anglo-saxon women before the law: a student edition of five old english lawsuits

8/7/2019 Anglo-Saxon Women Before the Law: A Student Edition of Five Old English Lawsuits

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Voume no.

Anglo-Saxon Women Before the Law:

A Student Edition o Five Old English Lawsuits

Andew RbinDeptment o EngishUnivesit o Louisvie

Old English Newsletter. (): . Copight he Univesit o ennessee.


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Old English Newsletter

Introduction

he sttus o women unde Od Engish w is mong the most contested topics in Ango-Sxon studies.Some hve gued tht the es beoe the Nomn Conquest wee supising bight peiod duingwhich women owned nd, exeted signiicnt poitic inuence, nd execised mn o the sme ights

s men.1 Othes hve sid tht duing this peiod women wee viewed s itte moe thn mens popet,subject to the sme second-css tetment the eceived in othe e mediev cutues.2 he ive ch-tes edited hee ecod wsuits in which the pincip itignts e women o dieent bckgounds. hesedocuments ise mn questionseg, soci, nd hetoicnd iustte the diicuties invoved inddessing this issue. At the sme time, the povide vivid depictions o the ws w ws pcticed, po-iticized, nd (pehps most impotnt) nted duing this peiod. he w dispute ws ecodedinuenced not on the utue djudiction o simi cses but so the mnne in which the w wsundestood b subsequent judges, wmkes, nd itignts. Recods ike these cn give us deepe unde-stnding o the intections between competing notions o gende, textuit, nd eg uthoit in Ango-Sxon Engnd.

Old English Lawsuits and Lawsuit Records

o undestnd how pe-Conquest wsuits wee esoved equies knowedge o the suviving cse ecods,et the souce mtei o this sot o stud pesents numbe o diicuties. Unike moden w, whichhs oici pocedues govening how tis nd othe disputes e documented, Ango-Sxon Engndcked n om sstem o ecoding wht tnspied in cout. Ou knowedge o e eg disputesinsted deives om the ccountsoten mbiguous, incompete, o ptisnpeseved in othe sots otexts, incuding sints ives, chonices, Domesday Book, nd chtes. he esut is tht ewe wsuitssuvive om Ango-Sxon Engnd thn om esewhee in Euope; the histoin Ptick Womd iden-tiied Ango-Sxon wsuits suits ecoded ove ppoximte es (c. -), comped to

Chistine G. Ck, Womens Rights in E Engnd, Brigham Young University Law Review (): . Simissetions m be ound s e s in Hen Cbot Lodges ess on Te Ango-Sxon Lnd-Lw: In the

w to be dwn om the books, women ppe s in eve espect equ to men. Hen Cbot Lodge, Te Ango-Sxon Lnd Lw, Essays in Anglo-Saxon Law, ed. Hen Adms (Boston: Litte Bown nd Compn, ), . Moeecent, nogous views m be ound in Shei G. Dietich, An Intoduction to Women in Ango-Sxon Societ,Te Women o England: From Anglo-Saxon imes to the Present, ed. Bb Knne (Hmdon, C: Achon Books,), , F. M. Stenton, Te Histoic Being o Pce-Nme Studies: Te Pce o Women in Ango-Sxon Societ,Prepatory to Anglo-Saxon England: Being the Collected Papers o Frank Merry Stenton, ed. Dois Stenton (Oxod:Oxod Univesit Pess, ), .

See, o instnce, Anne L. Kinck, Ango-Sxon Women nd the Lw, Journal o Medieval History (): ,Ce Lees nd Giin R. Oveing, Double Agents: Women and Clerical Culture in Anglo-Saxon England(Phidephi:Univesit o Pennsvni Pess, ), , Juie Coemn, Rpe in Ango-Sxon Engnd, Violence and Society inthe Early Medieval West, ed. Gu Hs (Woodbidge: Bode Pess, ), -, Shi Hone, Te Discourse oEnclosure (New Yok: Stte Univesit o New Yok Pess, ), Shi Hone, Te Lnguge o Rpe in Od Engish

Litetue nd Lw: Views om the Ango-Sxon(ist)s, Sex and Sexuality in Anglo-Saxon England: Essays in Memoryo Daniel Gillmore Calder, ed. Co Bun Pstenck nd Lis M.C. Weston (empe, AZ: ACMRS, ), -,Coe A. Hough, Te E Kentish Divoce Lws: A Reconsidetion o Aethebeht, Chs. nd , Anglo-SaxonEngland (): -, Coe A. Hough, wo Kentish Lws Concening Women: A New Reding o thebeht nd , Anglia (): -, Jnet Neson, Te W Widow, Property and Power in the Early Middle Ages,ed. Wend Dvies nd Pu Fouce (Cmbidge: Cmbidge Univesit Pess, ), -, M P. Richds ndB. Jne Stned, Concepts o Ango-Sxon Women in the Lws, New Readings on Women in Old English Literature ,ed. Heen Dmico nd Aexnd Hennesse Osen (Boomington: Indin Univesit Pess, ), -, VictoiTompson, Women, Powe, nd Potection in enth- nd Eeventh-Centu Engnd, Medieval Women and the Law,ed. No Jmes Menuge (Woodbidge: Bode Pess, ), -.


