[ACT OF COUNCIL UNDER NOTHELM.]

firmavit. Præfata autem Dei famula Dunne, constructum in prædicto agello monasterium, cum agris suis necnon et cartulam descriptionis agri, cui tunc sola ipsa præerat, filiæ, nimirum filiæ suæ, in possessionem, ad Dominum migratura largita est. Sed quia hæc in parvula adhuc ætate erat posita, cartulam conscripti agri, necnon et omnem monasterii procurationem, quoad usque illa ad maturiorem pervenisset ætatem, matri illius maritatæ conservandam injunxit. Quæ cum cartulam reddi poposcisset, illa reddere nolens, furtu hanc sublatam respondit. Quo tandem omni negotio ad sanctam sacerdotalis concilii synodum perlato, decrevit omne venerabile concilium, cum reverentissimo archiepiscopo Nothelmo, hanc cartulam donationis, vel regum vel supradictæ Dei famula Dunnan, manifestissime describi, præfatæque abbatissæ Hrotuuari reddi, ejusque possessionem monasterii firmissimam esse; damnato nimirum eo, atque anathematizato synodi sacratissimæ decreto, qui cartam illam subscriptionis agri primitivam vel per furta, vel quolibet modo fraudulenter auferendo subripere præsumpserit. Atque hoc decernit sacra synodus, ut post obitum ejus, sicut ante statutum fuit a senioribus ejus, ad episcopalem sedem castrum Uueogernensis liber hic, cum terra,

reddatur.

Ego Nothelmus, gratia Dei archiepiscopus, canonice subscripsi. Ego Daniel episcopus subscripsi. Ego Uuor episcopus subscripsi. Ego Incguuald episcopus subscripsi. Ego Uuilfrith episcopus subscripsi. Ego Alduuulf episcopus subscripsi. Ego Aluuine episcopus subscripsi. Ego Forthere episcopus subscripsi.

Ego Cuthberht episcopus subscripsi. Ego Hereuuald episcopus subscripsi. [K. C. D., LXXXII., from MS. Cotton. Tib. A. XIII. f. 25'; Mon. Angl., I. 585; and see W., I. 86.]

a The date is fixed by the fact that among the witnesses are Wor, Bishop of Lichfield, who died A.D. 737 (Sim. Dun., M. H. B. 659), and the two Bishops of Sherborne-Forthere, who went to Rome in A.D. 737, and Herewald, who could not have been consecrated before A.D. 736.

This charter, independently of its interest as illustrating the subject of councils, is an im

portant commentary on Bede's complaints in the letter to Egbert (above, pp. 320, 321) as to the perversion of monastic privileges to secular purposes; the verbal coincidences even are remarkable. The monastery in question was Withington in Gloucestershire; it fell to Worcester during the pontificate of Bishop Milred (K. C. D., CXXIV.) in A.D. 774

[MERCIAN WITENAGEMOT.]

A.D. 737 x 740. A Mercian Witenagemota, in which Ethelbald the king grants land at Easton and Notgrove to Osred his "minister," to revert on his death to the Church of S. Mary at Worcester. [K. C. D., XC.] (Questionable.)

Attended by six Bishops: Wilfrid of Worcester, Torthelm of Leicester, Hwitta of Lichfield, Cuthbert of Hereford, Alwig of Lindsey, and "Sigebed," who might possibly be Sigga of Selsey (but see K. C. D., LXXX., and LXXXIII., where he signs as Comes). The charter is referred, by a note added after the year 793, to A.D. 743; but this only tends to throw doubt on its authenticity. The mona

stic church of S. Mary at Worcester, which under S. Oswald (A.D. 961-992) became the cathedral, was probably founded about this time, or a few years later, when, in consequence of the decree of Clovesho restricting the liberty of monks, the seculars and regulars, who had hitherto lived together in the cathedral monasteries, separated.

[CUTHBERT ARCHBISHOP.]

XI. CUTHBERT, A.D. 740-758".

["Gratia Dei archiepiscopus" (K. C. D., LXXXVI.),

A.D. 740. Cuthbert translated from Hereford to Canterbury (Flor. Wig. ad A.D. 741;
Cont. Bad., M. H. B. 288; Sim. Dun., M. H. B. 661). (A.D. 742,
Osbern, V. Bregwini, A. S., II. 75.) He attests a grant of Ethelbert of Kent
to Liminge (K. C. D., LXXXVI.; Mon. Angl., I. 453).

A.D. 742. Council at Clovesho, in which the Privilege of Wihtred is confirmed (K.
C. D., LXXXVII.).

A.D. 747. Council at Clovesho, held in consequence of the advice of Pope Zacharias.
Cuthbert attests a grant of Eardulf, King of Kent, to Rochester (K. C. D.,
XCVI.).

A.D. 749. Privilege of Ethelbald, King of Mercia (K. C. D., XCIX.).

