| Description | (recto) Copies of 12 St Augustine's Abbey documents relating to Fordwich.
(1) Writ of King Edward [the Confessor] addressed to Archbishop Stigand, Earl Harold, Osweard and all the king's thegns in Kent. The abbey is to hold as much land in Fordwich as the king had there and as completely as he held it. It is to belong to the abbey exactly as he granted it to them previously. Old English. No date [1053x1066]. [Date: as in Kelly, cited below.]
(2) and (3) Writ of King Edward [the Confessor], addressed to Archbishop Eadsige, Earl Godwin and all the king's thegns in Kent. The king has granted the abbey financial and judicial rights over their own men and the thegns has had granted them to have. Only the abbey and its officers ('prepositi') are to take anything from the men covered by its jurisdiction. The abbey is to enjoy these privileges fully as in the time of Cnut. Old English and Latin. No date [1042x1050]. [Date: as in Kelly, cited below.]
(4) and (5) Writ of King William [I], addressed to all his bishops, earls and thegns, French and English, in those counties in which the abbey has lands. The king has granted the abbey financial and judicial rights over their own men and thegns. Only the abbey and its officers are to take anything from the men covered by its jurisdiction. The grant is made as king Edward and his predecessors made it. Old English and Latin. No date [1066x1087]. [Date: William's dates.]
(6) Grant by Odo, bishop of Bayeux and earl of Kent, to the abbey of all houses and customs which are his in the town ('villa') of Fordwich. The grant is made for his soul and the soul of King William. Witnessed by William king of the English, Lanfranc archbishop of Canterbury, Godfrey bishop of Coutances, R[obert] count of Eu, H[ugh] de Montfort and other nobles. Latin. No date [1070x1087]. [Date: William and Lanfranc's dates.]
(7) Writ of king William [I], addressed to Archbishop Lanfranc, Hamo the sheriff [of Kent] and R son of earl G and H the sheriff and all thegns of Kent, French and English. Confirms (6) above. Latin. No date [1070x1087]. [Date: William and Lanfranc's dates.]
(8) Writ of king William [I], addressed to Lanfranc, archbishop of Canterbury, Godfrey bishop of Coutances, R[obert] count of Eu, H[ugh] de Montfort and his other nobles of England. Commands them to cause St Augustine and abbot Scotland to repossess the borough of Fordwich, which Hamo the sheriff holds, and all other lands which abbot Alsinus, the king's fugitive, gave away. Witnessed by [Odo] bishop of Bayeux. Latin. No date [14 Jul 1077]. [Date: date of consecration of Bayeux.]
(9) Grant of Hamo, sheriff of kent and steward ('dapifer') of Henry king of the English, to abbot Hugh and the brothers of St Augustine's Abbey of the town ('villa') of Fordwich. Witnessed by Fulbert of Chilham and Hugh his knight ('miles') for Hamo. Also witnessed by William the chaplain ('capellanus') and Eustace his man of the abbot's household ('familia'). 3 Apr 1111.
(10) Exchange between Prior Henry [of Eastry] and the convent of Canterbury Cathedral Priory and Abbot Ralph [de Burne] and the convent of St Augustine's Abbey. The priory grants the abbey 3 roods of land at 'Sandepette' in the suburbs of Canterbury, lying with the river Stour ('regia sturea') to west and the priory's land to north, east and south. For this the abbey has granted the priory a plot ('placea') of land containing 10½ perches (dimensions of perch given) in Fordwich, lying with the priory's tenement to east, the tenement of William Cok to west, the king's highway to south and the river Stour to north. Reserving to the abbey judgements of crimes involving bloodshed with executions and other offences as elsewhere in Fordwich, in accordance with the composition between the priory and the abbey. The priory can build on the land, enclose it or do whatever they wish with it. The priory can receive rewards? ('merces') and merchandise of strangers there as elsewhere in their tenement in Fordwich, in accordance with ther composition. Dated at Canterbury, 11 May 1331.
(11) Final concord made at Marlborough ('marleburgh') [Wiltshire]before Ranulf de Glanville, Robert de Watef.t' and others, 2 Dec 1186. Between Roger, abbot of St Augustine's Abbey, and his men of his hundred of Fordwich. The men of Fordwich swore that henceforth they should make all the service and customs which their ancestors had made to the abbey and that all disputes which arose in the hundred of Fordwich should be determined in 40 days. If they are not determined within this time, they shall be presented and recorded in the abbot's court at Canterbury by 6 men or more of the hundred and determined there.
(12) Inquisition held at Fordwich in the presence of Robert de Berneye, knight ('miles'), deputy of Thomas of Erpingham ('Orpyngham'), constable of Dover Castle and Warden of the Cinque Ports. The jurors (named) say that it will not be to the loss or prejudice of the king or anyone else if he allows William Compis and John Barnesole of Canterbury, esquires, to grant a messuage in Fordwich, which is a member of the Cinque Ports, to St Augustine's Abbey. And they say that the messuage was worth 4s last year and is held directly of the abbey for an annual payment of 20½d and should find 4 men for 1 day in summer to make hay for the abbot in a meadow called 'kyngesmede' and pay 4d for Romescot. And they say that there are not many mesne tenants ('medius') between the William and John and the king. And they say that William and John still have lands in Fordwich to the value of 26s 8d. And they say that the messuage should contribute to scot and lot and ship service ('servicum Navigii') for the Cinque Ports when they occur and all other burdens of the town ('villa') and liberty. 8 Nov 1401.
(verso) Lists of customs duties payable on various commodities to St Augustine's abbey at Fordwich and to Canterbury Cathedral Priory at Sandwich. No date.
Copy not dated. [Date: handwriting.] |
| Related Material | Another version of no 11 printed: C E Woodruff, A History of the Town and Port of Fordwich (Canterbury, nd [1895?]), p29
List of customs dues printed (probably from the Red Book of St Augustine's, BM Cotton Claudius D x):
C E Woodruff, A History of the Town and Port of Fordwich (Canterbury, nd [1895?]), pp32-35 |
| Publication Note | Discussed in S E Kelly (ed), Charters of St Augustine's Abbey Canterbury and Minster-in-Thanet (Anglo-Saxon Charters IV, London, British Academy, 1995), p lix
No 1 transcribed and discussed and other versions listed in S E Kelly (ed), Charters of St Augustine's Abbey Canterbury and Minster-in-Thanet (Anglo-Saxon Charters IV, London, British Academy, 1995), pp134-136, as no 39
No 1 transcribed and translated in F E Harmer, Anglo-Saxon Writs (Manchester University Press, 1952), pp200-201, as no 39
Nos 2 and 3 transcribed and discussed and other versions listed in S E Kelly (ed), Charters of St Augustine's Abbey Canterbury and Minster-in-Thanet (Anglo-Saxon Charters IV, London, British Academy, 1995), pp127-129, as no 35
Nos 6-9 translated in C E Woodruff, A History of the Town and Port of Fordwich (Canterbury, nd [1895?]), pp25-26
Summarised in Historical Manuscripts Commission Fifth Report (London, 1876), Appendix, p442 |