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Voume no.

moe thn Fnkish cses suviving om the sme peiod.3 hese ecods wee equent sponsoedb the victoious itignts, who pesumb mde itte eot towds objectivit, nd thus the events theecount must ws be viewed with cetin suspicion. hei esons o ecoding them e indicted bthe sots o cses peseved: most invove disputes ove nd owneship the thn cimes such s mu-de, ssut, o othe oms o peson inju. his ocus on popet suggests tht the pim unction

o such eg ecods ws to povide itignts with ce poo o owneship nd potection ginst utuecims. Since itec nd mnuscipt poduction ge in the povennce o the Chuch, it is not su-pising tht the mjoit o extnt cse ecods concen eigious institutions nd tht the wsuits pe-seved e most those tht the Chuch won.

he eg wod depicted in the ecods tht do suvive is one in which the settement o disputes ws in-uenced moe b oc pctice nd egion poitics thn b the dicttes o centized o o judiciuthoit. Athough mn extnt w-codesmost notbII Edmund, III Edgar, nd IV Edgarcontinsttutes govening dispute settement, supising, no suviving chte mentions the o ws beingused to sette dispute. Indeed, the settement pocedues nd cimin penties depicted in the wsuitecods oten die mked om those pescibed in o egistion. As one histoin wites, ptom om cims nd denis, pocedue nd gument disped considebe inomit nd exibi-

it. Pesonit nd powe, honou nd shme cme into p expicit o impicit. Agument did notocus on eg ues; indeed the eg ws not ce distinguished, i distinguished t , om the soci othe eigious.4 he pocedues used in setting wsuit dieed depending on the egion, the sttus o theitignts, the issues invoved, nd the oc tditions o those ting the cse. Even with these vibes,howeve, pe-Conquest wsuits do disp some common etues. In pticu, suviving cse ecodsindicte tht wsuits wee bought beoe the cout b individus poceeding on thei own o on beho thei miies the thn b gents o the stte; disputes wee gene djudicted b pnes thethn individu judges (except in cses whee the king himse st s the judge); evidence ws pesented inthe om o witness testimon sponsoed b the disputnts; nd though oth-heping (hving witnessttest to the cedibiit o nothe witness) ws common, it ws neithe s widesped no s inuentis is equent poted. Even these pctices wee not unives, howeve, nd vition seems to hvebeen the nom. As Womd hs mous obseved, tpic Ango-Sxon dispute settement (i thee

eve ws such thing) emins eusive.5

One esut o this exibe ppoch to eg pocedue is tht mn suviving wsuits ecod peeenceo compomise ove stict djudiction, n emphsis eected in the equent opening sentence, Her cyon ysum gewrite hu [N] 7[X] wuron gesybsumode hee is mde known in this document how [N] nd[X] wee econcied.6 In ext beow, the king odes the judici pne to sette the dispute swa rihtlice

Ptick Womd ctogued suviving Ango-Sxon eg disputes in A Hndist o Ango-Sxon Lwsuits,Legal Culture in the Early Medieval West: Law as ext, Image, and Experience (London: Hmbedon Pess, ); thecittion hee is om p. .

John Hudson, Cout Cses nd Leg Aguments in Engnd, c. -, ransactions o the Royal Historical

Society th seies, v. (): . Ptick Womd, Chtes, Lw, nd the Settement o Disputes in Ango-Sxon Engnd, Legal Culture in theEarly Medieval West, , .

