Land with similar boundaries to the Rochester Cathedral foundation charter, purported date 761
King Æthelberht of Wessex and Kent (r. 860-866) grants to Bishop Deora of Rochester land with similar boundaries to that granted in the cartulary’s opening charter (purported date 761).
Campbell, no. 11. Campbell, ‘The basis of this charter is obviously a charter of Æthelberht of Wessex (king of Wessex and Kent, 860-6) [...] The charter has been re-cast to appear to be a charter of 761, recording a grant to Bishop Deora of Rochester (elected c. 770). In the extant single-sheet copy [British Library, Cotton Charters, vi. 4], 761 has been altered to 781.’ The text begins with a green display initial ‘I’ and is marked by a large, black cross in the left margin. Note: The boundaries are written in English, beginning at line 2 of 131r. They are underlined.
Transcription
130v (select folio number to open facsimile)
+ IN nomine domini nostri
iesu christi, cui patent cuncta penetralia
cordis et corporis. Ego ethelberhtus rex
occidentalium saxonum necnon cantauuariorum
concedo hrofensis ęcclesię antistiti deoran ali-
quantulum terrę iuris mei intra moenia
supradictę ciuitatis in parte aquilonali, id est
fram doddinc hyrnan oð ða bradan gatan
east be wealle, ⁊ swa eft suð oð þæt east geat,
⁊ swa west be stræte oð doddinc hyrnan, ⁊
ðreo hagan be eastan porte butan wealle, ⁊ ðar
to feower æceras mæde be westan, ee. Hoc
in augmentum monasterii tibi concessi sancti an-
dreę, ut mea donatio immobilis permaneat
semper. Et si quis hanc donationem meam au-
gere uoluerit, augeat dominus ei uitam. Si quis
uero tunc minuere presumpserit, sit separatus
a conspectu domini in die iudicii nisi prius emenda-
uerit ante eius transitum quod nequiter gessit.
Actum dominicę incarnationis dcclxxxi. + Ego
ethelberhtus rex hanc meam donationem si-
gno sanctę crucis confirmaui. + Ego geanberht
archiepiscopus corroboraui. + Ego deora episcopus con-
signaui. + Signum manus uualhard. + Signum
manus uban. + Signum manus udan. + Signum
manus ealhere. + Signum manus dudec. + Signum
manus wullaf.
Translation
+ In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom all the innermost parts of the heart and body are open. I, Ethelberht, King of the West Saxons as well as the Kentish, grant to the bishop of Rochester in the church of Deora a small part of the land of my right within the walls of the above-mentioned city on the north side, that is from Doddingherne as far as Broadgate east along the wall, and as far south as Eastgate, and so west along Street from as far as Doddingherne, and …eastern part of the wall, and as …west, ee. This I have granted to you for the growth of the monastery of Saint Andrew, so that my gift may remain forever. And if any one wishes to increase my gift, let the Lord increase his life. But if any one then shall presume to reduce it, let him be separated from the Lord's presence on the day of judgment unless he first amended before his passing what he had done wickedly. Enacted in the year of our Lord’s incarnation 781.
I, King Ethelbert, have confirmed this gift of mine with the sign of the holy cross.
+ I, Archbishop Geanberht, corroborated it.
+ I, Bishop Deora, have signed.
+ Signed by the hand of Walhard.
+ Signed by the hand of Uban.
+ Signed by the hand of Udan.
+ Signed by the hand of Ealhere.
+ Signed by the hand of Dudec.
Signed by the hand of Wullaf.
