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1 Published online by Rochester Cathedral Research Guild Homepage: Æthelred II grants to Bishop Godwine of Rochester fifteen hides at Fen Stanton and Hilton, Hunts. A.D. 1012: Textus Roffensis, ff. 159v 162r Translated from Latin and Old English Abstract:...I Æthelred, king of the nations of all people of Britain, for the attainment of the rewards of the heavenly life, do give by my honourable right hand to a certain Godwine, devoted servant of God, bishop of the diocese of Rochester, and to me as a friend altogether beloved, 15 hides of land in the estate at Fenstanton and at Hilton... To cite this report: Monk, C. (2017) Æthelred II grants to Bishop Godwine of Rochester fifteen hides at Fen Stanton and Hilton, Hunts. A.D. 1012: Textus Roffensis, ff. 159v 162r; Translated from Latin and Old English. Rochester: Rochester Cathedral Research Guild. To link to this article: Published online: 25 th October 2017 General Queries: jacob.scott@rochestercathedralresearchguild.org Produced by permission of. All rights reserved to the author. Any views and opinions expressed in this work are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of either the Research Guild or the Dean and Chapter.

2 Textus Roffensis, Rochester, Cathedral Library, MS A. 3. 5, f. 159v Published online by the Rochester Cathedral Research Guild Page 2 of 14

3 Textus Roffensis, Rochester, Cathedral Library, MS A. 3. 5, f. 160r Published online by the Rochester Cathedral Research Guild Page 3 of 14

4 Textus Roffensis, Rochester, Cathedral Library, MS A. 3. 5, f. 160v Published online by the Rochester Cathedral Research Guild Page 4 of 14

5 Textus Roffensis, Rochester, Cathedral Library, MS A. 3. 5, f. 161r Published online by the Rochester Cathedral Research Guild Page 5 of 14

6 Textus Roffensis, Rochester, Cathedral Library, MS A. 3. 5, f. 161v Published online by the Rochester Cathedral Research Guild Page 6 of 14

7 Textus Roffensis, Rochester, Cathedral Library, MS A. 3. 5, f. 162r Published online by the Rochester Cathedral Research Guild Page 7 of 14

8 Æthelred II grants to Bishop Godwine of Rochester fifteen hides at Fen Stanton and Hilton, Hunts. A.D. 1012:* Textus Roffensis, ff. 159v 162r Translated from Latin and Old English by Dr Christopher Monk 2017 *Title and edition (with some modifications) from Charters of Rochester, edited by A. Campbell (London: Oxford University Press for The British Academy, 1973), pp In the translation, place names which do not have modern day equivalents are written in italics. Personal names follow the first spelling of each name offered in Campbell s Index of Personal Names (pp ), except I have substituted th for ð and þ. This is an authentic charter and is securely dated to CONCERNING FENSTANTON 1 AND HILTON Christ, omnipotent God, reigning forever, of whom all things in heaven and earth are ruled by the will and government of the Godhead and are unable to be shaken or sunk into the precipitous abyss, and from whom is derived the dignity of all supremacy and power and all public offices, just as we learn from the apostle s dogma, which says, There is no power but from God ; 2 for he at first clothed all mortals, when he commanded them to be born, with a garment of one nature, this nakedness. For the rest, however, if they are powerful or are weak or are mediocre in the business of the world, thus they are, just as they accept the arrangement from God, who alone rightly preordained everyone and, moreover, intending to weigh out with ineffable discernment, freely pays out to each one. It is evident and indeed allowable that earthly possessions are necessarily relinquished by humans in order that they may purchase the celestial, so that in both having or not having they may, by grace, partake of the love of God s Son, who wished on behalf of us to become, undeservedly, poor. 3 Whence, I Æthelred, king of the nations of all people of Britain, for the attainment of the rewards of the heavenly life, do give by my honourable right hand to a certain Godwine, devoted servant of God, bishop of the diocese of Rochester, and to me as a friend altogether beloved, 15 hides of land in the estate at Fenstanton and at Hilton with all their appurtenances, in pastures and meadows, along with all those who are lawfully of the estate, so that in possessing he possesses in perpetuity and for whomever he freely appoints as heir after him, in order that by that land-right, inserted, he may with integrity, by interceding, beseech the Lord for my salvation. 1 Formerly spelt Fen Stanton, as indicated by Campbell; in the charter s text it appears only as Stantun. 2 Romans 13:1 3 2 Corinthians 8:9: For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that being rich he became poor for your sakes: that through his poverty you might be rich. Published online by the Rochester Cathedral Research Guild Page 8 of 14