A.D. 755. Council in which the day of S. Boniface's martyrdom is ordered to be kept as a festival.

A.D. 758. Cuthbert attests a grant of Kynewulf, King of Wessex, to Bath (K. C. D.,
CXCIII., marked as spurious, and misdated A.D. 808, but possibly
authentic if allowed the earlier date).

A.D. 758, Oct. 26. Cuthbert diese (A. S. C.; Flor. Wig., M. H. B. 544; Elmbam,
P. 317).]

a Cuthbert, Bishop of Hereford, was consecrated by Archbishop Nothelm in A.D. 736; and is stated by Florence of Worcester to be the person who became Archbishop in 740. In the charter of Ethelbert to Liminge (K. C. D., LXXXVI.), he is said to be Abbot of Liminge. The Continuator of Bede, Simeon of Durham, and Hoveden, do not mention the translation, but simply say "consecratus est," which may be explained as referring to the investiture with the pall. The identification is maintained by William of Malmesbury (G. P., ed. Hamilton, pp. 8, 298, 299), Gervase (c. 1640), Thorn (c. 1772), Elmham (p 313), Birchington (A. S., I. 3), and the Canterbury historians generally. Osbern (A. S., II. 75) calls him "ex illustri prosapia ortus." Malmesbury gives some verses inscribed by

W.

him on the tombs of his predecessors at Hereford (ed. Hamilton, p. 299); and Wharton (A. S., II. 72) prints part of a metrical life of Cuthbert himself, of no particular value, but recognising the identity.

b Ralph de Diceto states that Cuthbert received the pall from Pope Gregory III. (A. S., I. 87); therefore before Nov. 29, 741. The same statement is made by Gervase (cc. 1640, 1641); but it rests on no ancient authority, and although probably true, was a mere matter of calculation with those writers.

The difficulty of reconciling the dates given by Florence and the Chronicle with the pontifical years calculated by the later annalists, arises from the miscalculation of the dates of Bregwin his successor, and will be found examined further on.

A.D. 742a. Council of Clovesho, in which the Privilege of Wihtred is

confirmed.

Anno Dominicæ Incarnationis DCCXLII.b congregatum est magnum Concilium apud Clovesho, præsidente eodem Concilio Athel

[COUNCIL AT CLOVESHO.]

baldo Rege Merciorum, cum Cuthberto Archiepiscopo Doroberniæ, cæterisque episcopis simul assidentibus, diligenter examinantes circa necessaria totius religionis, et de symbolo ex antiquis sanctorum patrum institutionibus tradita, studioseque perquirentes qualiter in primordio nascentis Ecclesiæ hic in Anglia jubebatur habere, aut ubi honor cœnobiorum secundum normam æquitatis".

Hæc et hiis similia anxie inquirentes, antiquaque privilegia recitantes, tandem pervenit ad manus libertas Ecclesiarum, institutio vel præceptum Wihtredi gloriosi Regis, de electione et auctoritate cœnobiorum in Regno Cantiæ, quomodo et qualiter secundum imperium et electionem Cantuariensis Metropolitani fieri [et] stare præcipitur. Ex præcepto itaque Regis Adelbaldi, lectum est coram omnibus privilegium præfati Wihtredi gloriosi Regis, et placuit cunctis hoc audientibus, pariterque dixerunt: Nullum aliud tam nobile, tamque prudenter constitutum decretum invenire potuisse secundum Ecclesiasticam disciplinam, et ideo hoc ab omnibus firmare

sanxerunt.

Igitur ego Athelbaldus Rex Merciorum, pro salute animæ meæ, et pro stabilitate regni mei, proque venerabilis Archiepiscopi Cuthberti reverentia, propria manu mea munifica subscribens confirmo: ut per omnia libertas, honor, auctoritas, et securitas Christi Ecclesiæ a nulla persona denegetur, sed sit libera ab omnibus secularibus servitiis, et omnes terræ ad illam pertinentes, exceptis expeditione, pontis et arcis constructione. Et sicut ipse præfatus Rex Wihtredus, pro se suisque constituit servandum, ita per omnia irrefragabiliter et immutabiliter perdurare præcipimus.

Si quis autem Regum successorum nostrorum, seu episcoporum, vel principum hoc salubre decretum infringere temptaverit, reddet rationem Deo omnipotenti in die tremendo.

Si autem comes, presbyter, diaconus, clericus vel monachus huic institutioni restiterit, sit suo gradu privatus, et a participatione Corporis et Sanguinis Domini separatus, et alienus a regno Dei, nisi ante placita satisfactione emendaverit, quod malo superbiæ inique gessit. Scriptum est enim: "Quæcunque ligaveritis super terram, erunt ligata et in cælo: et quæ solveritis super terram, erunt soluta et in cælo." [MS. Lambeth. 1212, fo. 308; K. C. D., LXXXVII. ; S., I. 230, 231; W., I. 86.]

