One and a half yokes of land at Rochester for enlarging the monastery, 789
King Offa of Mercia grants to Bishop Wærmund (of Rochester) one and half yokes of land at Rochester for enlarging the monastery (789). Translation from Latin of Textus Roffensis, folios 133r-134r by Jacob Scott (pending review).
Campbell, no. 13. No rubric. The text begins with a red display initial ‘i’ and is marked by a large, black cross in the left margin.
Translation
133r (select folio number to open facsimile)
+ In nomine domini nostri iesu christi. Omnem hominem
qui secundum deum uiuit et remunerari a deo
sperat et optat, oportet ut piis precibus assen-
sum hilariter ex animo prebeat. Quoniam certum est
tanto facilius ea quę quisque a deo poposcerit consequi
posse, quanto et ipse libentius hominibus recte
postulata concesserit. Quo circa ego offa
rex merciorum tibi uenerabili uuaermundo
antistiti ut diligenter postulasti aliquam par-
ticulam terrę iuris mei id est quasi unius
et semis iugeri in ciuitate hrofi ad augmen-
tum monasterii tui ęternaliter possidendam
concedo ac describo cum omnibus scilicet ad eam
pertinentibus rebus. Hęc autem terrula ab aquilo-
nali et ab oriente ciuitatis iacet, et pertingit
usque ad septentrionalem murum prefatę ciuita-
tis intra terras uidelicet quas antea ab
oriente et occidente possedisti, et ideo haec tibi
satis accommoda quia in medio iacebat. Si quis
autem contra hanc donationem meam aliquando
uenire inuido maliuoloque animo temptaue-
rit, sit in presenti separatus a communione sanctę
ęcclesię christi, et in futuro a societate sanctorum om-
nium segregatus. Manentem hanc kartulam
in sua semper firmitate signo dominicę cru-
cis roboraui, et idoneos testes ut et id ipsum
facerent adhibui. Actum anno dominicę in-
carnationis dcclxxxix. indictione xii.
in loco ubi nominatur celchyth.
+ Ego offa rex merciorum hanc donationem
meam signo sanctę crucis roboraui. + Ego ecgfrið
rex consensi et subscripsi. + Ego iaenberhtus
gratia dei archiepiscopus consentiens subscripsi. + Ego
hygeberht archiepiscopus subscripsi. + Ego ceoluulf
episcopus subscripsi. + Ego heard>red< episcopus subscripsi. + Ego
unuuona episcopus subscripsi. + Ego cyneberht
episcopus subscripsi. + Ego algheard episcopus subscripsi.
+ Ego uuaermund episcopus subscripsi. + Ego eadgar
episcopus subscripsi. + Ego uueohthun subscripsi.
+ Signum manus ealhmundi abbatis. + Signum manus
beonnan abbatis. + Signum manus brordan. + Signum
manus berhtuualdi. + Signum manus aeðilhardi.
+ Signum manus uuigcgan. + Signum manus ceol-
mundi. + Signum manus ceolheardi. + Signum
manus eadbaldi. + Signum manus forðredi. + Sig-
num manus uuigcgan. + Signum manus heaberhti.
+ Signum manus ubban.
Translation
+ In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Every man who lives according to God, and hopes and desires to be rewarded by God, must cheerfully offer his assent to pious prayers. Since it is certain that the more easily one can obtain those things which God should demand, the more willingly he himself has conceded the right demands to men. About which I, Offa, King of the Mercians, to you, the venerable Bishop Waermund, you have diligently asked for a small piece of land of my right, that is one and a half acres in the city of Rochester, for the growth of your monastery, I grant you to possess it eternally, and describe it with all the things pertaining to it. This small piece of land lies on the north and east of the city, and extends as far as the northern wall of the aforementioned city within the lands which you previously purchased from the east and west, and therefore these things are well suited to you, because it lay in the middle. But if any one should at any time attempt to come up against this gift of mine with an envious and malevolent mind, let him be in the present separated from the communion of the holy church of Christ, and in the future separated from the fellowship of all the saints. I validated this remaining charter in its steadfastness with the sign of our Lord's Cross, and I summoned competent witnesses to do the same. Act in the year of our Lord's incarnation 789, 12th indiction, in the place where Celchyth is mentioned.
+ I, Offa, king of the Mercians, validated this gift with the sign of the holy cross.
+ I, King Ecgfrid agreed and subscribed.
I, Jaenbert, by the grace of God archbishop, consented and signed.
+ I, Archbishop Hygeberht, subscribed.
I, Bishop Coewulf, subscribed.
+ I, Bishop Heardred, subscribed.
+ I, Bishop Unuuona, subscribed.
+ I, Bishop Cyneberht, subscribed.
+ I, Bishop Algheard, subscribed.
+ I. Bishop Waermund, subscribed.
+ I, Bishop Eadgar, subscribed.
+ I, Weohthun, subscribed.
+ Signed by the hand of Abbot Ealhmundi.
+ Signed by the hand of Abbot Beonnan.
+ Signed by the hand of Brordan.
+ Signed by the hand of Berhtwald.
+ Signed by the hand of Aeðilhard.
+ Signed by the hand of Wigcan.
+ Signed by the hand of Ceolmund.
+ Signed by the hand of Ceolheardi.
+ Signed by the hand of Eadbald.
+ Signed by the hand of Forðredi.
+ Signed by the hand of Wigcgan.
+ Signed by the hand of Heaberht.
+ Signed by the hand of Ubban.