9 Moreover, this same estate was bequeathed, by her deceased husband, to a certain matron by the name of Æthelflæd who, furthermore, had a certain full brother by the name of Leofsige, about whom I speak: by title a nobleman, 4 at the top of his rank, worthy of office; I considered to elevate him, one may know, appointing him ealdorman, 5 whence he should rather be humbled, just as is said, Have they appointed you leader? Be not lifted up, et cetera. 6 But this he forgot: seeing himself, at the time in question, at the zenith of his greater status, he permitted as slaves to himself the pestilential spirits of pride and, indeed, audacity, to which he nonetheless himself surrendered, to such a degree that in fact he considered of no importance the various and many times he would violently strike against me with an assault. For instance, my reeve Æfic, whom I valued as the principal one among my nobles, he did not hesitate to kill, unawares, in his own house which is a deed criminal and alien among both Christians and heathens and thus by this wicked act was he slain. I formed a plan with the wise men of my kingdom, desiring that they should determine what might be done with him, and it pleased us altogether to exile him, and to banish from us his accomplice. Furthermore, we set up an inviolable agreement between us to crush anyone who might have been presumptuous, to disinherit one who was considered by all to have had knowledge; this was so that no one of us would be supplying to him anything of kindness or advantage. This authority to decide his sister Æthelflæd esteemed as nothing; all things which were in her power and to her brother s advantage she strove with all exertion to carry out, and for this reason, and many others, she was herself disinherited by all. The aforementioned gift should now be exempt from every worldly duty except that which is common to all land, namely the repairing of the bridge or defences and military service. With these points we admonish and entreat in the name of Christ that, corroborating, you may give your assent, and if someone had wished to put ahead the former things in posterity, these are made void, nor will they be eternally established but are assigned to perpetual oblivion. No less are obliterated, from the book of life, the names of any who determine to alter by any artifice or in any other way this charter, which we confirm in writing. In the year 1012 of the Lord s incarnation, in year 10 of the indiction, this document was written and was signed with the mark of the cross by these witnesses by their confirming splendidly and firmly with the incorruptible pen. I Æthelred, king of the English, for the love of God and of Mary, his mother and perpetual virgin, granted willingly to bishop Godwine the aforementioned land, marked with the symbol of the lifegiving cross. 4 Latin satrapa, nobleman, minister of king or sim[ilar], Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, (accessed ). According to Campbell (p. 45, n. 2), Leofsige signs as dux (equivalent to ealdorman ) in charters between 994 and His murder of Æfic is recorded in the entry for 1002 in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles; however, his sister s involvement is not recorded elsewhere. 5 Latin dux 6 Compare Ecclesiasticus 32:1. Published online by the Rochester Cathedral Research Guild Page 9 of 14