S , ed. A. J. Robetson, Anglo-Saxon Charters, Cmbidge Studies in Engish Leg Histo (Cmbidge:Cmbidge Univesit Pess, ), no. . pp. -. Chtes e gene eeed to b thei Swe numbe(bbevited S) tken om P.H. Swe, Anglo-Saxon Charters: An Annotated List and Bibliography (London: RoHistoic Societ, ) nd ecent supeceded b Te Electronic Sawyer, . Fo ese o eeence, I hve cited disputes b the Swe numbe (S) o the chtes inwhich the e ecoded nd the Womd numbe (W) tht coesponds to thei pce in Womds Hndist. Fo


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Voume no.

dispute. ext not on nmes the pim eme itignt, but so incopotes ength ist o emewitnesses testiing on he beh. In ext, thth nmes the women with whom she cobotedin setting the dispute et eves nonmous the me cimnts ccusing he o wongdoing eveso the stndd pctice. hese cse ecods povide thth nd the women o he cice with w ocontoing thei chcteiztion in the eg chive. Moe gene, s these ecods iustte, conto-

ing the poduction o eg ntive enbes itignts to inuence both the utue disposition o theipopet nd the utue undestnding o the individus nd issues invoved in the cse.

Chtes povide some o ou ceest depictions o the ived expeience o the w in Ango-Sxon Eng-nd, et the eve mn questions unnsweed. Wht ws the etionship between the w set down ino egistion nd the w pcticed di thoughout the em? How ccute do these documentsepot the cses the cim to ecod? Ae these cses tpic o Ango-Sxon dispute settement? Didchtes nd eg ecods unction, not just s cse epots, but s mens o communicting dieent con-cepts o competing ideoogies o w, juisdiction, nd o uthoit? And wht cn these documents teus bout the sttus o women in e Engish w?

Women and the Law

he chenges tht ise in ting to undestnd eme genc nd identit unde Ango-Sxon w e-sembe those cononting the student o Od Engish dispute settement gene. Once gin we e cedwith compex, oten contdicto, bod o souces in which the tetment o gende vies wide de-pending on the tpe o document, the egion concened, nd the soci css o those invoved. he depic-tion o eme istoct in n eighth-centu Nothumbin sints ie might be ew, i n, simiitiesto tht o n eme sevnt in n eeventh-centu West Sxon chte. Likewise, the sttutes conceningwomen in o egistion oten ied pictue o gende in Od Engish w which dies signiicntom wht is pesented in chtes nd othe cse ecods. I, s Anne Kinck hs sid, the ws indictetht womens bsic ights incesed duing the Ango-Sxon peiod nd emined the simi duingthe next es, suviving cse ecods suggest tht such bsic ights wee ecognized on inconsis-tent, nd tht women coud e e on the potection o juidic uthoit o even on the suppot o

thei own etives.10 Insted, these chtes depict women deveoping viet o sttegies, both egnd ext-eg, to chieve some sot o imited genc unde the w. Yet s Jnet Neson eminds us, themn soci nd eg obstces stnding in thei w suggests tht eme genc duing this peiodshoud be undestood ess s guge o womns empowement o utonom thn s mesue ohe oom o mnoeuve in shping the utue o hese, he popet nd othe pesons in he socinetwok.11 As such, using these documents to econstuct the pce o women in the Ango-Sxon cout-oom equies us to be sensitive to the ws tht these texts communicte competing notions o css, gen-de, nd uthoit. We must p ttention to the vious sttegieseg, poitic, nd hetoicusedb these women to chieve oom o mnoeuve. Wht cuses some sttegies to succeed, nd wht hp-pens when such sttegies i?

In ge pt, the depiction o women in suviving Ango-Sxon eg texts is shped b the tpe o docu-ment nd the pupose o which it ws witten. Ro ws, o exmpe, od women cetin eg po-tections, et these potections oten compise pt o ge gend to centize eg uthoit ndhomogenize it coss dieent egions. In the tct Wimannes Beweddung, shot coection o sttutes

Kinck, Ango-Sxon Women nd the Lw, . Te u extent o the disjunction between egistion nd pc-tice hs been the subject o some scho debte. Fo dieent pespective, see Richds nd Stned, Conceptso Ango-Sxon Women in the Lws, .

Neson, Te W Widow, -.


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eguting mige pctices, the opening cuse concedes tht potenti goom must be geebe (ge-lige) to the bide (Wi); howeve, potecting bides ight o consent hee seves s the ist step towdssseting eg juisdiction ove he movements, he behvio, nd the ights o he mi. Subsequentcuses egute the mnne in which the goom nd the bides mi m divide thei popet, the sotso oths tht m be exchnged between the two pties, the tpe o ceic tht m peside t the wedding

