Select English historical documents of the ninth and tenth centuries

Florence Elizabeth Harmer

Sujets

• Great Britain
• Charters
• English language
• Old English

Informations

• Publié par: les_archives_du_savoir
• Nombre de lectures: 8
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 10 Mo

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SELECT
ENGLISH HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS
OF THE
TENTH CENTURIESI NINTH AND
EDITED BY
B.A.F. E. HARMER, (LOND.)
CAMBRIDGESOMETIME SCHOLAR OF GIRTON COLLEGE,
\
1
1
:Cambridge
at the Press
University
1914Dfl
150
(JTambrtttge:
M.A.PRINTED BY JOHN CLAY,
PRESSAT THE UNIVERSITYPREFACE
than ten Maitland called attention to the
years ago
MORE need of a edition of charters,satisfactory Anglo-Saxon
'" '
those numerous land-books which must be re-edited if the
first of is ever to be well understood."historyperiod English
however, his has not as met withUnfortunately, appeal yet
any response.
Until facilities for a work of this are forth-magnitude
be done editions of selected texts.coming something may by
Hitherto few of these documents have beenvery published
in a accessible form and with notes
conveniently explanatory
sufficient to make their contents and it is nointelligible;
doubt due to this fact that their manifold interest is
largely
so shewnlittle known. At the same time it has been Theby
Charters and Stevenson,Crawford Oxford, 1895)(ed. Napier
that a edition of even a small number of such textsscholarly
is of to thevaluable assistancecapable rendering general study
of the subject.
inThe documents contained this volumetwenty-three
most of which be described as charters cover amay period
of rather more than a and a from thehalf, beginningcentury
of the ninth are the earliest
early years century. They among
texts of their kind to the fact that theEnglish ; for, owing
written thecovenant was of foreign (ecclesiastical) origin,
earliest charters unlike the laws to have beenappear
have ifin Latin. Indeed we few,regularly composed very
charters of the seventh or cen-any, eighthgenuine English
turies MSS. andnone incertainly preserved contemporary
even in later times Latin charters are far more numerous.
This remark of landhowever toapplies properly only grants
or Wills are in we haveprivileges. thoughusually English,
no earlier than the ninthgenuine specimens century.vi Preface
Classified to their character seven of theseaccording
documents are of estates orm-vi, xvi,(i, xxm) grants
made or landowners. Oneetc.)privileges (rents, by kings
a Sixis a another deed oflease,(xvn) (vui) exchange.
best be described as records(vn, xn-xv, xvm) may perhaps
last in the form of a letter. Fiveof thenegotiations, being
are those of twoxx, wills,(li, X, xi, xxi) including kings,
and Eadred. One is a deed of manumission.Alfred (xix)
The two are in(IX, xxn) dedicatory inscriptionsremaining
MSS. of the to their or
Gospels, relating origin history.
from their historical these documentsApart importance
also considerable interest. Seven of themlinguisticpossess
are in ofwritten the Kentishn, iv, v, vn, IX, dialect,(j, x)
which are the earliest one isprobably specimens; (in)they
in Mercian and one in Northumbrian. The(xxn) language
aof the rest is West dialect which seems toSaxon, eventually
have come into use in of In
literary many parts England.
cases however the texts which have comecertain down to us
are derived from older ones with different
clearly linguistic
characteristics. Thus vi and vin shew evident traces of Kentish
while Mercian features be detected in xn-xv.dialect, may
There can be little doubt with onethat, possible exception
Inall these documents are records. twelve(xvi), genuine
cases either thevn, ix, x, xvm,(i-v, xix, xxn, xxin) original
orMSS. have been the restcontemporary copies preserved;
are known from but It belater,only fairly good, maycopies.
Editor has no to obtain asadded that the accuratespared pains
a text as in two cases and theExcept (ix xxi)possible.
have been submitted to careful andMSS. everywhere repeated
which has led to the correction of a number ofexamination,
erroneous found in editions.
readings previous
H. MUNRO CHADWICK.
1914.October,