Early-Medieval-England.net

S 165

A.D. 811. Coenwulf, king of Mercia, to Beornmod, bishop; grant of 3 sulungs (aratra) to the south of Rochester (at Borstal), Kent, with appurtenant swine-pastures in the Weald. Latin with bounds.

Archive: Rochester

MSS: 1. BL Cotton Ch. viii. 31 (s. ix¹; BM Facs., ii. 10)
2. London, Soc. Ant., 175, 186r (s. xviii)
3. Maidstone, Kent Archives Office, DRc/R1 (Textus Roffensis), 136v-137r (s. xii¹; facsimile)
4. Maidstone, Kent Archives Office (Liber Temporalium), 4r (s. xiv)

Printed: Hearne, Textus Roffensis, pp. 96-7; Thorpe, Reg. Roff., pp. 21-2; K 198; B 339; Campbell, Rochester, no. 17.

Comments: Bond 1878, p. 7, MS 1 a later imitation; Stevenson 1914, p. 697 n. 41, contemporary; Wallenberg, KPN, pp. 121-4, on place-names; Stenton 1970, p. 131 n. 2, contemporary; Campbell, Rochester, p. xiv, later than 811 but not significantly so, rather suspicious in form, p. xvi, refers to Borstal (cf. endorsement), p. xxiii, authentic; Witney 1976, pp. 235-6, on swine-pastures; Dumville 1987, p. 11.

Notes: Written in stages by two co-operating scribes, the first responsible for the main text and witness-list, the second for alterations, the addition of the names of swine-pastures and the dating clause.

A. BL Cotton Ch. viii, 31: parchment, s. ix.1, 200 x 293 mm. Three horizontal and three vertical folds
Endorsements:
(1) in a hand of s. x: + Borhstealles boc
(2) in a hand of s. xiii: Borstall'. Cenwlf Rex. dedit Sacto Andreæ. 7 Bermodo episcopo.

+ In nomine domini nostri Iesu Christi . Regnante in perpetuum eodem deo et domino nostro Iesu Christo . Ego Coenwulf gratia dei rex Merciorum . Uiro uenerabili Beornmodo episcopo . Trado terram iuris mei id est quasi tria aratra . ad meridianam plagam ciuitatis quae dicitur . Hrofescester . Ut habeat et possideat et cuicumque uoluerit illo uiuente seu moriente æternaliter tradendam concedo . Sunt autem huius telluris termini notissimi ab oriente uia puplica a meridiae Uuldaham . ab occidente flubius Meduwege ab aquilone Mearateag , Siquis hanc donationem meam infringere aut minuere temptauerit sciat se rationem redditurum ante tribunal aeterni iudicis nisi prius deo et hominibus digne emendauerit . Et praedicta terra sit libera ab omni regali et saeculari seruitio . Adiectis denberis in commune saltu . Otanhyrst . et Fraecinghyrst . Sceorfesstede . Crangabyras . Wihtherincfaladsto . et Haeseldaen .

+ Ego Coenwulf rex Merciorum hanc donationem meam signo sancte crucis Christi confirmaui .
+ Ego Wulfred archiepiscopus consensi et subscripsi .
+ Ego Deneberht episcopus consensi et subscripsi .
+ Ego Aeðelwulf episcopus consensi et subscripsi .
+ Ego Sigered rex consensi et subscripsi .
+ Ego Aelbðryð regina consensi et subscripsi .
+ Ego Heardberht dux consensi et subscripsi .
+ Ego Beornmod episcopus consensi et subscripsi .
+ Ego Beornnoð dux consensi et subscripsi .
+ Ego Cynehelm dux consensi et subscripsi .
+ Ego Eadberht dux consensi et subscripsi .
+ Ego Cyneberht propinquo regis consensi et subscripsi .
+ Ego Coenwald propinquo regis consensi et subscripsi .
+ Ego Quoenðryð filia regis consensi et subscripsi .
+ Ego Eanberht dux consensi et subscripsi .
+ Ego Aeðelheah consensi et subscripsi .

+ Scripta est autem haec kartula anno dominicae incarnationis . dccc ^axi ^a . indictione . iiii ^a . His testibus consentientibus et subscribentibus .