ceemon, nd wht hppens i the bide shoud unde the juisdiction o nothe od. Impicit, eg-uting bid consent ows the eg powes behind Wimannes Beweddungto extend pubic juisdictioninto pivte sphee hitheto contoed b miies nd kingoups. B usuping the mis tditionoe s gudin o its unmied women, the w ims its uthoit ove individu pctice nd octdition. Legisting the tems unde which miies m m o thei eigibe eme etions po-vides n opening o wmkes to egiste othe spects o mi behvio. Sttutes concening womene put to simi use esewhee in the suviving eg copus s we. Fo instnce, V thelredexpicitsubjects widows to the kings gudinship, whie VI thelredctegoizes pe s cime ginst thestte nd ues tht compenstion must be pid to Chuch nd king the thn to the womn hese.12 Inech cse, the speci eg potection oded to women seves s mens o extending o uthoit.hese sttutes suggest tht even though Od Engish egistion povided women with cetin ights eound esewhee in Euope duing this peiod, this egistion m we hve been motivted b n gend

o enging o juisdiction the thn b desie to cone on women sttus equ to men.

Whteve motivtions inuenced the mes o Ango-Sxon egistion, the o ws nonetheess do -od women imited potection ginst men with designs on thei pesons o popet. he extent to whichsuch potections wee obseved in pctice, howeve, is subject to some debte: suviving chtes nd cseecods indicte tht womens ights in n Ango-Sxon cout wee moe tenuous thn the ws woudseem to suggest. A womn o suicient soci stnding might own nd nd pusue itigtion, but he bi-it to do so depended upon the sttus nd consent o he me etions. Extnt egistion s we s othetpes o eg documents indicte tht widows m hve hd moe exibiit in mttes o nd owneshipthn othe women, et even thei ights wee stict imited. Few women hed nthing moe thn ie-time inteest in thei popet nd, s Jui Cick hs obseved, weth nd soci position b no mensgunteed womns eedom to bequeth.13 hese imittions emege most cute in the documents

eting to eg disputes. Cse ecods e note down the nmes o eme itigntseeing to theminsted s the dughte, wie, mothe, o widow o thei cosest me etivend women sedom seem tohve spoken in cout o ddessed judici pne on thei own beh. In ext , o exmpe, not on isthe Heeodshie widow whose nds e t the cente o the dispute et nmeess, but she is bsent whiethe oction o he popet is decided. Insted, s ws common pctice, he inteests wee epesentedb me dvocte, oten ced orespeca.14 In this cse the widows dvocte, huki the White, p-pes to epesent he inteests honest (doing so is to his own beneit, since he wi be the utimte e-cipient o he popet), but othe chtes ecod dvoctes who bused thei positions. One documentdescibes how Bihtic, kinsmn nd gudin o n unnmed widow whose nds wee unde dispute,

coeced (genedde) his kinswomn into vioting n geement with the Chuch concening owneship ohe popet.15 Womens ights in disputes, these exmpes suggest, ge depended on the good oiceso thei me etions o potectos.

V thelred, VI thelred.

Jui Cick, Women, Posthumous Benection, nd Fmi Stteg in Pe-Conquest Engnd, Te Journal oBritish Studies . (): .

On the use o dvocc in pe-Conquest dispute esoution, see Andew Rbin, Od Engish orespeca nd theRoe o the Advocte in Ango-Sxon Lw, Mediaeval Studies (): -.

S (W ). ext tken om Robetson, Anglo-Saxon Charters, no. , p. .


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o successos. Nonetheess, he expeience highights the sots o questions we shoud sk conceningthe documents edited hee: wht sttegies did women use to chieve even imited genc in n Ango-Sxon cout? Wht tpes o women coud execise some independence unde Ango-Sxon w? How didthe cquie such independence, nd wht sots o esponses o nxieties did this independence povoke?How did gende nd soci sttus intesect in the settement o Od Engish wsuits? And how do these

documents unction, not simp s eections o wht ws thought to be nom behvio, but s ws ocommunicting pticu ideoogies bout gende, soci sttus, nd eg pctice?

he exts

Ech text hs been e-edited om mnuscipt. Becuse these chtes eect dieent egion scibpctices, the contin numeous mino vitions in speing nd nguge which I hve not tied toeguize. Accent mks hve been omitted, nd punctution nd cpitiztion hve been teed to e-ect moden gmmtic conventions. I hve etined the ionin et(7) when used s n bbevitiono . Foowing stndd pctice, Od Engish wnn () hs been tnscibed s w, but the chctesthon () nd eth () hve been etined. Abbevitions hve been expnded nd iticized. In the ew in-stnces whee emendtions hve been thought necess, the e encosed in bckets. Ech chte is

isted ccoding to its Swe numbe (S) nd to the numbe(s) ssigned on Womds Hndist (W).

