Chapter XXIV: Appendix: E

LǼNLAND.

The following documents throw light upon the nature of Lǽland, and the conditions under which it was held. The first is a detailed account given by Oswald, bishop of Worcester, to king Eádgár, of the plan which he adopted in leasing the lands of his church: it is reprinted here from the sixth volume of the Codex Diplomaticus, No. 1287. The second is a statement of the way in which an estate of six ploughlands at Wouldham in Kent became the property of the Cathedral at Rochester: it is No. 1288 in the same collection.

“Domino meo karissimo regi Anglorum Eadgaro, ego Osuualdus
Uuigornensis aecclesiae episcopus omnium quae mihi per ipsius
clementiam munerum tradita sunt, apud deum et apud homines gratias
ago. Igitur si dei misericordia suppeditet, coram deo et hominibus
perpetualiter ei fidelis permanebo, reminiscens cum gratiarum actione
largifluae benignitatis eius, quia per meos illud quod magnopere
expetebam mihi concessit internuntios, id est reverentissimum
Dunstanum archiepiscopum et venerandum Æðeluuoldum Uuintoniae
episcopum et virum magnificum Brihtnoðum comitem, quorum legatione et
adiutorio meam et sanctae dei aecclesiae querelam suscepit, et
secundum consilium sapientum et principum suorum iuste emendavit, ad
sustentamen aecclesiae quam mihi benigne et libens regendam commisit.
Quare quo modo fidos mihi subditos telluribus quae meae traditae sunt
potestati per spatium temporis trium hominum, id est duorum post se
haeredum, condonarem, placuit tam mihi quam ipsis fautoribus et
consiliariis meis, cum ipsius domini mei regis licentia et
attestatione, ut fratribus meis successoribus, scilicet episcopis, per
cyrographi cautionem apertius enuclearem, ut sciant quid ab eis
extorquere iuste debeant secundum conventionem cum eis factam et
sponsionem suam; unde et hanc epistolam ob cautelae causam componere
studui, ne quis malignae cupiditatis instinctu hoc sequenti tempore
mutare volens, abiurare a servitio aecclesiae queat. Haec itaque
conventio cum eis facta est, ipso domino meo rege annuente, et sua
attestatione munificentiae suae largitatem roborante et confirmante,
omnibusque ipsius regiminis sapientibus et principibus attestantibus
et consentientibus. Hoc pacto eis terras sanctae aecclesiae sub me
tenere concessi, hoc est ut omnis equitandi lex ab eis impleatur quae
ad equites pertinet; et ut pleniter persolvant omnia quae ad ius
ipsius aecclesiae iuste competunt, scilicet ea quae Anglice dicuntur
ciricsceott et toll id est theloneum et tace, id est swinsceade, et
caetera iura aecclesiae, nisi episcopus quid alicui eorum perdonare
voluerit; seseque quamdiu ipsius terras tenent in mandatis pontificis
humiliter cum omni subiectione perseverare etiam iureiurando
affirment. Super haec etiam ad omnis industriae episcopi indigentiam
semetipsos praesto impendant; equos praestent; ipsi equitent; et ad
totum piramiticum opus aecclesiae calcis atque ad pontis aedificium
ultro inveniantur parati; sed et venationis sepem domini episcopi
ultronei ad aedificandum repperiantur, suaque quandocumque domino
episcopo libuerit venabula destinent venatum; insuper ad multas alias
indigentiae causas quibus opus est domino antistiti sepe frunisci,
sive ad suum servitium sive ad regale explendum, semper illius
archiductoris dominatui et voluntati qui episcopatui praesidet,
propter beneficium quod illis praestitum est, cum omni humilitate et
subiectione subditi fiant, secundum ipsius voluntatem et terrarum quas
quisque possidet quantitatem. Decurso autem praefati temporis
curriculo, videlicet duorum post eos qui eas modo possident haeredum
vitae spatio, in ipsius antistitis sit arbitrio quid inde velit, et
quomodo sui vello sit inde ita stet, sive ad suum opus eas retinere,
si sic sibi utile iudicaverit, sive eas alicui diutius praestare, si
sic sibi placuerit velit; ita dumtaxat ut semper aecclesiae servitia
pleniter ut praefati sumus inde persolvantur. Ast si quid praefatorum
delicti praevaricantis causa defuerit iurum, praevaricationis delictum
secundum quod praesulis ius est emendet, aut illo quod antea potitus
est dono et terra careat. Si quis vero, diabolo instigante, quod
minime optamus, extiterit, qui per nostrum beneficium aecclesiam dei
fraude, seu in sua possessione aut servitio debito privare
temptaverit, ipse nostra omnique benedictione dei et sanctorum eius
privetur, nisi profundissima emendatione illud corrigere studeat et ad
pristinum statum quod defraudavit redigat, scriptum est enim ‘Raptores
et sacrilegi regnum dei non consequentur.’ Nunc autem propter deum et
sanctam Mariam, in cuius nomine hoc monasterium dicatum est, moneo et
praecipio, ut nullo modo quis hoc praevaricare audeat, sed sicut a
nobis statutum est, ut praefati sumus, perpetualiter maneat. Qui
custodierit omni benedictione repleatur; qui vero infringerit,
maledicetur a domino et ab omnibus sanctis, Amen. Gratanter,
reverentissime domine, quo tantis tuae donis clementiae, secundum quod
totius creatoris cosmi est velle, praeditus sum, meae operam
voluntatis, ut pro te tuisque deum iugiter interpellem, devotus
impendam, meosque successores ad hoc hortari studebo, ut domini
misericordiam pro te deprecari non desinant, ut Christus pace qui
perhenni regnat ethrali in arce te consortio dignum haberi dignetur
sanctorum omnium in aula coelesti. Valeat in aevum qui hoc studuerit
servare decretum. Harum textus epistolarum tres sunt ad
praetitulationem et ad signum, una in ipsa civitate quae vocatur
Uuigraceaster, altera cum venerabili Dunstano archiepiscopo in
Cantuaria, tertia cum Æðeluuoldo episcopo in Uuintonia civitate.”

