone pað . of þam paðe sceaftrihte on alr suð ofer on hlypan . of hlypan on byrccumbes heafod . of byrccumbes heafode on hanan forda þanon on bradan æsc . of bradan æsce on foxcumbes heafod . þanon on stanford on eowan . of stanforda on arlscagan . of alrscagan on eorð geberst . þanon on grenan dune . of grenandune on herepað on puttan stapul . þanon on beornwunne treow . þanon on bucgan ford . of bucgan forda on brunwoldes treow . þanon on æsccumb þone on wonbroc . 7 langes streames on teng upon stream on teng oð paðford . þanon on francancumb . of francumbe on drosncumbes heafod . þanon on deormere . of deormere on langan stan . þanon on hurrancumbes heafod . of hurrancumbes heafde on riscford on nimed . þanon on healre dunæ . of healre dune on wærnan festen . þanon on cyddanford . of cyddanforda on cæfcan græfan . þanon on caines æcer . of caines æcere on wulfcumbes heafod . þanon on stanbeorg . of stanbeorge on cærswille . of cærswille on diðford . þanon on dices get . of dices gate on unnan beorh . þanon on swincumb . of swincumbe on egesan treow . On nymed oð doflisc up oð wiðigslæd . of wyþigslade on eahta æc . þanon on hafoccumb . of hafoccumbe on haganget . þanon ut on hlypan . þanon on beonnan ford on crydian . þonne on stream oð hafoccumb . þonne on hagan get . þonne on ðone ealdan herepað oð þa eastran crydian . þonne andlang streames to cridian brycge .
Huic autem terræ hanc libertatem augebo et firmiter constituo . ut omnium causarum fiscalium . et rerum regalium ac secularium operum sit inmunis . sempiternaliterque secura . nisi tantum expeditionalium rerum . Qui augeat augeantur bona illius . et qui minuat seu transmutet . conuertatur gaudium illius in luctum . pænasque infernales perpetualiter luat . Acta est autem hæc donatio anno ab incarnatione domini nostri Jhesu Christi dccxxxviiii . Indictione vii . die . iiii . Iduum Aprilium :---
+ Signum manus Aðilhardi regis . + Signum manus Cuthredi . + Signum manus Frythogythæ . + Ego Danihel episcopus canonice subscripsi . + Ego Forthhere episcopus consensi et subscripsi . + Signum manus Herefrythi prefecti . + Signum manus Duddi abbatis . + Signum manus Ecgfrithi prefecti . + Signum manus Puttoc prefecti .