TexT 1: Queen eadgifuS (W , , , )

Souce: Bitish Lib, Stowe Chte (mid-tenth centu, Chist Chuch, Cntebu)

his chte, which suvives s singe sheet cuent in the Bitish Lib, ecods the cicumstncesunde which Edgiu, thid wie o King Edwd the Ede, cme to donte seies o esttes t Cooing toChist Chuch, Cntebu in the e . Edgiu hd inheited the popet om he the upon hisdeth in btte in , but God, oc ndhode, cimed the esttes s pment o wht he cimedws n outstnding debt o he thes. he dispute stetched though the eign o Edwd into tht o

thestn, t whose ode the dispute ws setted in Edgius vo. Foowing his deth, Edgiu sueed seies o poitic setbcks which Gods sons expoited to seize the esttes. Fin, in , the new-cowned King Edg intevened on his gndmothes beh to gnt he the esttes, which she then do-nted to Chist Chuch. he extended dution o the disputemoe thn h centu, spnning theegenetionsis not uncommon in wsuits o this peiod. Moe impotnt, the extent to which the upsnd downs o the dispute coespond to chnges in Edgius sttus (the oss o he the in , he m-ige to Edwd in , he widowhood in , he dispossession unde King Edw between nd ,nd estotion unde Edg in ) eect how eint even nobewomn, queen, nd queen-mothe wson the geneosit o he me etives. Despite he high sttus, Edgius successes in the dispute dependeds much upon the inuence nd good oices o he potectos s the did upon he own eots nd poiti-c in uence. Likewise, s the chte ecods, when she sueed evess, God nd his mi wee quickto cpitize upon he misotune.

+ Edgiu c m cebiscope Cistes ccen hede hu hie nd com t Cuingon. t

is t hie de hie de nd boc, sw he mid ihte beget, him his dn don. Hit

gemp thie de bogude XXX pund t Godn bethte him t nd s eos

to nwedde, he hit hde VII winte. gemp emb tid t mn beonn e Cntwe

to wigge to Home, node Sigem hie de to wigge on mid nnes mnnes scette

unginum, ge Godn XXX pund becw Edgie his dehte nd boc sede.


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Voume no.

he on wigge een ws, tsoc God s eos gites s ndes wnde o

s on sxtn gee. spc hit stice Bhsige Dincg sw nge o witn e

won geehton Edgie t heo sceode hie de hnd gecnsin be sw mcn eo.

heo s dde on ee eode gewitnesse to gesod, gecnsude hie de

s gites be XXX pund e. gt heo ne moste ndes bucn hie nd undon

t Edwede cncge t he him t nd obed sw he niges bucn wode. he hit

sw et.

gemp on ste tse cnincg Godn oncue sw swe sw him mn tehte bec

nd ee e he hte. se cnincg hine ee his e mid bocum ndum oge

Edgie to teonne sw sw heo wode. cw heo theo ne doste o Gode him sw

enin sw he hie to geenud hde, ge him ee his nd buton twm suungum

t Ostende; node bec gin heo wste hu getiwice he hi t ndum hedn

wode.

gewt Edwed cncg encg estn to ice. Godn s uhte, gesohte he

one knincg estn bd t he him geingude wi Edgie his boc edgit; se

cncg sw dde. heo him ee ge buton Ostendes bec. he boc unnende

hnd hie to et oe mid emettum gencude. uenn t twe sum hie

sede o geboenne ungeboenne tis e gesett spc we. is ws gedon on

estnes knincges gewitnesse his wten t Hmme wi Lwe. Edgiu hde nd

mid bocum twege cning dgs hie sun.

Eded geendude mn Edgie bepte cee e, nmon Godn twegen sun,

Leostn Leoic, on Edgie s tw oespecenen nd t Cuingon t Ostende.

sdon m cide Edwige e gecoen ws th ihtu hio wen onne hie.t sw ws o Edg stiude. he his wtn geehton th mnu ec

gedon hden. hi hie hie e geehton geon. nm Edgiu, be s cnincges

ee gewitnesse e his bisceop, bec nd bethte in to Cistes ccen mid hie

genum hndum upon one te ede n hede on ecnesse to e hie swe to este.

cw tCist s mid eum heoonicum mgne ne wgde on ecnesse e s gie

e wende oe gewnude. us com eos in to Cistes ccen hede.


