S 236

A.D. 681. Baldred, king, to Hæmgils, abbot, and the church of Our Lady and St Patrick, Glastonbury; grant of 12 (or 6) hides (manentes) at Pennard, Somerset. Latin with English bounds.

Archive: Glastonbury

MSS: 1. Marquess of Bath, Longleat, Muniment 10564 (s. x?; OS Facs., ii, Marquess of Bath, 1)
2. Marquess of Bath, Longleat, 39, 168rv (s. xiv)
3. Bodleian, Wood empt 1, 183rv (s. xiv)
4. Liber Terrarum, no. 7 (lost, cf. Abrams 1996, p. 31)

Printed: Mon. Angl., ii. 839, ex MS 3; K 20 and vol. vi. 225; Mon. Angl. (rev. edn), i. 48-9 (no. 90); B 61 ex K and MS 1; Earle, p. 426, bounds only; Watkin, Glastonbury Cart., ii. 471 (no. 853) ex MS 2.

Comments: HS, p. 307, spurious; Robinson 1921, p. 30 n. 2, 10th century; Grundy, Somerset, pp. 75-7, bounds are those of West Pennard; Finberg 1969, pp. 73-4, MS 1 pseudo-original, not evidence for Patrick's cult at Glastonbury in 7th century; Stenton 1971, p. 67 and n. 2, somewhat questionable, hand of MS 1 may be 11th-century, but imitating and earlier exemplar; Finberg, ECW, no. 360, authentic basis; Scott 1981, pp. 90, 198 n. 83; Wormald 1985, p. 25, unreliable later copy, possibly genuine elements; Edwards 1988, pp. 11-15, may be reworking of genuine 7th-century charter but difficult to say how much text has been revised; Costen 1992, p. 40, on estate; Rands 1992, on bounds; Abrams 1996, p. 11, on transmission of MS 1, p. 19 n. 56, on endorsement, pp. 29, 31, 35, 38, on MS sources, p. 126, MS 1 possibly 10th-century, pp. 195-8, on estate.

+ Omnia quæcunque secundum ecclesiasticam normam justo moderamine decernuntur . quanquam proprium robur juris obtineant . attamen quia incertus humanæ vitæ status evidenter agnoscitur . paginis saltim vilibus pro ampliore firmitate roburentur . Denique . ego Balredus rex . ob amorem cælestis patriæ et indulgentiam criminum meorum aliquam terræ particulam . Hamgilso . abbati libenter . ad supplementum honorabilis ecclesiæ beatæ Mariæ et Sancti Patricii confero . cum consensu pontificis nostri Haeddi . qui etiam eundem venerabilem Hamgilsum , Centuuine rege Consentiente ibidem abbatem , pro sua fideli conversatione constituit . et cæterorum cognatorum gubernacula regni regentium ; Prælargita vero terra est super verticem montis cujus uocabulum est Pengerd . et est sub estimatione . xii . manentium . et his intro ad æcclesiam beatæ Mariæ circumcincta dinoscitur confiniis .

Of eobbanlege up anlang broces to totanlege . Thonon east andang slædes . Of tham slæde on thone burnan. Sua to cullanbyrig . 7 east to stangedelfe . Thonon north anlang uueges to there stænenanbrycge . on hone aldan pyll . 7 sua andlang mores ut on briuu .

Sit obsecro augentibus pars in regno Dei . Si quis autem quod absit tirannica fretus potestate : hoc decretum violenter irritum facere temptaverit sciat se iram et indignationem æterni judicis incursurum per omnia sæculorum . Hæc vero cartula scripta est anno ab incarnatione Christi . dclxxxmo. io. Feliciter augeat Christus vitam æternam . augentibus hanc donationem ;

Ego Haedde episcopus kartulam scripsi.+ .
Signum manus Baldredi regis . + .
Ego Aldhelm abbas subscripsi . + .