32
S 1103

King Edward declares that his men in the gild of the English cnihtas are to have their sake and sake, within burh and without. [A.D. 1042 x 1044]

Archive: London, St Paul's

Eadward cyncg gret Ælfward biscop 7 Wulfgar minne port gerefa 7 ealle þa burhware on Lundene freonlice, 7 ic cyþe eow þæt ic wille þæt mine men on Ænglisce cnihte gilde beon heore sace 7 heore socne wurðe, binnan burh 7 butan, ofer heora land 7 ofer heora men, 7 ic wille þæt heo beon swa godre lage wurðe swa heo wæron on Eadgares dæge cynges 7 on mines fæder 7 swa on Cnudes, 7 ic wille eac hit mid gode geeacnian 7 ic nelle geþafian þæt heom ænig man misbeode ac beon heo ealle gesunde, 7 God eow ealle gehealde.

Edition: Charters of St Paul's, London, ed. S. E. Kelly, Anglo-Saxon Charters 10 (Oxford: Published for The British Academy by Oxford University Press, 2004), p. 216 (no. 32). For apparatus criticus see ibid., p. 216, and for a detailed commentary see ibid., pp. 216-19.

King Edward sends friendly greetings to Bishop Ælfweard and Wulfgar my town-reeve and all the citizens of London. And I inform you that my will is that all my men in the gild of English cnihtas shall be entitled to their sake and their soke, within borough and without, over their lands and over their men. And my will is that they shall be entitled to as good laws as they were in the time of King Edgar and in my father's time and similarly in Cnut's. And I will moreover augment its benefits. And I am not willing to tolerate that anyone shall do wrong to them, but may they all be prosperous. And God keep you all.

Translation: Charters of St Paul's, London, ed. S. E. Kelly, Anglo-Saxon Charters 10 (Oxford: Published for The British Academy by Oxford University Press, 2004), p. 216.