10 I Ælfgifu, 7 queen of my lord and king, smiled upon the gift. I Wulfstan, archbishop, 8 with our fellow bishops, sons of the king, abbots, ealdormen and thegns, whose names are inserted, corroborated this. I Eadnoth, bishop. 9 I Athulf, bishop. 10 I Æthelwold, bishop. 11 I Ælfgar, bishop. 12 I Godwine, bishop. 13 I Æthelsige, bishop. 14 I Byrhtwold, bishop. 15 I Lyfing, bishop. 16 I Ælfhun, bishop. 17 I Ælfmær, bishop. 18 I Wulfgar, abbot. I Ælfsige, abbot. I Byrhtmær, abbot. I Ælfwig, abbot. I Ælfsige, abbot. 19 I Edric, abbot. I Byrhstan, abbot. I Eadmær, abbot. I Oscytel, abbot. I Eadric, ealdorman. I Uhtred, ealdorman. I Leofwine, ealdorman. I Ælfric, ealdorman. I Æthelmær, thegn. I Sigferth, thegn. I Æthelweard, thegn. I Godwine, thegn. I Morcar, thegn. I Ælfgar, thegn. I Wada, thegn. I Ulfkytel, thegn. I Thurkytel, thegn. I Æthelwine, thegn. I Æthelwold, thegn. I Ælmær, thegn. These are the land boundaries at Fenstanton: First, 20 from the older lake to the willow-stump; from the willow-stump south by Fen Drayton boundary as far as the stone-paved street; then east along the street as far as the place of execution at Maccanho; from Maccanho south by Cunigtunesgemæro, 21 as far as the clay-pits; from the clay-pits south to the thorn-stump as far as the wide mere; from the mere to the dike s end; from the dike along Elsworth boundary as far as the green way; then along by the green way to the stream; along the stream to Leofwine s point; 22 from the head of the point, south to the stake/post; and then onwards to the oak-stump; from the oak-stump one furlong west by Papworth to Ermine Street; 23 along Ermine Street north to Lattenbury Hill; then by the brook into Romboldes becc; 24 from Romboldes becc north along the street as far as Scornho; from Scornho by Hemingford Grey into the 7 Also known as Queen Emma 8 Archbishop of York, , not to be confused with the earlier archbishop of York by the same name, who ruled Bishop of Dorchester 10 Bishop of Hereford 11 Bishop of Winchester, 1006 c.1014, not to be confused with the earlier bishop of Winchester by the same name, who ruled Bishop of Elmham 13 Bishop of Rochester 14 Bishop of Sherbourne, c.1011 c.1016, not to be confused with the earlier bishop of Sherbourne by the same name, who ruled 978 c Bishop of Ramsbury 16 Bishop of Wells 17 Bishop of London 18 Bishop of Selsey 19 This appears to be a duplication by error of the scribe. 20 A red Æ appears in the margin, the first letter (in upper case) of the word ærest, meaning first. 21 Literally, boundary of king s court/yard 22 Old English gar, An angular point of land, a promontory, corner of land, Bosworth-Toller Anglo-Saxon Dictionary: (accessed ). 23 Old English, Earninga stræt, a major Roman road that ran from London to Lincoln and York 24 Literally, Rombold s beck/brook ; unidentfied, but relating to a place situated by a brook Published online by the Rochester Cathedral Research Guild Page 10 of 14

11 Ouse; 25 along the Ouse east as far as the old lake. This is the fishing which is furnished to Stanton, 26 that is: at Holwer, 27 at Deopwer, at Suðanea, at Niwwer, at Dinde, at Bisceopeswer, at Bradwer, at Niwwer, 28 and at Merbec. 25 The river 26 Fishing rights granted by the king 27 The -wer element in this and some of the following place-names means weir, which may refer either to a dam or a fish trap. 28 Accidentally repeated by the scribe Published online by the Rochester Cathedral Research Guild Page 11 of 14

