Donation to Rochester Cathedal of four sulungs at Snodland and Holborough, with a mill, village and various rights, 838

Ecgberht of Wessex grants to Bishop Beornmod (of Rochester) four sulungs at Snodland and Holborough, with a mill, rights of gathering wood, and of pasturing swine in four districts, and a village (838).

Campbell, no. 19. Campbell: ‘The form of this document is unusual. Some of the usual elements of the old English charter are missing; in particular there is no sanction. The document would seem to be an abbreviation of a charter.’ This is probably a copy of the extant, tenth-century document, British Library, Cotton Charters, viii. 30. Note: At the start of the document, in the left margin, there is an annotation in Latin (much later hand) indicating that the exemplar can be found in the Cotton Library.

Transcription

138v (select folio number to open facsimile)

+ In nomine domini De snodilande.
nostri ih’u iesu christi saluatoris mundi, anno dominicę
incarnationis dccc.xxx.viii. indictione i.a
ego ecgbearhtus rex cum consensu dilectissi-
mi filii nostri æðelwulfi regis dabo debotissi-
mo episcopo meo beornmodo aliquam terrę par-
tem iuris mei quattuor aratrorum, in loco quę
dicitur snoddingland et ęt holanbeorge, ut
habeat et possideat, et cuicumque uoluerit re-
linquat, ita ut predicta terra sit liuera ab omni
serbitia. + Scripta est hęc cartula in bica
regali, quę dicitur fręricburna, is testibus consen-
tientibus et subscribentibus quorum infra nomina
tenentur, et unam molinam in torrente qui dicitur
holanbeorges burna, et in monte regis quinqua-
ginta carrabas lingnorum, adiectis quattuor
denberis, hwoętenstede, heahdęn, hese, helman-
hyrst. + Egcberht rex. + Ęðeluulf rex. + Cial-
noð archiepiscopus. + Beornmod episcopus. + Ealhstan
episcopus. + Eadhun episcopus. + Cynred episcopus. + Ceolberht
episcopus. + Wlfheard dux. + Ęðelwulf dux. + Eanulf
dux. + herebearht dux. + Ęðelwulf dux. + Eðelheard, et in oriente

139r

ciuitatis hroui unum uiculum.

Translation

Concerning Snodland:

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Savior of the world, in the year of our Lord’s incarnation 838, 1st indiction, I, King Ecgberht, with the consent of our most beloved son, King Æthelwulf, will give to my most deserving bishop some part of the land of my right, four plows, in the place which is called Snodland and at Holborough, so that he may have and possess it, and leave to whomsoever he will, so that the aforesaid land is land free from all servitude.

+ This document was written on the royal plate, which is called Fraericburna, with the consent and signatures of those witnesses whose names are kept below, and one mill in the brook called Holborough Burna, and on the king's mountain fifty carts of firewood, in additional four are to be found, Hwoetenstede, Heahdaen, Hese, Helmanhyrst.

+ Egbert the King.

+ King Aeðelwulf.

+ Archbishop Cialnoð,

+ Bishop Beornmod.

+ Ealhstan

+ Bishop Eadhun.

+ Bishop Cynred.

+ Bishop Ceolberht.

+ Wlfheard the chief.

+ Duke Aeðelwulf.

+ Duke Eanulf.

+ Duke Herebearht.

+ Duke Aeðelwulf.

+ Eðelheard, and in the east of the city, one hamlet.

Two sulungs at Holborough to Rochester Cathedral, 841

Æthelwulf of Wessex grants to Bishop Beornmod of Rochester two sulungs at Holborough (841).

Campbell, no. 20. The text begins with a green display initial ‘R’ and is marked by a large, black cross in the left margin.

Transcription

139r (select folio number to open facsimile)

+ REgnante in perpetuum De holanbeorge;
domino nostro iesu christo, qua propter + ego oeðeluulf
rex occidentalium saxonum dabo et conce-
do + beornmodo hrobensis ęcclesię episcopo aliquam
partem terrę iuris mei, in loco quę appellatur
holanbeorges tuun duo aratrum cum consilio et licen-
tia episcoporum et principum meorum ut habeat et prefruet
in hereditatem sempiternam, et cuicumque uoluerit
relinquat, et sit illa terra liuera ab omne rega-
le seruitute in magnis et minimis notis et
ignotis cum pratis et pascuis et paludis cum
omnibus rebus quę ad illam terram pertinet. Scrip-
ta est hęc scedula, anni domini dccc xli. Indicti-
ne iiii. his testibus consentientibus et subscri-
bentibus, quorum hic nomina continentur. + Ego
ęðeluulf rex hanc meam donationem cum uexillam
sanctę crucis rouorabi et confirmo. + Ego eðelstan >rex consensi et subscripsi. + Ego ealhstan<
episcopus consensi et subscripsi. + Ego helmstan episcopus
consensi et subscripsi. + Ego beornmod episcopus consen-
si et subscripsi. + Signum manus ęðeluulf dux.
+ Signum manus ealchere dux. + Signum manus duduc.
+ Signum manus ęðelmod. + Signum manus uchtred.

139v

+ Signum manus tuca. + Signum manus eðelred. + Sig-
num manus sigbeorht. + Signum manus boba.

Translation

Concerning Holborough:

+ Reigning forever our Lord Jesus Christ, for which I, Æthelwulf, King of the West Saxons, will give and concede to Beornmod, bishop of the church of Rochester, some part of the land of my right, in the place which is called Holborough, tuun two plows, with the council and permission of my bishops and princes, that he may have and free himself for an everlasting inheritance, and leave it to whomever he wishes, and let that land be free from all royal service great and small and unknown, with meadows, pastures, and marshes, with all the things which pertain to that land. This document was written in the year of the lord 841, in the fourth interdiction. With the consent and signature of these witnesses, whose names are contained here.

+ I, King Æthelwulf, confirm this my gift with the sign of the holy cross.

+ I, Ethelstan >king, consent and subscribe. + I, Bishop Ealhstan,< agreed and signed.

+ I, Bishop Helmstan, agreed and subscribed.

+ I, Bishop Beornmod, agreed and subscribed.

+ Signed by the hand of Oeðeluulf.

+ Signed by the hand of Duke Ealchere.

+ Signed by the hand of Duduc.

+ Signed by the hand of Oeðelmod.

+ Signed by the hand of Uchtred.

+ Signed by the hand of Tuca.

+ Signed by the hand of Eðelred.

+ Signed by the hand of Sigbeorht.

+ Signed by the hand of Boba.