Donation to Rochester Cathedal of four sulungs at Snodland and Holborough, with a mill, village and various rights, 838
Ecgberht of Wessex grants to Bishop Beornmod (of Rochester) four sulungs at Snodland and Holborough, with a mill, rights of gathering wood, and of pasturing swine in four districts, and a village (838).
Campbell, no. 19. Campbell: ‘The form of this document is unusual. Some of the usual elements of the old English charter are missing; in particular there is no sanction. The document would seem to be an abbreviation of a charter.’ This is probably a copy of the extant, tenth-century document, British Library, Cotton Charters, viii. 30. Note: At the start of the document, in the left margin, there is an annotation in Latin (much later hand) indicating that the exemplar can be found in the Cotton Library.
Transcription
138v (select folio number to open facsimile)
+ In nomine domini De snodilande.
nostri ih’u iesu christi saluatoris mundi, anno dominicę
incarnationis dccc.xxx.viii. indictione i.a
ego ecgbearhtus rex cum consensu dilectissi-
mi filii nostri æðelwulfi regis dabo debotissi-
mo episcopo meo beornmodo aliquam terrę par-
tem iuris mei quattuor aratrorum, in loco quę
dicitur snoddingland et ęt holanbeorge, ut
habeat et possideat, et cuicumque uoluerit re-
linquat, ita ut predicta terra sit liuera ab omni
serbitia. + Scripta est hęc cartula in bica
regali, quę dicitur fręricburna, is testibus consen-
tientibus et subscribentibus quorum infra nomina
tenentur, et unam molinam in torrente qui dicitur
holanbeorges burna, et in monte regis quinqua-
ginta carrabas lingnorum, adiectis quattuor
denberis, hwoętenstede, heahdęn, hese, helman-
hyrst. + Egcberht rex. + Ęðeluulf rex. + Cial-
noð archiepiscopus. + Beornmod episcopus. + Ealhstan
episcopus. + Eadhun episcopus. + Cynred episcopus. + Ceolberht
episcopus. + Wlfheard dux. + Ęðelwulf dux. + Eanulf
dux. + herebearht dux. + Ęðelwulf dux. + Eðelheard, et in oriente
ciuitatis hroui unum uiculum.
Translation
Concerning Snodland:
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Savior of the world, in the year of our Lord’s incarnation 838, 1st indiction, I, King Ecgberht, with the consent of our most beloved son, King Æthelwulf, will give to my most deserving bishop some part of the land of my right, four plows, in the place which is called Snodland and at Holborough, so that he may have and possess it, and leave to whomsoever he will, so that the aforesaid land is land free from all servitude.
+ This document was written on the royal plate, which is called Fraericburna, with the consent and signatures of those witnesses whose names are kept below, and one mill in the brook called Holborough Burna, and on the king's mountain fifty carts of firewood, in additional four are to be found, Hwoetenstede, Heahdaen, Hese, Helmanhyrst.
+ Egbert the King.
+ King Aeðelwulf.
+ Archbishop Cialnoð,
+ Bishop Beornmod.
+ Ealhstan
+ Bishop Eadhun.
+ Bishop Cynred.
+ Bishop Ceolberht.
+ Wlfheard the chief.
+ Duke Aeðelwulf.
+ Duke Eanulf.
+ Duke Herebearht.
+ Duke Aeðelwulf.
+ Eðelheard, and in the east of the city, one hamlet.
