Anglo-Saxons – Gift from a King

Anglo-Saxon Charter S795

What’s in a charter?

The structure of the charter can be explored in several ways.

1. Students could be given the highlighted charter and asked to assign the correct labels from the mixed list within.
2. Students could be given one section of the charter and asked to present on its purpose. This could be a short paragraph, a discussion and feedback to the class, or a more creative output such as a poster.
3. Students could consider why the charter is laid out in this order and whether changing the order of the sections has any effect on the meaning or purpose of the document.
4. As this is a formal structure repeated in most charters of this type, students could consider why a formal structure is useful for grants of land and how the document would have been used at the time of its creation.
5. Students could attempt to write their own charter following this structure, granting a classroom table to a group of students or the seat next to them to their friend.

The first line says: “Our Lord Jesus Christ reigneth for ever.”

• Why does a document about a gift of land start with a statement about Jesus Christ?
• The words ‘Our Lord Jesus Christ’ have been shortened from ‘domino nostro Jhesu Christo’ to ‘dno nro ihu xpo’. Why would the Anglo Saxons use shortened words for this phrase? (Hint: how often are they used?)
• Crosses are used to open key sections of the writing. What could the symbol mean? What does it represent? Why is it included in the document?

This section says: “I Edgar, by divine grace obtained … royal rule over all Britain”

• Can you spot the word ‘Britain’ in the original image?
• Who gives Edgar the right to be king? (Hint: What does ‘divine’ mean?)
• What does this show about what people accepted or believed at the time?

This section says: ‘in reward of his devoted service grant unto Ælfhere three plots of ground’

• What reward has Ælfhere been given?
• Is this a good reward?
• Why has he been given it?

Ælfhere has been given land ‘with all fields, woods and meadows’

• What can Ælfhere do with the land he’s been given?

This section says: ‘free of all secular tribute and royal service, excepting only going to the wars and the building of bridges or castles.’

(Secular = non-religious. Royal service = duties to the king. )

• What does it mean for this land to be ‘free from royal service’?
• What can Edgar still do with the land?

This section says: ‘It is pronounced, ‘Depart from me, ye wicked, into everlasting fire,’’

• What will happen to anyone who goes against this charter and trespasses onto the land?

(Trespass – to enter without permission)

‘Edgar the King confirms his grant for life, Ælfthrythe the Queen agrees. Dunstan Archbishop of Canterbury, Oswold Archbishop of York, Athelwold Bishop of Winchester, Ælfstan Bishop of London’

• If the land has been given by the king, why do so many bishops and ministers sign it?

• What year was this charter written? Can you find it, written in roman numerals, in the image above?
• Can you work out the three numbers written below and add them together to find the year?

I = 1, X = 10, L = 50, C = 100, D = 500

DCCCC =

LXX =

IIII =

This section of the Charter is written in Old English instead of Latin like the rest of the document. It lists the places that are covered in the gift so that everyone knows which area of land is being gifted. Why would this part be in a different language that the rest of the charter? What does it tell us about the people who lived in the area and the people who ruled the land?

Can you find these placenames in the document?

• Nymed
• Copelanstan (hint: copelanſtan)
• Sedgbrook (hint: Secgbroc)
• Shipbrook (hint: ſcipbroc)

The section says:

“This is the land described as the three hydes at Nymed: First, to Copelanstan ; from that stone westwards on to the high road at Eisandune; then from there westward to the high road at Red Flood ; from there to Sedgbrook’s head ; from there down Sedgbrook to where the stream strikes west; from there out on Heathfield to the ditch-head; from the ditch down on Hane; from there down along the stream to where Kushbrook strikes on Nymed ; from there eastward on Eushbrook to Shipbrook ; then up Shipbrook, and so back to Copelanstan.”

This stone pillar is what remains of the ‘Copplestone Cross’, a stone that has been standing in this spot since the Anglo Saxon period.

• Can you find where it is mentioned in the charter?
• What other boundary markers can you find?