S 433

A.D. 670 (? for 937) or 937. King Athelstan to the minster of St Peter (MS 1; St Mary in MSS 2 and 3), Exeter; grant of 1 hide (mansa) at Topsham, Devon. Latin with English bounds.

Archive: Exeter

MSS: 1. Canterbury, D. & C., Chart. Ant. E 206 (Red Book no. 13; dated 937; s. xi med.; OS Facs., i. 14)
2. Canterbury, D. & C., Chart. Ant. T 37 (dated 670; s. xi med.; BA Facs., no. 30)
3. Stafford, William Salt Lib., S. MS 7 (dated 670; s. xi; OS Facs., ii, Salt)
4. BL Lansdowne 446, 88r (dated 670; s. xviii)
5. London, Lambeth Palace, 582, p. 53 (s. xviii)

Printed: K 369 ex MS 1; K 370 and vol. iii. 411 ex MS 4; B 721 ex MS 1; B 722 ex MSS 2, 3; Earle, pp. 322-3 ex MS 1; Earle, pp. 323-4 ex MS 3; Pierquin, Recueil, pt 2, nos 64, 65; Hooke 1994, pp. 122-3, 125, bounds only.

Comments: Chadwick 1905, p. 183 n. 3, dates 938; Rose-Troup 1933, p. 57, on bounds; Robertson, Charters, p. 307, suspicious; Finberg, ECDC, no. 21; Bishop 1955, p. 196, MS 1 an apograph of s. xi med; Chaplais 1966, pp. 5-9 (nos 4-6), spurious, MS 3 written s. xi med by the same scribe as S 386, 387, 389; MS 2 a duplicate of MS 3, with addition in boundary clause, written c. 1069 in same hand as S 255 MS 1 and Exeter, D. & C., 2528; MS 1 probably written in third quarter of the 11th century; (= 1981 XV, pp. 5-9); Alcock and Coombes 1977, 1978, on bounds; Dumville 1979, p. 8, on terminology; Keynes 1980, p. 66 n. 123, forgery of mid 11th-century, diplomatic links with S 591; BA Facs., p. 9, spurious; Hooke 1994, pp. 122-7, on bounds; cf. S 386-7, 389.

Endorsements:
(1) in a hand of s. x: Toppeshammes boc.
(2) in a hand of s. xi: Regis Æðelstani de Topesham

+ In Christi nomine atque virtute sagaci intuendo prospectu casus lapsusque condicionis humanæ de qua aecclesiastes . 'Vanitas vanitatum' inquid 'et omnia vanitas' 1 . et ideo mercanda sunt æterna caducis . dicente veritate . 'Thesaurizate vobis thesauros in cælo' 2 . et cetera .

Quapropter ego Æðelstanus rex monarchus totius Bryttanniæ insule flante Deo . aliquam ruris particulam id est unam mansam ubi ignostici vocitant Toppesham . libenter concedo ad monasterium sancti Petri apostoli Exoniensis æcclesie pro remedio anime meæ in æternam libertatem habendi quamdiu fides Christiana permaneat . Inmunis amodo iste ager permaneat ab omni censu regali excepta communi labore quod notum est omnibus .

Si quis amodo hanc nostram donationem ammoverit . sciat se Deo contra iturum ire non mihi . quia ab illo potestatem accepi .

Territoria autem istius agri hec sunt . Ærest fram toppes oran up on exan on þone nearan team pol . þanon up on exan . þonne of exa on þa smala lace . of þære lace eft on exa . þanon up andlang exa on þone uferan team pol . þanon up on exan stream oð pole . upp of pole on þone ealdan herpað to dyran treowe . þanon suð on wynford up on stream on wyndeles cumbe midde weardne up on þa pyrian . þanon andlang dic on þone weig . east andlang weiges on þære dice hirnan andlang dic ut on clyst . andlang streames eft on toppes oran .

Þis synd þære anre gyrde land gemæro æt æschyrste þe gebyrað in to þære hyde æt toppeshamme . ærest fram æschyrste . to æsc wylles lace . þanon up to herpaðe . 7 fram þam herpaðe suð rihte oð hit cymð to gyrde hrigces forda . fram gyrde hricges forda adun on stream to wungyfe fordan . þanon west on þone herpað oð þæt hit cymð to æsc willes lace heafdon .

Acta est hæc donatio anno dominice incarnationis dccccxxx . vii .

+ Ego Æðelstanus rex totius Bryttanniæ hoc donum cum signo sanctæ crucis confirmavi .
+ Ego Eadmund indolis clito consensi .
+ Ego Wulfhelm subscripsi .
+ Ego Ælfheah adquievi .
+ Ego Æðelgar conclusi .
+ Ego Howel regulus .
+ Ego Wulgar dux .
+ Ego Ælfhere dux .
+ Ego Æðelstan dux .
+ Aðelwold minister .
+ Ælfric minister .
+ Wulfsige minister .
+ Odda minister .

Title in MS 2: Toppeshammes boc

Endorsements (on MS 3?) in various hands:
Toppesham . an hid
Topesham
Regis æðlstani de topesham
Carte regum De Toppisham

+ Anno dominicæ incarnationis dclxx . indictione xi . Ego Æðelstan rex totius Bryttanniæ insulæ . dabo pro æterna retributione et pro expiatione animæ meæ unum cassatum in loco ubi ab incolis vocitatur Toppesham Deo et sanctæ Mariæ ad monasterium quod a solicolis nominatur Exaceaster ut habeat quamdiu fides catholica in gente Anglorum permaneat . Precipimus et obsecramus in Dei omnipotentis nomine et in sanctæ trinitatis honore . ut nullus hominum in aliquo tempore umquam ausus fuerit hanc nostram donationem minuere aut frangere in aliquo sed semper stabilis et inconcussa permaneat tam Deo quam et hominibus usque in æternum tempus .

Si quis autem hoc munus in aliquo frangere vel minuere temptaverit . sciat se coram Deo et sanctæ Mariæ rationem reddere . nisi hic prius celeriter emendet coram idoneis testibus .

Huius agelluli te[r]mini hæc sunt . Ærest fram toppes horan up an exan on þone nearan teampol þanon up on exan þænne of exan on þa smalan lace of þære lace eft an exan þænne up anlang exan on þone uferan teampol þanon up on exan stream oð pole up of pole on þone ealdan herpoð to dyranstreowe þanan suð on wynford up on stream on wyndeles cumb middeweardne up on þa pyrian þanon anlang dice on þone weg east anlang weges on þære dice hyrnan anlang dice ut on clyst anlang streames eft to toppeshoran .

+ Ego Æðelstan rex Anglorum hanc nostram donationem cum signo crucis impressi .
+ Ego Eadmund indolis clito consilium dedi .
+ Ego Wulfhelm archiepiscopus consolidavi .
+ Ego Þeodred episcopus subscripsi .
+ Ego Ælfheah episcopus adquievi .
+ Ego Brihtelm episcopus consensi .
+ Ego Eadelm episcopus favi .
+ Ego Æðelgar episcopus conclusi .
+ Æðelstan dux .
+ Ælfhere dux .
+ Eadmund dux .
+ Æþelsige dux .
+ Odda minister .
+ Wihtmund minister .
+ Æðelmod minister .
+ Deormod minister .
+ Wulfgar minister .
+ Osulf minister .