Six sulungs at Trottiscliffe with the right to pasture swine in three districts, 788
King Offa of Mercia grants to St Andrew’s and the bishopric of Rochester six sulungs at Trottiscliffe, Kent, with the right to pasture swine in three districts (788). Translation from Latin of Textus Roffensis, folios 131r-132r by Jacob Scott (pending review).
Campbell, no. 12. The text begins with a purple display initial ‘I’ and is marked by a large, black cross in the left margin.
Transcription
131r (select folio number to open facsimile)
De trottesclyua; + IN nomine dei summi et saluatoris nostri iesu
christi, ipsoque in perpetuo regnante disponenteque
suauiter omnia terrena quoque sceptra et regalia
iura temporaliter distribuerit. Vnde et ego
offa rex merciorum aliquam terram pro remedio
et salute animę meę tradam, id est sex ara-
trorum ubi nominatur trottesclib ad ęcclesiam
beati andreae apostoli et ad episcopium castelli quod
nominatur hrofescester ubi beatus paulinus
pausat, quam etiam episcopalem sedem modo
in presenti rite regit uuaermundus religi-
osus antistes. Hanc itaque supradictam terram
ad hanc condicionem perpetualiter habendam
et possidendam concedo cum omnibus ad eam rite
pertinentibus rebus cum campis siluis pascuis pra-
tis pastinationibus et cum propriis terminis. Huius
autem telluris termini sunt isti, ab oriente et
a meridie boerlingas, ab occidente uurota-
ham, ab aquilone meapaham. Ad hanc quoque
terram pertinent in diuersis locis porcorum pa-
stus id est uuealdbaera ubi dicitur holen-
spic bi suðan ee eppanhrycg non longe ab eo
loco langanhrycg. Quisquis uero contra hanc
donationis cartulam callido malignoque trac-
tatu contraire presumpserit, nouerit >se< quisquis ille
fuerit in discreto dei iudicio sinistrę partis
socium fore et a christi et dei corpore sanguineque se-
gregandum. Manente hac cartula in sua nichi-
lominus firmitate propria manu signaculo cru-
cis christi roborare curaui, et testes religiosos
et consen>tien
nomina cum propriis cruciculis infra adno-
tentur. Actum anno dominicę incarnationis
dcclxxxviii. + Ego offa rex merciorum hanc
suprascriptam donationem meam hoc signum cru-
cis impressi. + Ego ecgfrid rex merciorum
testis consentiens subscripsi. + Ego cyne-
drith regina consensi et subscripsi. + Ego
iaenberhtus gratia dei archiepiscopus signum crucis
christi impressi. + Ego hygeberht archiepiscopus sub-
scripsi. + Ego ceoluulf episcopus subscripsi. + Signum
manus brordani prefecti. + Signum manus berhtuual-
di. + Signum manus eadbaldi. + Signum manus
ceolmundi.
Translation
Concerning Trottiscliffe:
+ In the name of our supreme God and our Savior Jesus Christ, and in his perpetual reign and disposition all earthly scepters and royal temporal rights distributed. Whereupon I, Offa, King of the Mercians, will hand over some land for the relief and salvation of my soul, that is, the six plows where the Trottiscliffe is named, to the church of the blessed Apostle Andrew, and to the bishop of the castle, which is named Rochester, where Blessed Paulinus rests, which also the bishopric seat of the Waermund at present now duly governs a religious bishop. I, therefore, grant this aforesaid land on this condition to be possessed eternally and I grant to possess it, with all due to it properly pertaining to it, with plains, wood pastures, grazing meadows, and with their own boundaries. And the boundaries of this earth are these, on the east and on the south boerlingas, on the west Wrotham, on the north meapaham. They also belong to this land in different places feeding on pigs, that is, Wealdbaera where it is called Holenspic bi suðan ee eppanhrycg not far from that place langanhrycg. Whoever will presume to go against this gift by a clever and malignant design, let him know that whoever he was, shall be a partner in the discrete judgment of God on the left, and must be separated from the body of Christ and the blood of God.
While this document remained in its place, nevertheless, with the firmness of my own hand, I took care to strengthen it with the seal of the cross of Christ, and I summoned religious and consenting witnesses acting on it, whose names with their own crucifixions are recorded below. Act in the year of our Lord's Incarnation 788.
+ I, Offa, King of Mercia, have impressed my gift with this sign of the cross.
+ I, Egfrid king of the Mercians, a consenting witness, signed.
+ I, Queen Cynedrith consented and signed.
I, Jaenbert, by the grace of God archbishop, impressed on the sign of the cross of Christ.
+ I, Archbishop Hygeberht, subscribed.
+ I, Bishop Ceoluulf, subscribed.
+ Signed by the hand of Prefect Brodran.
+ Signed by the hand of Berhtwald.
+ Sign of the hand of Eadbald.
+ Signed by the hand of Ceolmund.