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noTes

Edgiu (d. ) ws the thid wie o Edwd the Ede. He chiden incuded Kings Edmund nd Ed-ed, nd he gndchiden incuded Kings Edw nd Edg. Mied to Edwd in , she ws widowedive es te. Athough she is not known to hve emied, Edgiu woud emin mong the most

pominent women in the kingdom o the eminde o he ie. Duing the eign o he gndson Edw,poitic tumoi cused he to ose much o he nd nd powe (n event eeed to in this document), butshe egined much o wht she hd ost t Edgs ccession. He cee, nd especi he ong widowhood,woud povide mode o subsequent o women ttempting to consoidte thei position t the Ango-Sxon cout, most notb Queen thth, who etues pominent in exts nd beow.

he ddessees o the document e the chbishop nd oundtion o Chist Chuch, Cntebu. As-suming tht the text o the document ough coesponds with the dte o the dontion (c. ), thenthe chbishop mentioned hee woud be Dunstn (-), eding igue o the Benedictine Reom.Fist monk nd then bbot o Gstonbu, he seved s n dviso to Kings Edmund, Eded, Edg, ndEdwd. In , he ws eevted to chbishop o Cntebu, om which position he ttempted to spedthe eoms he hd instituted t Gstonbu thoughout the kingdom. Cooing, the popet t issue inthe dispute, ies in Kent.

Edgius the ws Sigehem, ealdorman o Kent, who ws kied t the btte o Hom ginst the vi-kings in . God (. -) ws pominent Kentish ndowne.

ht is, Sigehem.

tht she shoud exonete he the b [n oth] equ to the sum [he owed]. Nothing ese is known oBhsige Dincg othe thn wht is witten hee. He ppes to be cting s n dvocte o potecto onbeh o Edgiu, who ike emins undege t this point. he witan hee equies he to mke n othequivent in vue to the mount boowed om God, tht is, thit pounds. o do so, she must poduceoth-hepes to testi to the vecit o he cim whose combined wergildws equ to thit pounds.he oth-sweing ceemon tkes pce t Aesod in Kent.

he Edwd eeed to hee is King Edwd the Ede (-), son o Aed the Get nd Edgius

husbnd. Athestn (-) cme to the thone in nd ued unti . He ws the son o Edwd b hiswie, Ecgwinn.

Ostend hs not been identiied.

ht is, chosen king

he esons behind Edgius utimte dontion o the esttes to Chist Chuch emin unce: ws itsimp n ttempt to get id o some toubesome popet, pehps in exchnge o n unspeciied vo obeneitnot n uncommon stteg mong Ango-Sxon itignts? ws it he own ee wi, o in esponseto o pessue, pehps s condition o Edgs intevention on he beh? o ws the dontion n t-tempt to cicumvent o conisction o disputed popet?


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Voume no.

TexT 2: The PeTerBorough WiTchS (S )

Souce: London, Societ o Antiquies, MS. , os. v- (mid-tweth centu, PetebooughCthed)

his chte descibes how one Wustn Ucce cme into the possession o the popet t Aiswothwhich he is now gnting to Bishop thewod. Wustn inheited the popet om his the sige,who eceived it om King Eded in oowing the dispossession o the unnmed widow who ws itspevious owne, he execution o witchct, nd the exie o he son. Nothing whtsoeve is known boutthe widow o he son othe thn wht is ecoded hee; it is unce whethe she eceived ti o he o-ensethough it seems unikend the pent ssessed is unusu sevee. Indeed, one cnnot hepbut wonde whethe the widows guit, o t est he punishment, esuted moe om siges desie ohe popet thn om he eged dbbing in the dk ts.

He sute on ssum gewite et Aewod bisceop Wustn ucce hwdon nd

on Edges cninges on his witen gewtnesse. Se bisceop sede Wustne et nd tHwessingtune Wustn sede him et nd t Jcese t geeswue. sede se

bisceop et nd t Jcese into onige et t geeswe into Buuh. tnd t

geeswe hedde n wduwe hie sune owt one hi dion [i]sene stcn on

sie, Wustnes ede, t we ee, mn teh tmo o o hie incin.

nm mn twi dencte hi t Lundene bigce, hie sune tbest we uth. t

nd eode m knge to hnd se kng hit oge sige Wustn Ucce, his sunu,

hit sede et Adeuuode bisceope sw sw hit he bun sg.

noTes

Bishop thewod o Wincheste (d. ) ws pominent igue in the tenth centu Benedictine Re-om. An o Bishop Oswd o Woceste nd Achbishop Dunstn o Cntebu, he ggessivepusued poic o consoidting chuch nds, enocing theoogic othodox, nd sponsoing eccesi-stic schoship nd mnuscipt poduction. He ws cose ssocite o both King Edg nd his wie,thth (see ext beow). About Wustn Ucc ess is known. His on othe ppence in suviv-ing document occus in the wi o Bihtic nd swith (possib his cousins), in which he is bequethedsome nds in Sue nd shot swod.

