Donationes Ad Diversas Ecclesias

Ethelbert, King of the English, Donations to Various Churches. (Monasticon Anglicanum, vol. I, pp. 110, 126, 167.) Donation of King Ethelbert of the land where the monastery of the Apostles Peter and Paul is situated, with the adjacent lands. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let it be known to all, both present and future, that I, Athelbert, by the grace of God king of the English, through my evangelic progenitor Augustine, having been turned from an idolater into a Christian, have given to God through that same bishop a certain portion of land of my right, under the eastern wall of the city of Dorobernia, where indeed through that same founder in Christ I established a monastery in honor of the chief apostles Peter and Paul, and I have granted that land and everything pertaining to that monastery with perpetual freedom, to such an extent that neither I, nor any of my royal successors, nor any power whatsoever, whether ecclesiastical or secular, may ever be allowed to usurp anything from it, but everything shall be under the free authority of the abbot himself. If anyone, however, should attempt to diminish or invalidate this donation of ours, by the authority of the blessed Pope Gregory and of our apostle Augustine, together with our own imprecation, let him be here segregated from all communion of holy Church, and on the day of judgment from all fellowship of the elect.

This land, where the monastery of the Apostles Peter and Paul is situated, together with the land adjoining it, is encircled by these boundaries: to the east, the church of Saint Martin, and from there to the east, by Siwenidoune; and thus to the north, by Wykyngmearch; again to the east and to the south, by Bureyaremearch; and thus to the south and west, by Kyngesmearch; again to the north and east, by Kingesmearch; and so to the west, to Ritherchepe; and thus to the north, to Dryttingstrete. Done in the city of Dorobernia in the year of the Incarnation of Christ 605, the sixth indiction. I, Athelbert, King of the English, have confirmed this donation of mine with the sign of the holy cross by my own hand. I, Augustine, by the grace of God archbishop, have willingly subscribed. I, Aswald, the king’s son, do this. I, Hanugi, the son of the duke, have praised it. I, Hocca, the earl, have consented. I, Andemundus, the referendary, have approved. I, Graphio, the earl, have blessed it. I, Tangi, the king’s son, the optimas, have confirmed it. I, Pinca, have consented. I, Geddi, have corroborated it.

II. Charter of Athelbertus. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let it be known to all, both present and future, that I, Athelbertus, by the grace of God king of the English, through my evangelic progenitor Augustinus, having been turned from an idolater into a Christian, have given to God through that same bishop a certain part of my land, under the eastern wall of the city of Dorobernia, where, namely, through that same founder in Christ, I established a monastery in honor of the chief apostles Peter and Paul, and I have granted it, together with that land and with all things that pertain to that monastery, perpetual freedom, so that neither I, nor any of my successor kings, nor any power whatsoever, whether ecclesiastical or secular, may ever be allowed to usurp anything from it, but all things shall be under the free authority of the abbot himself. If anyone, however, should attempt to diminish or invalidate anything from this donation of ours, by the authority of blessed Gregorius, and of our apostle Augustinus, and by our own imprecation as well, let him be here segregated from all communion of the holy Church, and on the day of judgment, from all fellowship of the elect. This land is encircled by these boundaries: to the east, the church of Saint Martin, and from there to the east, by Siwenidoune, and thus to the north, by Wgkyngmearch, again to the east and to the south, by Bureyaremearch; and thus to the south and west, by Kyngesmearch; likewise to the north, by Kyngesmearch, and thus to the west, to Ritherechepe, and so to the north, to Dryttingstrete.

This was done in the city of Dorobernia, in the year from the incarnation of Christ 605, indiction 6. I, Athelbertus, king of the English, have confirmed this donation of mine with my own hand, by the sign of the holy cross. I, Augustinus, by the grace of God archbishop, have willingly subscribed. I, Edbaldus, the king's son, have favoured it. I, Hamigisilus the dux, have praised it. I, Hocca the comes, have consented. I, Angemundus the referendarius, have approved. I, Graphio the comes, have blessed it. I, Tangisilus, the king's optimas, have confirmed it. I, Pinea, have consented. I, Geddy, have corroborated it. Athelbertus, king of the English, catholic by the mercy of almighty God, to all the faithful of his people, and to those awaiting with blessed hope the advent of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, sends greetings and the blessedness of eternal life, by the granting clemency of the highest King.