12 The Latin and Old English text from Textus Roffensis N.B. The digital facsimile of this text can be found at: Then type n327 into the page search box: the text begins on the left-hand folio, by the large black-and-red chi-rho symbol (which also represents PAX, Latin for peace ), and continues for a further five pages as far as the cross in the left margin on folio 162r. Editorial notes: This edition is based closely on the edition by A. Campbell in his Charters of Rochester, pp , but with some modifications to aid readers who wish to compare the edition with the manuscript. I have followed his punctuation, which replicates that used by the scribe in the manuscript. I have preserved his use of capitals for personal and place names, even though they do not appear in the manuscript, as some readers may find this helpful. In line with current editorial practice, I have substituted w for the Old English letter wynn ( ), which Campbell preserves. Rather than follow his example of silently expanding Latin and Old English abbreviations and contractions, I have indicated these by the use of italics. I have, additionally, used coloured fonts to represent coloured inks in the manuscript. I have slightly modified Campbell s layout. The symbol 7 represents the Tironian nota in the manuscript (and is equivalent to & ). De Stantune. et Hiltune ; Christus 29 omnipotens deus imperpetuum regnans. cuius nutu et diuinitatis gubernaculo reguntur quęcunquue sunt in astris uel aruis ne pessúmdata in precipitii uoraginem labefactari possint. a quo etiam diriuatur omnis principatus et potestas omniumque honorum dignitas. sicut apostolo dogmatizante didicimus. qui ait. Non est potestas nisi a deo omnes primum mortales unius qualitatis indumento uestiuit. cum in mundo nasci mandauit. hoc nuditate. Cęterum si qui potentes. si qui inopes. si qui in terrenis negotiis sunt mediocres. sic sunt sicut a deo ordinationem acceperunt qui omnia singulari iure preordinat atque dispensando ineffabili discretione sibi libitis erogat. Liquet et prorsus patet. terrestrem substantiam ad hoc hominibus concessam. ut cęlestem illa mercentur. et ut habentes communicent non habentibus gratia amoris filii dei qui pro nobis indebite uoluit egens fieri. Vnde ego Æðelredus rex nationum totius gentis Brittanię pro adipiscenda cęlestis uitę premia. cuidam deuotissimo dei famulo Goduuino Hrofensis parręchiae episcopo michique oppido familiariter dilecto dono liberali dextera. xv. mansas terrarum in uilla æt Stantun 7 æt Hiltun cum omnibus appendiciis suis. in pascuis. et pratis. omnibusque quę huiusce uillę sunt iuris. ut possidens perhenniter possideat. et post se heredem cui sibi libuerit preficiat. ea interposita ratione ut iugi deprecatione pro meę salutis integritate dominum interpellando exoret. Erat autem eadem uilla cuidam matrone nomine Æþelflæde derelicta a uiro suo obeunte illo. quę etiam habebat germanum quendam uocabulo Leofsinum 30 quem de satrapis nomine tuli. ad celsioris apicem dignitatis dignum duxi promouere ducem constituendo scilicet eum. unde humiliari magis debuerat 29 The text begins with a large green X as part of the abbreviation for Christus. 30 Leofsige s signatures as dux run from 994 to He is usually said to have been alderman of Essex. See Anglo- Saxon Chronicles 1002, where his murder of Æfic is recorded. This charter repeats this but adds the additional information about Leofsige s sister s involvement in his fall from grace. In Sawyer 916 (St Albans, 1007), Leofsige s loss of his estates is mentioned. In Sawyer 883 (Abingdon, about 1000), we see him discharging his official duties in the days of his royal favour. Published online by the Rochester Cathedral Research Guild Page 12 of 14

