S 864

A.D. 987. King Æthelred to Æthelsige, his minister; grant of 10 sulungs (aratra) at Bromley, Kent. Latin with English bounds.

Archive: Rochester

MSS: 1. BL Cotton Ch. viii. 14 (s. x2; BM Facs., iii. 33)
2. Maidstone, Kent Archives Office, DRb/Ar2 (Liber Temporalium), 6r (s. xiv)

Printed: Thorpe, Reg. Roff., pp. 186-7; K 657; Earle, pp. 209-11; Pierquin, Recueil, pt 4, no. 62; Campbell, Rochester, no. 30.

Comments: Bond 1878, p. 7, MS 1 is contemporary; Wallenberg, KPN, p. 302, on place-names; HRH, p. 231, probably original, subscriptions are consistent; Campbell, Rochester, p. xv, MS 1 contemporary, pp. xxiv-v, land had been seized from Rochester cathedral, p. xxvi, not in any way suspicious; Hart, ECNE, p. 28 n. 3, Winchester formulation, may be a copy; Barker 1977, pp. 182-3, discusses beneficiary and estate history; Sawyer, Burton, p. 41, original; Keynes 1980, pp. 89-90, 246, original; Wormald 1986, pp. 158, 161, on connection with Bromley dispute; Dumville 1993, p. 153 n. 72, last surviving royal diploma written in Square Minuscule; Dumville 1994, p. 156 n. 125, p. 161, on script; Kennedy 1995, p. 172 n. 162, on survival of S 864 after land was restored to Rochester; cf. S 893, recording Rochester's recovery of part of the estate.

A. BL Cotton Ch. viii. 14: original, parchment, s. x2, 415 x 243 mm. Three horinzontal and three vertical folds. Ruled with a stylus. Prickings survive in centre of lower margin.
Endorsement: in a hand of s. xiii: Bromleg' Edelredus rex. dedit Sancto Andree et Ethelsitho Episcopo .

B. Rochester, Dioc. Reg., Liber Temporalium, 6: copy of A, s. xiv

Printed from A

+ Altithrono in æternum regnante .

Uniuersis Sophiæ studium intento mentis conamine sedulo rimantibus liquido patescit . quod huius uitæ periculis nimio ingruentibus terrore recidiui terminus cosmi appropinquare dinoscuntur . ut ueridica Christi promulgat sententia qua dicit . Surget gens contra gentem et regnum aduersus regnum et reliqua .

Quapropter ego Æðelrædus fauente superno numine basileos industrius Anglorum ceterarumque gentium in circuitu persistentium quandam telluris particulam id est . x . aratrorum illo in loco ubi a ruricolis . Bromleg dicitur . cuidam mihi oppido fideli ministro qui ? notis n?to Æðelsige nuncupatur onomate in perpetuam possessionem donando donaui . ut habeat et possideat quamdiu uiuat in æternam hereditatem . et post sé cuicumque sibi placuerit heredi inmunem derelinquat . Sit autem predictum r?s liberum ab omni mundiali obstaculo cum omnibus ad se r?te pertinentibus campis . pascuis . pratis . siluis . excepto istis tribus expeditione uidelicet . pontis . arcisue munitione . Siquis igitur hanc nostram donationem in aliud quam constituimus transferre uoluerit priuatus consortio sanctæ dei ecclesiæ æternis barathri incendiis lugubris iugiter cum Iuda Christi proditore eiusque complicibus puniatur si non satisfactione emendauerit congrua quod contra nostrum deliquit decretum . Istis terminibus predicta terra circumcincta clarescit . ærest an norðan fram Ceddanleage to langan leage Bromleaginga mearc 7 Leofsnhæma . þanne fram langan leage to ðam w?n stocce . þanne fram ðam w?n stocce be Modingahæmamearce to Cintastigole þanne fram Cintanstigole be Modingahæmamearce to earnes béame . ðanne fram earnes beame Crægsætena haga on easthealfe sced hit to Leowsandéne ðanne fram Leow?sandéne to swelgende . ðanne fram swelgende Crægsetena haga to Sioxslihtre . ðanne fram Seoxslihtre to Fearnbeorhgingamearce . Fearnbeorgingamearc hit sced to Cystaninga mearce Cystaninga mearc hit sced suðan to weardsetle . ðanne fram weardsetle Cystaningame?rc to Wichæmamearce . ðanne seo westmearc be Wichæmamearce ut to Bipplestyde . þonne fram Bipplestyde to Acustyde to Beohhæmamearce . fram Acustede to Ceddanleage . ðonne belimpað þær to ðam lande . f?f denn . an on utwealda Broccesham ðæs dennes nama . 7 þæs oðres dennes nama Sængethryc . Billan?ra is þæs þriddan nama . þonne twa denn an Glæppanfelda . Anno ab incarnatione domini nostri . dcccclxxxvii . indictione . xv . his testibus consentientibus quorum nomina infra scripta sunt Scripta est autem hæc cartula . 7

+ Ego Æðelræd rex Anglorum huius donationis libertatem regni totius fastigium tenens libenter concessi .
+ Ego Dunstan archiepiscopus Doruernensis ecclesiæ cum signo sanctæ crucis confirmaui .
+ Ego Oswold Eborace ciuitatis archipresul crucis taumate adnotaui .
+ Ego Ælfstan episcopus consensi .
+ Ego Ælfheah episcopus adquieui .
+ Ego Æþelsige episcopus consolidaui .
+ Ego Æþelgar episcopus non rennui .
+ Ego Æscwig episcopus impressi .
+ Ego Sigeric episcopus consignaui .
+ Ego Sigegar episcopus subscripsi .
+ Ego Aðulf episcopus conclusi .
+ Ego Æðelwine dux
+ Ego Byrhtnoð dux
+ Ego Æþelwerd dux
+ Ego Ælfric dux
+ Ego Ordbryht abba
+ Ego Leofric abba
+ Ego Æluere abba
+ Ego Leofric abba
+ Ego Ælfsige minister
+ Ego Ælfgar minister
+ Ego Wulfsige minister
+ Ego Æðelsige minister
+ Ego Ælfric minister
+ Ego Leofric minister
+ Ego Wulfric minister
+ Ego Leofric minister
+ Ego Ordulf minister
+ Ego Æðelmær minister
+ Oswerd minister
+ Wulfgeat minister
+ Leofric minister
+ Wulfsige minister
+ Æðelric minister
+ Leofstan minister
+ Godwine minister
+ Leofwine minister
+ Leofsige minister.
+ Æðelnoð minister.