| Description | From: Eadred, king of England
To: Canterbury Cathedral Priory
The minster of Reculver, estimated at 32 'cassati' of land. Dated 949 Witnesses: [E]adred, king of Albion; Odo, archbishop; Wulfstan, archbishop; AElfheah, bishop of Winchester; AEthelgar, bishop of Crediton; AElfric, Wulfsige, Theodred, AElfred, Beorhtsige, Cenwald, Cynesige and Wulfhelm, bishops; Eadhelm, abbot; Osulf, Eadmund and AEthelstan, ealdormen ('dux'); Eadgife, the king's mother; Dunstam, abbot Anathema clause. Boundary clause, in Old English, on reverse. This describes the boundaries as on the north side and on the west from 'yfinga ho' out to sea, then by the sand to 'north muthan', from 'north muthan' to Makinbrooke ('macanbroces') [in Herne], and then to 'aerne wege', from 'aerne wege' to 'eanflaede muthan', from 'eanflaede muthan' to 'maerc fleotes muthan' and from there back to 'eanflaede muthan', on the east side to 'mylen fleotes muthan' as far as 'suth tune', then from there along the brook ('broces') to 'hathe maeringe', then on the south side of 'hathe maeringe' to 'stoccum', from 'stoccum' along the street ('straete') to 'sancte agustines mearce' and from there to the brook, then along the brook as far as 'stan brycge', south from 'stan brycge' to 'wifelinge' at 'criste ciricean gemaere', then from there to 'ealdan hege', on the west side of 'ealdan hege' to 'feaxum', then west from Feaxum to Celdan at 'cinges gemaere', from 'cinges gemaere' westward up to 'gata gehaegge', thence into 'yfinga ho', so out into the sea. A closing note in Old English notes the measure (in sulungs) of certain features of the land granted. There are 4 sulungs belonging to Reculver in Thanet ('tenet') and 4 sulungs and 1 'laes' in 'waru'. There are 25 sulungs altogether and 1 sulung in Chilmington ('ceolulfing tune') [in Great Chart] south by the weald, for the repair of the church.
Composed and written by Dunstan, abbot of Glastonbury, at the command of King Eadred.
No date. [Date: handwriting.] Original dated 949 in the 4th year of Eadred's reign, no month.
Chaplais, cited below, considers that the document may be a genuine product of Dunstan's scriptorium at Glastonbury. Others cited in Sawyer, including Whitelock, consider it a forgery.
Place names as identified in Wallenberg, cited below.
Witnesses: Eadred, king of England; Oda, archbishop of Canterbury; Wulstan II, archbishop of York; Aelfheah I, bishop of Winchester; Aethelgar, bishop of Crediton; Aelfric, bishop of Hereford; Wulfsige, bishop of Sherborne; Theodred, bishop of London; Aelfred, bishop; Beorhtsige, bishop of Rochester; Cenwald, bishop of Worcester; Cynesige, bishop of Lichfield; Wulfhelm, bishop of Wells; Ealdhelm, abbot; Osulf, ealdorman ('dux'); Eadmund, ealdorman ('dux'); Aethelstan, ealdorman ('dux'); Queen Eadgifu, mother of Eadred
Endorsed with description and note that the document is in Latin in 12th cent hands.
The document was placed between glass in 1840, at a cost of £2 2s. See bill pasted onto fly leaf of the original 'Red Book' or 'Charter Book' in which 22 of the cathedral's other pre-Conquest documents were mounted at the same time. |