13 . sicut dicitur. Principem te constituerunt. noli extolli. et cętera 31. Sed ipse hoc oblitus cernens se in culmine maioris status sub rogatu. famulari sibi pestilentes spiritus permisit superbię scilicet et audacię quibus nichilominus ipse se dedidit. in tantum ut floccipénderet quin offensione multímoda me multoties grauiter offenderet. Nam prefectum meum Æficum quem primatem inter primates meos taxaui non cunctatus est in propria domo eius eo inscio perimere quod nefarium et peregrinum opus est apud Christianos et gentiles. Peracto itaque scelere ab eo. inii consilium cum sapientibus regni mei petens ut quid fieri placuisset de illo decernerent. placuitque in commune nobis eum exulare. et extorrem a nobis fieri cum conplicibus suis. Statuimus etiam inuiolatum foedus inter nos qui presumpsisset infringere. exhereditari se sciret omnibus habitis. hoc est ut nemo nostrum aliquid humanitatis uel commoditatis ei sumministraret. Hanc optionis electionem posthabitam nichili habuit soror eius Æþelflæd. omnia quę possibilitatis eius erant. et utilitatis fratris. omnibus exercitiis studuit explere. et hac de causa aliarumque quam plurimarum exheredem se fecit omnibus. Sit ergo predicta donatio ab omni mundiali seruitio immunis. excepto quod omnibus est generale terris. pontis uidelicet uel arcis recuperatione. et expeditione. His apicibus precipimus et obsecramus in Christi nomine ut assensum detis. corroborantes. et siquis anteriores preponere uoluerit in posterum. irriti fiant. nec ęternaliter stabilientur. sed perpetua obliuione oblitterentur. Oblitterentur nec minus nomina eorum de libro uitę qui hoc cyrographum aliquo molimine in aliud transmutare decreuerint quam per singraphiam confirmauimus. Anno ab incarnatione domini. mill. xii. indictione. x. caraxatum est hoc polipticum et signaculo crucis insignitum his testibus magnifice firmiterque adamantino stilo firmantibus. Ego Æðelredus rex Anglorum prefatam terram pro amore dei eiusque genitricis et perpetuę uirginis Marię Godwino episcopo cum uiuificę crucis uexillo impressam libens concessi. Ego Ælfgyfu regina domini mei regis dono arrisi. Ego Wulfstan archiepiscopus cum coepiscopis nostris et filiis regis. et abbatibus et ducibus et militibus quorum nomina inserta sunt corroborarui. Ego Eadnoð episcopus. Ego Aðulf episcopus. Ego Aþelwoldus episcopus. Ego Ælfgar episcopus. Ego Godwinus episcopus. Ego Æþelsie episcopus. Ego Brihtwoldus episcopus. Ego Leuing episcopus. Ego Alfhun episcopus. Ego Ælmær episcopus. Ego Wulfgar abbas. Ego Ælfsi abbas. Ego Brihtmær abbas. Ego Ælfwi abbas. Ego Ælfsi abbas. Ego Edric abbas. Ego Brihstan abbas. Ego Eadmær abbas. Ego Oscytel abbas. Ego Eadric dux. Ego Uhtred dux. Ego Leofwine dux. Ego Ælfric dux. Ego Æþelmær miles. Ego Syferð miles. Ego Æþelwærd miles. Ego Godwine miles. Ego Morcar miles. Ego Ælfgar miles. Ego Wada miles. Ego Ulfkytel miles. Ego Þurkytel miles. 32 Ego Æþelwine miles. Ego Adelwold miles. Ego Ælmær miles. Þis syndon þa land gemære to Stantune. Ærest of ðære ealdra laca. to þam wiðigstubbe. of ðam wiðigstubbe. suð be Drægtunes gemæra oð þa stanstræte. swa est be þære stræte oð þa cwealmstowe æt Maccanhó. of Maccanhó suð be Cunigtunesgemæra oð þa lampyttas. of ða lampyttas suð to ðan þornstubbe oð mid þam bradan mere. of þam mere to þæs dices ende. of ðære dic. be Elleswyrðegemæra oð þæne grenan weg. swa be þæm grenan wege to ðan riðig. æfter ðam riðig to Leofwines gare. of þan gare be þan heafdan suð to þan stocce. 7 swa forð to þan acstubbe. of þan acstubbe an furlang west be Pappawyrðegemæra to Earninga stræte. æfter Earninga stræte norð to Lodona beorge swa be 31 Ecclus. 32:1 32 Inserted later by the scribe in the margin Published online by the Rochester Cathedral Research Guild Page 13 of 14

14 broce into Romboldes becc. of Romboldes becc norð be stræte oð Scornhó. of Scornhó be Hemmingafordagemæra into Use. andlang Use est oð þa ealdan laca. Ðis is se fixnað þe to Stantune gebyrað. þæt is æt Holanwere. 7 æt Deopanwere. 7 æt Suðanea. 7 æt Niwanwere. 7 æt Dinde. 7 æt Biscopeswere. 7 æt Bradanwere. 7 æt Niwanwere. 7 æt Merbece. Published online by the Rochester Cathedral Research Guild Page 14 of 14