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“Æðelbryht cinc hit gebócode ðám “King Æðelberht granted it by his apostole on éce yrfe and betǽhte charter for ever to the apostle, hit ðám biscope Eárdulfe tó and gave it in charge to bishop bewitenne and his æftergæncan. Ðá Eardwulf and his successors. betweonan ðám wearð hit úte, and However in process of time it hæfdon hit cynegas oð Eádmund became alienated, and the kings cinc; ðá gebohte hit Ælfstán had it down to Eádmund; then Heáhstáninc Ðá for ðǽre Ælfstán son of Heáhstán bought it bróðorsibbe geúðe he him Eárhiðes of the king for a hundred and and Crǽgan and Ænesfordes and twenty mancuses of gold and thirty Wuldahámes his dæg. Ðá oferbád pounds, and Ælfheáh his son gave Ælfeh ðæne bróðor and feng tó his him nearly all the money. After lǽne: ðá hæfde Ælfríc suna Eádríc king Eádmund, king Eádred booked hátte and Ælfeh nǽnne. Ðá geúðe it to Ælfstán as an inheritance Ælfeh ðám Eádríce Eárhiðes and for ever: now after Ælfstán’s day, Crǽgan and Wuldahámes, and hæfde Ælfheáh his son was his heir, and himsylf Ænesford. Ðá gewát Eádríc that he proved with a whole ǽr Ælfeh cwídeleás, and ₮520.25 tongue, and deprived Ælfríc his Ælféh Ælfeh₮ feng tó his lǽne. Ðá brother both of land and chattels, hæfde Eádríc láfe and nán beárn; but what he might deserve at his ðá geúðe Ælfeh hire hire hands. Now for brotherly love he morgengife æt Crǽgan; and stód granted him Erith, Cray, Ænesford, Eárhið and Wuldahám and Lytlanbróc and Wouldham, for his life. Then on his lǽne. Ðá him eft geðúhte, Ælfheáh survived his brother, and ðá nám he his feorme on Wuldahám re-entered on his lǽn: but Ælfríc and on ðám óðran wolde, ac hine had a son called Eádríc, and geyflade, and he ðá sænde tó ðám Ælfheáh had none. Then Ælfheáh arcebiscope Dúnstáne, and he cóm granted to Eádríc Erith, Cray, and tó Scylfe tó him: and he cwæð his Wouldham, and kept Ænesford for cwide beforan him, and he sætte himself. Now Eádríc died before ǽnne cwide tó Cristes cyrican, and Ælfheáh without making a will, and óðerne tó sancte Andrea, and ðane Ælfheáh re-entered on his lǽn. þriddan sealde his láfe. Ðá bræc Eádríc had a widow but no child; sýððan Leófsunu þurh ðæt wíf ðe he then Ælfheáh granted her her nám, Eádríces láfe, ðæne cwide, _morning-gift_, at Cray; and and herewade ðæs arcebiscopes Erith, Wouldham and Littlebrook gewitnesse, rád ða innon ða land stood on his lǽn. When he mid ðám wífe bútan witena dóme. Ðá bethought him, he took his feorm man ðæt ðám biscope cíðde, ðá at Wouldham, and meant so to gelǽdde se biscop áhnunga ealles do at the other places, but he Ælféhes cwides tó Eárhiðe, on fell ill, and sent to archbishop gewitnesse Ælfstánes biscopes on Dúnstán, and he came to him at Lundene, and ealles ðæs hiredes, Scylf: and Ælfheáh declared his and ðæs æt Cristes cyrican, and will before him, and he deposited ðæs biscopes Ælfstánes an one will at Christchurch, another Hrofesceastre, and Wulfsies at St. Andrews, and the third copy preóstes ðæs scírigmannes, and he gave his widow. But afterwards Bryhtwaldes on Mǽreweorðe, and Leofsunu broke through the will, ealra Eást Cantwarena and West through the wife he married, Cantwarena. And hit wæs gecnǽwe on namely Eádríc’s widow, and set at Súð-Seáxan and on West-Seáxan and nought the archbishop’s testimony, on Middel-Seáxan and on and rode in upon the land with the Est-Seáxan, ðæt se arcebiscop mid woman, without any judgment of the hisselfes áðe geáhnode Gode and witan. Now when this was reported sancte Andrea mid ðam bócan on to the bishop, he took all the Cristes hróde, ða land ðe Leófsunu claims of ownership under him tóteáh. And ðæne áð nám Ælfheáh’s will, to Erith, in Wulfsige se scírigman, ðá he nolde witness of Ælfstán bishop of tó ðæs cinges handa: and ðǽre wæs London, and all the convent, and God eáca ten hundan mannan ðe ðane that at Christchurch, and Ælfstán áð sealdan. bishop of Rochester, and Wulfsige _Rubric._ Ðús wǽron ða the priest who was sheriff, and seox sulung æt Wuldahám sancte Bryhtwald of Mereworth, and all Andrea geseald intó the men of East Kent and of West Hrofesceastre.” Kent. And it was well known in Sussex and Wessex, and Middlesex and Essex, that the archbishop with his own oath upon the cross of Christ, recovered the land which Leofsunu had invaded, together with the books, for God and St. Andrew. And Wulfsige the sheriff received the oath, since he would not go to the king’s hand: and there was a good addition of a thousand men who gave the oath. _Rubric._ Thus were the six ploughlands at Wouldham given to St. Andrew at Rochester.”