- Wshington ies in Sussex, Yxe in Huntingdonshie, nd Aiswoth in Nothmptonshie. ornigeis hone Abbe in Cmbidgeshie. Buruh ees to Peteboough Cthed.

he widows mor povides the on exmpe o someone pcticing invultuacio, inicting hm though

the use o n eig, suving om Ango-Sxon Engnd. he wod inclian (nom. incleoa) is so tht usedto descibe ions den.

he widows punishment hee does not conom with the penties ound in eithe Od Engish eg openitenti texts. In neithe tdition is the sticking o pins into n eig consideed suicient justiic-tion o cpit punishment. Accoding to II thelstan , witch cn be put to deth on i someone diess esut o his o he ctions. Likewise, the Od Engish Penitenti decees, I none dives pins intonothe peson, et him st o thee es: one e on bed nd wte, nd then o two es et him stthee ds week on bed nd wte. And i the peson dies on ccount o the pin sticking, the et him st


12/24


o seven es (thee es on bed nd wte, then ou es o thee ds week on bed nd wte).Quoted in Anthon Dvies, Witches in Ango-Sxon Engnd: Five Cse Histoies, Superstition andPopular Medicine in Anglo-Saxon England, ed. Dond Scgg (Mncheste: Mncheste Cente o Ango-Sxon Studies, ), . A second pobem is the sttement tht the widow ws downed t Lundene brigcet London Bidge. Aiswoth is ough mies om London, nd it seems unike tht the widow wstken so o n execution. It is moe pobb, s Anthon Dvies specutes, tht she ws downed t

the bidge ove the Rive Nene on the od to London. See Dvies, Witches in Ango-Sxon Engnd, .

TexT 3: WnfdS (W )

Souce: BL, Cotton Augustus II.xv (te-tenth o e-eeventh centu, Chist Chuch, Cntebu)

his cse, tking pce sometime between nd , iusttes the compex nd deicte negotitionswhich the settement o Ango-Sxon wsuits oten equied. Ove the couse o the dispute, the two iti-gnts, the nobewomn Wnd nd the ndowne Leowine, disgee ove the venue o djudiction,the integit o ech othes oths, nd the ntue o the settement. he esut is ecod in which thepecise detis e oten conusing et, s Womd wites, the oss o eg pecision is compensted o

b the ventition o some o the emotion het geneted b the wsuit (Ptick Womd, Giving Godnd King Tei Due: Conict nd Its Regution in the E Engish Stte, Legal Culture in the Early Me-dieval West, ). he dispute is pecipitted b Leowines seizue o nds t Hgboune nd Bdied inBekshie tht his the, ic, hd given to Wnd in exchnge o popet t Dtchet. he ccountopens with Wnd ppeing to King theed to ti he owneship o the popet. She mshs numbe o poweu suppotes, most notb the kings mothe thth, et Leowine successu -gues tht juisdiction ove the cse moe pope beongs to the shie cout. Wnd subsequent p-pes beoe the scirgemot, ccompnied b thth t the hed o n impessive contingent o me ndeme witnesses. Fced with this evidence o Wnds poweu poitic inuence, the judici pnenegotites settement wheeb Leowine woud not be subjected to n othtking ceemon s ong she hnds the nd nd compenstion equ to his wegid ove to the pesiding bishop. Fo he pt, Wn-d must poduce the god nd sive she hd eceived om Leowines the s pt o the oigin nd

de. he chte uthe notes, howeve, tht Wnd epid on s much o the god s ws necessto secue the de. When Leowine then demnds tht she swe tht his thes mone ws pesent,she euses, pesumb beieving tht she shoud no moe be equied to swe n oth thn he hd been.

+ He c on sum gewite hu Wnd gedde he gewitnesse t Wumee

beon eede cninge: tws onne Sigeic cebiscop Odbht biscop ic

edemn s cninges modo, thi won ee to gewitnesse t ic

sede Wnde tnd t Hccebunn t Bdned ongen tnd t Deccet.

sende se cning ihte be m cebiscope be m e mid him to gewitnesse

won to Leowine, cdon him is, node he butn hit mn sceote to scigemote. dde mn sw.

sende se cning be uee bbude his insege to m gemote t Cwicemeshwe

gette ee witn e gesomnode won, tws esige biscop scwig biscop

ic bbud e sio sci, bd het thi sciodon Wnde Leowine sw ihtice

gesemn sw him e ihticost uhte. Sigeic cebiscop sende his swuteung to,

Odbht biscop his. gethte mn Wnde thio moste hit he gehnin.