I, Athelbertus, confirmed upon the paternal throne, and peace having been divinely granted, having already for ten five-year periods wielded the sceptered power, and, irradiated by the grace of the Holy Spirit through the Venerable teachers of the sacred faith, having been converted with my whole heart from the error of false gods to the worship of the one true God, lest I appear ungrateful for the benefits to Him from whose holy seat the light of truth shone forth to us sitting in the region of the shadow of death, among other churches which I built at the urging and exhortation of the most blessed Pope Gregory and our holy father Augustine, I constructed from the foundations a monastery to the most blessed prince of the apostles Peter and the teacher of the nations Paul, and I strove to adorn it with lands and various donations of possessions, and I caused God-fearing monks to be gathered therein, and with the counsel of that same most reverend archbishop Augustine, from his holy college of saints I chose the venerable man Peter, a monk sent with him from the apostolic see, and I set him over them as abbot, as ecclesiastical order demands.

Therefore, desiring to advance this monastery to the height of a more worthy eminence, and yearning to extend its boundaries with its own possessions, with sound mind and whole counsel, with the consent of my son Edbaldus and of my other nobles and magnates, for the redemption of my soul and the hope of eternal reward, I also offered to it a vill named Sturiga, otherwise called Cistelei, with all revenues lawfully pertaining to it, with serfs, cultivated and uncultivated woods, meadows, pastures, marshes, rivers, and the maritime boundaries contiguous to it encircling it on one side, all things, movable and immovable, for the use of the brothers serving God there under the regular rule and monastic discipline: also a silver dish, a golden srapton, again a saddle with a golden bridle and adorned with gems, a silver mirror, armilcaisia closerica, an ornamented shirt, which had been sent to me as a gift from the lord Pope Gregory of the apostolic see, all of which I gladly offered to the aforesaid monastery. And this same monastery the servant of God Augustine himself richly endowed with relics of the holy apostles and martyrs and with various ecclesiastical ornaments transmitted to him from the apostolic see, and he ordered that he himself and all his successors be buried in it by apostolic authority, Scripture saying that it is not a city of the dead, but of men.

There also I have provided for burial for myself and my successors, hoping that I may one day be loosed from the bonds of sins and be led into the gate of eternal blessedness by that prince of the apostolic order himself, to whom the Lord gave the power of binding and loosing and entrusted the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Let no bishop, no one of my royal successors, presume to harm or disturb this monastery in any way, let him dare to usurp any subjection whatsoever in it, but the abbot who shall have been ordained there, within and without, with the counsel of the brothers according to the fear of God, shall freely rule and order it, so that on the Lord's day he may deserve to hear that sweet voice of our most pious Redeemer saying: "Well done, good and faithful servant, because you have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many; enter into the joy of your Lord." This donation of mine, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, by divine generosity that remission of sins may be granted to me, I have established in all things with the counsel of the most reverend father Augustine, and I have ordered it to be written by the presbyter Augemundus. Concerning all these things which are written here, if anyone presumes to diminish anything from them, let him know that he will render account to the most just judge God and to the blessed apostles Peter and Paul.

This donation was confirmed in the presence of these witnesses: the most reverend father Augustine, first archbishop of the Church of Dorobernia; also Mellitus and Justus, bishops of London and of the Church of Hrofesceaster; and the religious servant of Christ, Laurentius the priest; my son Eadbald; Hamigisil the dux; Augemund the referendary; Hocca and Graphio the comites; Tangesil, Pinea, Geddi, and Aldhun, the king’s optimates; and very many other persons of various dignities. It was enacted in the forty-fifth year of our reign, on the fifth day before the Ides of January. III. Æthelberht, king of the West Saxons or of the Kentishmen, sold to Bishop Waermund twenty acres of land and one half-vinculum of the civitas of Strobus and one mansium, for his money, fifteen pounds and thirty mancuses (as it is found in the charter), in the year 790. Subscribed: King Æthelberht; Archbishop Crolnolth; Bishops Eulhstan, Swithun, Guthheard, Dioruull; the king’s sons Æthelred and Æfred; Abbots Uullaf and Uurseth; Uulthem the priest; Ministers Uuerenberth and Celmund; Eannulf, Oric, Uulfhere, Aetheluulf; Humbearht, Uullaf, Aldred, Æthelred; Duces Dryhtwald and Biorhtuulf.