The date which is given in the charter itself agrees with the statement of the Chro

nicle, "Her was mycel sino gegaderod æt Cloueshou, and bar was Adelbald Myrcua

[COUNCIL AT CLOVESHO.]

Icing and Cutberht arb. and fela oðre wise menn. But it occurs only in the MS. Domitian A. VIII., which labours under the suspicions common to every record that notices the Privilege of Wihtred, the more especially as it does not mention the far more important council of A.D. 747.

b The version preferred by Kemble, who refers to Chart. Antiq. Cant. M. 363, adds here, "Indict. X. regni vero Æthilbaldi Regis Merciorum XXVII.' Wilkins, who used MS. Cotton, Claudius D. 2. fo. 30, omits this.

⚫ Servaretur, add. Kemb.

d Wilkins and Kemble add the following attestations, taken, as Wilkins states, from a faulty MS. at Canterbury, by Wharton:

Ego
Ego

Ego Ethelbald rex divino suffragio fultus gentis Merciorum regens imperium signum sanctæ crucis subscribo. Ego Cutbertus archiepiscopus propria manu subscripsi. Wita episcopus consensi et subscripsi. Torhthelm episcopus consensi et subscripsi. Ego Wilfredi episc. cons. et subs. Ego Cuthberht episc. cons. et subs. Ego Huetlac episc. cons. et subs. Ego Eanfrith episc. cons. et subs. Ego Egclaf episc. cons. et subs. Ego Alwig episc. cons. et subs.

Ego Hunwald episc. cons. et subs. Ego Daniel episc. cons. et subs. Ego Aldwulf episc. cons. et subs. Ego Ethelfrith episc. cons. et subs. Ego Herewald episc. cons. et subs. Ego Sicga episc. cons. et subs.

Ego Redwulf episc. cons. et subs. Ego Ofa patricius cons. et subs. Ego Aldwuulf dux cons. et subs. Ego Ethelmod indolis Ego Heardberht dux

Merc. cons. et subs.

cons. et subs.

Ego Eadbald dux cons. et

subs. Ego Bercul dux cons. et subs. Ego Cyneberht cons. et subs. Ego Freothoriic cons. et subs. Ego Wermund abbas cons. et subs. Ego Cuthræd abbas cons. et subs.

Ego Buna abbas cons. et subs." The Bishops according to their sees and dates are: Cuthbert of Canterbury (A.D. 740-758); Hwitta of Lichfield (A.D. 737-752); Torhthelm, or Totta, of Leicester (A.D. 737-764); Wilfrid of Worcester (A.D. 717-743); Cuthbert of Hereford (supposing him to be not identical with the Archbishop); Huetlæc of Elmham (alive in A.D. 731, B., V. 23, but succeeded by Ethelfrith in A.D. 736); Eanfrith also of Elmham (alive in A.D. 758); Egclaf of Dunwich (date unknown); Alwig of Lindsey (A.D. 733-750); Hunwald of London (A.D. 706-745); Daniel of Winchester (A.D. 705-744); Aldwulf of Rochester (A.D. 727-741); Ethelfrith of Elmham (A.D. 736); Herewald of Sherborne (cons. 736); Sicga of Selsey (A.D. 733-747); and Redwulf (probably Eardulf of Dunwich, who was at the council of A.D. 747). From this enumeration it appears that three successive bishops of Elmham and two of Dunwich were present at the same time; a statement which shows that the signatures were added after the lists of the East Anglian bishops had become obscure, and is fatal by itself to the authenticity of the attestations. The fact, however, that the best copy of the charter does not contain the attestations may be considered sufficient to rescue the document itself from suspicion on this ground.

A.D. 729 × 744. Letter of the Abbot Aldhun and the Abbesses Cneuburga and Coenburga to the Abbots Coengils and Ingeld and the Priest Wiethberkt, agreeing to a proposal of mutual intercession a.

Fratribus in Christo carissimis Coengilsob et Ingeldo abbatibus et singu lariter cognato nostro Wietberto presbytero, OMNIS CONGREGATIO TRIUM MONASTERIORUM, id est AldhuNI PATRIS REVERENTISSIMI ET CNEUBERGE CHRISTI FAMULÆ NEC NON ET COENBURGE ABBATISSARUM, perennem atque insolubilem in Domino salutem.

Libenter nanque atque gratanter vestræ salutationis munuscula suscepimus Deoque adjuvante isdem digna reconpensare desideramus; et eam, quam circa nos scripsistis habere in orationibus communionem, bono animo et pura fide erga vos indesinenter habere horis, quibus intimastis, consentimus. Nomina quoque nostrarum defunctarum sororum ego Cneuburg memorialiter te habere, O Wieht