179
S 1088

Writ of King Edward granting to Archbishop Stigand and the community at Christ Church judicial and financial rights over their own men and over as many thegns as he has granted them to have. [A.D. 1052 x 1066, ? for 1052]

Archive: Canterbury, Christ Church

+ Eadweard cyngc gret ealle mine bisceopes . 7 mine eorlas . 7 mine gerefan . 7 ealle mine þegenas on þam sciran þær Stigande arcebisceop . 7 se hired æt Cristes cyrcean on Cantwarabyrig habbað land inne freondlice . 7 ic cyðe eow þæt ic habbe him geunnan þæt hi beon heora saca 7 socne wurþe . on strande 7 on streame . on wudan 7 on feldan . tolnes 7 teames . griþbrices 7 hamsocne . forestealles 7 infangenes þeoues . 7 flemena fermþe ouer hera agene menn binnan burgan 7 butan . swa full 7 swa forþ swa mine agene wicneras hit secan scoldan . 7 ouer swa fela þegena swa ic heom to gelæten hæbbe . 7 ic nelle þæt æni man æni þing þær on teo butan hy 7 heora wicneras þe hi hit betæcan wyllaþ . for þan þingan þe ic habbe þas gerihta forgiuen minre sawle to ecere alysednesse . swa Cnut cyng ær dyde . 7 ic nelle geþauian þæt æni man þis tobrece be mina freondscipe.

Edition: Charters of Christ Church, Canterbury, ed. N. P. Brooks and S. E. Kelly, Anglo-Saxon Charters (The British Academy, forthcoming), no. 179. For apparatus criticus and a detailed commentary see this edition.

King Edward greets to all my bishops and my earls and my reeves and all my thegns in the shires in which Archbishop Stigand and the community at Christ Church have land, in friendship. And I make known to you that I have granted them that they be legally entitled to their sake and soke, on strand and in stream, in woodland and in open country, to toll and team, to breach of the peace, to hamsocn, to foresteall and to infangenetheof and to flymenafyrmth over their own men within boroughs and without, as fully and to the same extent as my own officials would expect it, and over as many thegns as I have assigned them to have. And I forbid that any man should take anything therefrom except themselves and their officials to whom they wish to entrust it, because I have given these rights for the eternal salvation of my soul, as King Cnut did previously. And I will not tolerate that any man breach this, by my friendship.

Translation: Charters of Christ Church, Canterbury, ed. N. P. Brooks and S. E. Kelly, Anglo-Saxon Charters (The British Academy, forthcoming), no. 179.