| Description | From: Cnut, king of England
To: Canterbury Cathedral Priory
Cnut has placed his gold crown on the altar of Christ in Canterbury, to the use of the church. He also grants the priory the port of Sandwich and all issues from the water of the same on each side of the river, whomever the land may belong to, from Pepperness to 'mearcesfleote', so that the priory shall receive the rights for a distance as far as a 'taperax' can be thrown from a ship when it is floating on the river at full tide to the land, for the monks' food ('bigleoue'). No man shall have any custom in the port except the priory. The priory shall also have a ship, the right of ferrying across the harbour and toll from all ships coming to the port. If anything is left in the sea at the fullest extent of low tide and beyond that to a point that can be reached by a man holding out a piece of wood called a 'spreot' and stretching out as far as he can, that shall also belong to the priory. Half of whatever is found in this half of the sea and brought to Sandwich shall be the monks' and half its finder's, notwithstanding earlier charters to the contrary. Anathema. Dated 1023.
Witnesses: Cnut, king of England; AEthelnoth, archbishop of Canterbury; AElfric, archbishop of York; AElfwine, bishop of London; AElfsige, bishop of Winchester; Bryhtwold, bishop of 'Coruiniensis'; AEthelric, bishop of Dorsetshire; AElmaer, Godwine, Bryhtwine and AEthelstan, bishops; AElmaer, Brihtmaer, Brihtwig and Wulnoth, abbots; Godwine, Eglaf, Yric and Thrym, earls; Thord,, Agemund, AElric, AElfwine, Brihtric, Leofric, Siraed, Godwine and Eadmaer, thanes ('minister') . This is a vernacular translation of CCA-DCc-ChAnt/S/261 (see below). No date. [Date: handwriting.] Original dated 1023, no month.
Brooks, cited below, considers this a late 11th century forgery, based on a more limited original grant of 1023.
Endorsed with description and note that the document is in English in 12th cent hands and 'Scrip' in 13th cent hand. |