Fifteen hides at Fen Stanton and Hilton, Hunts. to Rochester Cathedral, 1012

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.

*Title and edition (with some modifications) from Charters of Rochester, edited by A. Campbell (London: Oxford University Press for The British Academy, 1973), pp. 45–47.

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. 57–62), except I have substituted ‘th’ for ‘ð’ and ‘þ’.

This is an authentic charter and is securely dated to 1012.

Transcription

159v (select folio number to open facsimile)

De Stantune . et Hiltune ; _X[C]hristus¹ omnipotens
deus imperpetuum regnans . cuius nutu>
et diuinitatis gubernaculo regun-
tur quęcunquue sunt in astris uel aruis ne
pessúmdata in precipitii uoraginem labefacta-
ri possint . a quo etiam diriuatur omnis prin-
cipatus 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

160r

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 Brit-
tanię pro adipiscenda cęlestis uitę premia .
cuidam deuotissimo dei famulo Goduuino Hro-
fensis parręchiae episcopo michique oppido fa-
miliariter dilecto dono liberali dextera . xv .
mansas terrarum in uilla æt Stantun 7 æt
Hiltun cum omnibus appendiciis suis . in pascu-
is . et pratis . omnibusque quę huiusce uillę
sunt iuris . ut possidens perhenniter posside-
at . et post se heredem cui sibi libuerit prefi-
ciat . ea interposita ratione ut iugi depreca-
tione pro meę salutis integritate dominum inter-
pellando exoret . Erat autem eadem uilla cui-
dam matrone nomine Æþelflæde derelicta
a uiro suo obeunte illo . quę etiam habebat
germanum quendam uocabulo Leofsinum²
quem de satrapis nomine tuli . ad celsioris
apicem dignitatis dignum duxi promouere
ducem constituendo scilicet eum . unde humi-
liari magis debuerat . sicut dicitur . Principem

160v

te constituerunt . noli extolli . et cętera³ . Sed
ipse hoc oblitus cernens se in culmine ma-
ioris status sub rogatu . famulari sibi pesti-
lentes spiritus permisit superbię scilicet et auda-
cię quibus nichilominus ipse se dedidit . in
tantum ut floccipénderet quin offensione
multímoda me multoties grauiter offende-
ret. Nam prefectum meumÆficum 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 genti-
les . Peracto itaque scelere ab eo . inii consilium
cum sapientibus regni mei petens ut quid
fieri placuisset de illo decernerent . placu-
itque in commune nobis eum exulare . et extor-
rem a nobis fieri cum conplicibus suis . Statuimus
etiam inuiolatum foedus inter nos qui pre-
sumpsisset infringere . exhereditari se sci-
ret omnibus habitis . hoc est ut nemo nostrum
aliquid humanitatis uel commoditatis ei sum-
ministraret . Hanc optionis electionem
posthabitam nichili habuit soror eius Æþel-
flæd . omnia quę possibilitatis eius erant . et
utilitatis fratris . omnibus exercitiis studuit

161r

explere . et hac de causa aliarumque quam pluri-
marum exheredem se fecit omnibus . Sit ergo predi-
cta donatio ab omni mundiali seruitio im-
munis . excepto quod omnibus est generale terris .
pontis uidelicet uel arcis recuperatione . et
expeditione . His apicibus precipimus et obsecra-
mus in Christi nomine ut assensum detis . corro-
borantes . et siquis anteriores preponere uo-
luerit 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 ali-
ud transmutare decreuerint quam per singra-
phiam confirmauimus . Anno ab incarnatio-
ne domini . mill’ . xii . indictione . x . caraxatum
est hoc polipticum et signaculo crucis in-
signitum his testibus magnifice firmiterque ada-
mantino stilo firmantibus . Ego Æðelredus
rex Anglorum prefatam terram pro amore dei eiusque
genitricis et perpetuę uirginis Marię God-
wino episcopo cum uiuificę crucis uexillo impres-
sam libens concessi . Ego Ælfgyfu regina
domini mei regis dono arrisi . Ego Wulfstan
archiepiscopus cum coepiscopis nostris et filiis regis . et

161v

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 Æþel-
sie episcopus . Ego Brihtwoldus episcopus . Ego Leuing
episcopus . Ego Alfhun episcopus . Ego Ælmær episcopus .
Ego Wulfgar abbas . Ego Ælfsi abbas . Ego Briht-
mær 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
Morca miles . Ego Ælfgar miles . Ego Wada
miles . Ego Ulfkytel miles . ′Ego Þurkytel miles .′⁴ Ego Æþelwine miles .
Ego Adelwold miles . Ego Ælmær miles . Þis syn
don þa land gemære to Stantune . _Ærest of ðære ealdra laca . to þam wiðigstub-
be . of ðam wiðigstubbe . suð be Drægtunes
gemæra oð þa stanstræte . swa est be þære
stræte oð þa cwealmstowe æt Maccanhó .
of Maccanhó suð be Cunigtunesgemæ-
ra oð þa lampyttas . of ða lampyttas suð
to ðan þornstubbe oð mid þam bradan mere .

