S 221

A.D. 901 (Shrewsbury). Æthelred and Æthelflæd, rulers of Mercia, to the community of the church of Much Wenlock; grant of 10 hides (cassatae) at Stanton Long and 3 hides (manentes) at Caughley in Barrow, Salop., in exchange for 3 hides (manentes) at Easthope and 5 at Patton, Salop. They also grant a gold chalice weighing 30 mancuses in honour of Abbess Mildburg. Latin.

Archive: Much Wenlock

MSS: BL Cotton Ch. viii. 27 (s. ix/x; BM Facs., iii. 1)

Printed: K 330; B 587, Earle, pp. 159-61; Pierquin, Recueil, pt 2, no. 50.

Translated: Stevenson 1911/1, pp. 5-6.

Comments: Bond 1878, p. 7, contemporary; Stenton 1955, p. 45, cited with reference to latinity; Finberg, ECW, pp. 251-2, on place-name Wenlock; Chaplais 1968, p. 315 n. 3, one of earliest original chirographs now extant (= 1973, p. 63 n. 3); Stenton 1971, p. 326, cited; Finberg, ECWM, no. 430, authentic, and addendum, pp. 239-40; Sawyer, Burton, pp. 1, 2, original; PN Shrops., i. 113-14, 233, 267-8, 270, 303-4; Campbell 1989, p. 28, cited; Sims-Williams 1990, p. 145, original; BA Facs., p. 12, on crosses in margin; Hart 1992, p. 570 n. 4; Lapidge 1993, p. 13, on latinity.

Notes: Upper portion of chirograph (.... ME CRUCIS + for ? SIGNUM ALME CRUCIS).

Endorsements:
(1) East hop .
(2) in a hand of s. xiii: donum Effredi 'regis' de Esthop scilicet Stowell . Patteneia .

Row of crosses down left margin; row of dots down right margin.

+ Regnante rege reguum qui in tribus . personis sue sanctæ divinitatis consistit qui angelos . necnon et animas cælum terramque . sine materia creavit . corpora namque de . iiii . id est ex aere et aqua et de terra . igneve . per ipsius excelsi regis nutu transiet tempus presens et qua . . . . . lis dies fugiunt et ut sapiens Salomon ait 'generatio venit generatio recedit . et quos vidi non video et quos video non videbo et semper omnia ad finem festinant' . ideo atramento litteras chartulis comendamus ut quæ cupim . . . . . possint ad evitandam supervenientium scandalorum . periculosam contentionem . ne a posteris labentur sine memoria priscorum procerum statuta .

His itaque . predictis ad memoriam revocemus . quod Æðered Æ[ðelfled quoqu]e opitulante gratuita Dei gratia monarchiam . Merceorum tenentes honorificeque gubernantes et defendentes . insuper eorum congregatio Wimnicensis eclesiæ consentiens consentit il[lo]rum dominio terram manentium . viii . in East Hope . iii . in Peatting tune . v . in hereditatem perpetuam habendi possidendique . pro comutatione illius terræ in Stan tune . x cassatarum quæ prius erat foras concessa in dominium regalem . pro libertate illius monasterii sed nos iterum cum licentia et testimonio pantorum procerum Merceorum comodavimus ea condicione ut sit sub dominio senioris illius eclæsiæ et . . . . . ad mensam sed et terram . iii . manentium quæ dicitur cahing læg ad mensam illius congregationis perpetualiter donavimus quæ antea in trium . hominuminum diem foras concessa fuerat . ista qu[oqu]e supradicta terra id est in east hope et in peating tune libera scripta constat ab omnium personarum jugo servitutis . Nos etiam coudonavimus . kalicem aureum pensans . xxx . mancusos ad istam . . . [i]n Dei amore honoreque virginis venerabil[is] . . . . . Mildburge . abbatissæ . ut securius possimus perfrui huius terre possesionem ea condicione ut permaneat indesinenter semper in ista æclesia quamdiu . . . . cussa permaneat . nisi . . . . . sub jurem istius æclesiæ ad illorum mensam si necessitas evenerit . acta . est autem ista . chartula anno dominice incarnationis . dcccc oi o . in[dictione . iiii .] . . . in civitate Scrobbensis

trina magestas
conservet conservantes .
condemnet ledentes .
hii sunt testes .
huius chartulæ .

+ Ego Æðered . . . . . . . . . .
+ Ego Æðelfled . c . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . d .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . un .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . consensi .

Wired .
Cuðulf .
[T]idelm .
Wigburg .
Æðelswið .
Wulfgyð .
Culfre .
Cineburg .

Ælfric .
Wulfsig .
Aldred .
Burgred .
Wulfsig .

. . . . . ME . CRVCIS . + .