S 43
A.D. 775 for c. 705 x c. 717. Nunna, king of Sussex, to Eadberht, bishop; grant of 20 hides (tributarii) at Hugabeorgum and Dene (probably East and West Dean near Chichester). Latin with English bounds.
Archive: Selsey
MSS: 1. Chichester, W.S.R.O., Cap. I/17/1 (s. x/xi; BA Facs. 23)
2. Chichester, W.S.R.O., Ep. VI/1/2 (Liber B), 17v (s. xiv)
Printed: Mon. Angl., iii. 117-18, ex MSS 1, 2; K 1000 ex MSS 1, 2; Mon. Angl. (rev. edn), vi. 1164 (no. 11), ex 1st edn; B 144, ex MSS 1, 2, and K; Earle, pp. 22-3, ex MSS 1, 2 and K; Barker 1947, pp. 65-6 (no. 3), with translation, pp. 66-7; Kelly, Selsey, no. 4, ex MSS 1, 2.
Comments: Barker 1947, pp. 67-9; Forsberg 1950, pp. 63-4, suggests that Dene can perhaps be identified with Preston near Brighton; Darlington 1961, p. 20; Bruckner 1965, p. 12 n. 10, MS 1 written in two hands, s. ix or x; Cox 1976, pp. 20, 23, 65, on place-names; Welch 1983, pp. 323-31, on formulation, p. 325, authentic; BA Facs., p. 8, spurious, MS 1 written late 10th century or early 11th century, imitating 8th-century minuscule; Kelly, Selsey, pp. 26-9, forgery.
B. Chichester, D.R.O., Cap. I/17/1: damaged single sheet, parchment, s. x2, 140 x 190 mm., one vertical and three horizontal folds.
Endorsements:
(1) in same hand as main text: þis is seo landboc þe Nunna cyng gebocade Eadberhte b' into Hugabeorgum .xx. hida.
(2) in a hand of s. xviii (? William Clark): A Part of a Saxon Grant forged to Support the Estates of the Church against Norman Claims but probably an honest Fraud.
[Regnante perhenniter Deo ac Domino nostro] Iesu Christo simulque spiritui sancto par[aclit]o in tribus personis una deitas sine fin[e permansura. Qua de re unicuique cogitandum quantum sibi suf]ficiat possessio, ut cum rebus tran[s]itoriis labentibusque sibi æterna pre[paret premia, quod huius uite presentis quibusque nolentibus] uel uolentibus adpropinquat ter[mi]nus. Quam ob rem ego Nunna rex A[ustralium Saxonum aliquas telluris partes pro amore Dei et cele]stis patriae uenerando episcopo Eadberhto in suum et in Dei seruitium liberata [assensu seculari eternaliter conscribo et firmiter ad] episcopalem sedem adtingens, cum totis ad eam pertinentibus, in campis, in siluis, m[ontanis, pascuis, piscuariis. Terra que uocitatur] Hugabeorgum et æt Dene .xx. tributarios libenti animo attribuo. Si quis au[tem successorum meorum quod absit hanc donationem] meam in modico uel in magno minuere uel inuadere temptauerit, sciat se in treme[ndo examine coram Christo rationem reddere, nisi ante satisfactio]ne [emen]dauerit.
Istis terminibus circumgirata esse uidentur. [...]g dices on ðeodweg, norð ofer þone weg to [...]ingtunes dices east ende, of ðære dic norð [...]e 7 þanan east to freccehlince, of þam hlince to halignesse beorge, of þam beorge east to stæ[...]m garan, of þam garan to þam byrgelsan, of þæm byrgelsan to billingabyrig, 7 swa andlang [...]læse, 7 ða dænn ærest þær scealces burna 7 bollanea hi gegaderiað on norð healfe þæs br[...] 7 Bulan hol 7 Isenan æwylm 7 Sængelpicos 7 Feale leag, Tibban hol.
[Scripta est autem hec cartula anno] ab incarnatione Domini .dcclxxv., indiction[e .ii.] Testium ergo et consentientium huic donation[i signa eterna demonstrabo.
+ Ego Nunna rex primus c]rucis Christi signo munio.
+ Ego U[uattus rex] c[onsensi et subscripsi.
+ Ego Eadbrigh episcopus michi terram] tribuatam confirmo signo [cr]ucis Christi.
+ Ego C[oenredus rex Westsaxonum roboraui.
+ Ego Ine consensi et] propria manu sc[ri]psi.