162r

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 Lo-
dona beorge swa be broce into Romboldes
becc . of Romboldes becc norð be stræte oð
Scornhó . of Scornhó be Hemmingaforda-
gemæra into Use . andlang Use est oð þa
ealdan laca . Ðis is se fixnað þe to Stan-
tune gebyrað . þæt is æt Holanwere . 7 æt
Deopanwere . 7 æt Suðanea . 7 æt Niwanwere .
7 æt Dinde . 7 æt Biscopeswere . 7 æt Bradan-
were . 7 æt Niwanwere . 7 æt Merbece .

Translation

See Translation Notes

Concerning Fenstanton:⁵ 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’;⁶ 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.⁷

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.

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,⁸ at the top of his rank, worthy of office; I considered to elevate him, one may know, appointing him ealdorman,⁹ whence he should rather be humbled, just as is said, ‘Have they appointed you leader? Be not lifted up, et cetera.’¹⁰

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 life-giving cross.

I Ælfgifu,¹¹ queen of my lord and king, smiled upon the gift.

I Wulfstan, archbishop,¹² with our fellow bishops, sons of the king, abbots, ealdormen and thegns, whose names are inserted, corroborated this.

I Eadnoth, bishop.¹³ I Athulf, bishop.¹⁴ I Æthelwold, bishop.¹⁵ I Ælfgar, bishop.¹⁶ I Godwine, bishop.¹⁷ I Æthelsige, bishop.¹⁸ I Byrhtwold, bishop.¹⁹ I Lyfing, bishop.²⁰ I Ælfhun, bishop.²¹ I Ælfmær, bishop.²²

I Wulfgar, abbot. I Ælfsige, abbot. I Byrhtmær, abbot. I Ælfwig, abbot. I Ælfsige, abbot.²³ 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,²⁴ 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,²⁵ 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;²⁶ 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;²⁷ along Ermine Street north to Lattenbury Hill; then by the brook into Romboldes becc;²⁸ from Romboldes becc north along the street as far as Scornho; from Scornho by Hemingford Grey into the Ouse;²⁹ along the Ouse east as far as the old lake. This is the fishing which is furnished to Stanton,³⁰ that is: at Holwer,³¹ at Deopwer, at Suðanea, at Niwwer, at Dinde, at Bisceopeswer, at Bradwer, at Niwwer,³² and at Merbec.

Footnotes

1 The text begins with a large green ‘X’ as part of the abbreviation for ‘Christus’.

2 Leofsige’s signatures as dux run from 994 to 1001. 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.

3 Ecclus. 32:1

4 Inserted later by the scribe in the margin

5 Formerly spelt ‘Fen Stanton’, as indicated by Campbell; in the charter’s text it appears only as Stantun.

6 Romans 13:1

7 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.’

8 Latin satrapa, ‘nobleman, minister of king or sim[ilar]’, Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, available here (accessed 20.10.17). According to Campbell (p. 45, n. 2), Leofsige signs as dux (equivalent to ‘ealdorman’) in charters between 994 and 1001. 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.

9 Latin dux

10 Compare Ecclesiasticus 32:1.

11 Also known as Queen Emma

12 Archbishop of York, 1002–1023, not to be confused with the earlier archbishop of York by the same name, who ruled 931–956.

13 Bishop of Dorchester

14 Bishop of Hereford

15 Bishop of Winchester, 1006–c.1014, not to be confused with the earlier bishop of Winchester by the same name, who ruled 963–984.

16 Bishop of Elmham

17 Bishop of Rochester

18 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.990

19 Bishop of Ramsbury

20 Bishop of Wells

21 Bishop of London

22 Bishop of Selsey

23 This appears to be a duplication by error of the scribe.

24 A red ‘Æ’ appears in the margin, the first letter (in upper case) of the word ‘ærest’, meaning ‘first’.

25 Literally, ‘boundary of king’s court/yard’

26 Old English gar, ‘An angular point of land, a promontory, corner of land’, Bosworth-Toller Anglo-Saxon Dictionary: http://bosworth.ff.cuni.cz/finder/3/gara (accessed 11.10.17).

27 Old English, Earninga stræt, a major Roman road that ran from London to Lincoln and York

28 Literally, ‘Rombold’s beck/brook’; unidentfied, but relating to a place situated by a brook

29 The river

30 Fishing rights granted by the king

31 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.

32 Accidentally repeated by the scribe