517 APPENDIX E. LE'NLAND. THE following documents throw light upon the nature of Lænland, 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 quomodo 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 fratri bus 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 ciricsceatt et toll id est thelon. et tacc. id est swinsceade et caetera iura aecclesiae, nisi episcopus quid alicui eorum perdonare volucrit, 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 reperiantur, 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 velle sit inde ita stet, sive ad suum opus eas retinere, si sic sibi utile iudicaverit, sive eas alicui diutius praestare, si sic sibi placuerit, velut 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 accclesiam 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." "Edelbryht cine hit gebócode dám apostole on éce yrfe, and betæéhte hit dám biscope Eárdulfe tó bewitenne and his æftergæncan. Đá betweonan Xám wearð hit úte, and hæfdon hit cynegas oð Eádmund cine; dá "King Æðelberht granted it by his charter for ever to the apostle, and gave it in charge to bishop Eardwulf and his successors. However in process of time it became alienated, and the kings had it down to Eád gebohte hit Ælfstán Heáhstáninc æt dám cince mid hund twelftigan mancesan goldes and drittigan pundan, and ðæt him sealde mæst eal Elfeh his sunu. Æfter Eádmunde cincge da gebócode hit Eádred cinc Elfstáne on éce yrfe: dá æfter Ælfstánes dæge was Elfch his sunu his yrfewærd; and dæt he leác on hálre tungon, and ofteáh Elfríce his bréder landes and æhta, bútan he hwæt æt him gearnode. Đá for ðære bróðorsibbe geúde he him Eárhides and Crægan and Enesfordes and Wuldahámes his dæg. Đá oferbád Ælfeh his bróðor and feng tó his læne: dá hæfde Ælfríc suna Eádríc hátte and Ælfeh nnne. Đá geuỒe Alfeh Sám Eádríce Fárhides and Crægan and Wuldahámes, and hæfde him sylf Ænesford. Dá gewát Eádríc ær Ælfeh cwideleás, and Ælfch feng to his læne. Dáhæfde Eádríc láfe and nán beárn; dá geúðe Ælfeh hire hire morgengife æt Crægan; and stód Earhið and Wuldahám and Lytlanbróc on his læéne. Dá him eft geðúhte, ðá nám he his feorme on Wuldahám and on ðám óðran wolde, achine gey flade, and he ðá sænde tó dám arcebisceope Dúnstáne, mund; then Ælfstán son of Heáhstán bought it of the king for a hundred and twenty mancuses of gold and thirty pounds, and Ælfheáh his son gave him nearly all the money. After king Eádmund, king Eádred booked it to Ælfstán as an inheritance for ever: now after Ælfstán's day, Ælfheáh his son was his heir, and that he proved with a whole tongue, and deprived Ælfríc his brother both of land and chattels, but what he might deserve at his hands. Now for brotherly love he granted him Erith, Cray, Ænesford and Wouldham, for his life. Then Ælfheáh survived his brother, and re-entered on his læn: but Ælfric had a son called Eádríc, and Ælfheáh had none. Then Elfheáh granted Eádríc, Erith, Cray and Wouldham, and kept Ænesford for himself. Now Eádríc died before Ælfheáh without making a will, and Ælfheáh re-entered on his lén. Eádríc had a widow but no child; then Ælfheáh granted her her morning-gift, at Cray; and Erith, Wouldham and Littlebrook stood on his læn. When he bethought him, he took his feorm at Wouldham, and meant and he cóm tó Scylfe to him: and he cwæð his cwide beforan him, and he sætte anne cwide tó Cristes cyrican, and óðerne tó sancte Andrea, and dane priddan sealde his láfe. Đá bræc sýððan Leófsunu purh dat wíf de he nam, Eádríces láfe, ðæne cwide, and herewade das arcebiscopes gewitnesse, rád ða innon ða land mid dám wife bútan witena dóme. Đá man ðæt dám biscope cíode, ðá gelædde se biscop áhnunga ealles Ælféhes cwides tó Eárhiðe, on gewitnesse Ælfstánes biscopes on Lundene, and ealles ðæs hiredes, and ðæs æt Cristes cyrican, and dæs biscopes Ælfstánes an Hrofeceastre, and Wulfsies preóstes das scírigmannes, and Bryhtwaldes on Mæreweorde, and ealra Eást Cantwarena and West Cantwarena. And hit was gecnawe on Súð-Seáxan and on West-Seáxan and on Middel-Seáxan and on Est-Seáxan, dæt se arcebisceop mid his selfes áðe geáhnode Gode and sancte Andrea mid ðám bócan on Cristes hróde, da land de Leófsunu him tóteáh. And ðæne áð nam Wulfsige se scírigman, đá he nolde tó ðæs cinges handa: and are wæs God eáca ten hundan mannan de dane áð sealdan. so to do at the other places, but he fell ill, and sent to archbishop Dúnstán, and he came to him at Scylf: and Ælfheáh declared his will before him, and he deposited one will at Christchurch, another at St. Andrews, and the third copy he gave his widow. But afterwards Leofsunu broke through the will, through the wife he married, namely Eádríc's widow, and set at nought the archbishop's testimony, and rode in upon the land with the woman, without any judgement of the witan. ported to the bishop, he took all the claims of ownership under Elfheáh's will, to Erith, in witness of Elfstán bishop of London, and all the convent, and that at Christchurch, and Ælfstán bishop of Rochester, and Wulfsige the priest who was sheriff, and Bryhtwald of Mereworth, and all the men of East Kent and of West 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 Now when this was re |