13/24

Voume no.

gedde hio hnung mid e utume, s cninges modo, t is onne

est Wug bbud, Wustn piost, ic eing discsten, Edwine, Edem,

em, wine, wed, Edwod, Edic, g, Edgu bbudisse,

Lioun bbudisse, ehid, Edgu t Leoecnon, he swusto, he dohto,

g[u h]e dohto, Wuwn, egu, wu, gu, ed,

menig god egen god wi e we ee ten ne mgon t[] ocom e se uge on weum ge on wium. cwdon witn e won tbetee we tmn

ene weg ete onne hine mn sede on sn nn eondscpe ne. mn

wode biddn s eces the hit sciode gn ogdn am cninge his we.

et he one weg sede esige biscope unbescen nd on hnd, the non

o sn on ne spce. thte mn he thio sciode bingn his de god

sioo e thio hde. dde hio sw hio doste he e gebiogn. ns he

gt on m geheden butn hio sceode swein this ht ee won. cw

hio thio ne mihte he des ne he his. ses ws g s cninges gee to

gewitnesse Bhtic Leoic t Hwiteccn menig god mn toecn him.

noTes

Litte is known bout the pim itignts in this dispute othe thn wht is witten hee. Howeve, Pt-ick Womd hs pointed out tht numbe o Wnds bckes, s we s Wnd hese, m beinked to thth vi bequests in wis, popet exchnges, nd the queen-mothes oe s ovesee othe couts chiden duing the eign o theed. In this chte, he suggests, we m be gimpsing theoutines o cice ound thth, o which Wnd ws hese membe. (Womd, God ndKing, ). he Wulamere whee Wnd bought he witnesses m be eted to the moden WoomeFoest in Hmpshie.

Sigeic succeeded Dunstn s Achbishop o Cntebu om -, Odbht ws Bishop o Sese,nd the ealdorman ic (not to be conused with the ic mentioned in the oowing ine s pt tothe dispute) ws ealdorman o Hmpshie. thth, mothe to King theed, ws the most poweuwomn t cout nd equent pticipnt in eg disputes. Fo moe on thth, see ext beow. hepopeties in question e Hgboune nd Bdied in Bekshie nd Dtchet in Buckinghmshie.

woud not [consent to judgment]. Nothing ese is known o Leowine othe thn wht is ecoded inthis chte. Leowines ppe hee, tht the king shoud not decide the dispute unti it hd been tied bthe oc shie-cout, is in keeping with Od Engish w. See II Cnut-. nd III Edgar.-.. (Womddiscusses this point in God nd King, -).

he site o the shie meeting is unidenti ied, but it might be Cuckhmse Bow o Scutchm Knob,both in Bekshie. luere abbude m be Abbot hee, possib o Bth, whose cee spnned the tetenth centu. he othe membes o the shie counci e Bishop thesige o Sheboune (. - ), Bishop scwig o Docheste-on-hmes (. -), nd Abbot ic o Rmse, teAchbishop o Cntebu (. -). ic is so one o the ddessees o ext .

It m be signiicnt tht Edomn ic does not send his sttement to the shie counci.

- Not o those suppoting Wnds cse cn be positive identiied, but those tht cn incudeAbbot Wug o Abingdon (. -); ic the discegn (it. thegn o the tbe, te senesch),


14/24


possib the sme peson s the ic kied b Edomn Leosige in ; Abbess Edgiu o Wincheste;nd Abbess Leoun o Reding.

ht is, Leowine.

It is unce wh thesige shoud eceive the esttes hee. Robetson suggests tht eithe Wnd hdpevious deeded the popet to him o tht he eceived it in his cpcit s pesident o the shie cout.

Howeve, the ct tht no uthe evidence connects the esttes with thesiges estbishment t She-boune ises thid possibiit: tht thesige hee eceives the esttes on s n intemedi on Wn-ds beh. Robetson, Anglo-Saxon Charters -.

Wh Wnd shoud hve god nd sive om Leowines the is neve mde ce. As Robetsonnotes, ppent thee ws something to be sid on Leowines side s we s on Wnds. Robetson,Anglo-Saxon Charters .

then she poduced [just s itte] s she ded to potect he oth, nd he ws not et stisied.

he Leoic o Whitechuch isted hee s witness m be the sme peson s the Leoic isted in theAnglo-Saxon Chronicle s being kied in btte b Vikings in .

On the top hves o these ettes suvive. As mens o ensuing the uthenticit o eg documents,scibes oten wote two copies o chte on singe piece o veum. Between the texts, the scibe woudwite the wod CIROGRAH, nd the veum woud then be cut down the midde. I questions ose e-gding the uthenticit o eithe text, the pties coud then bing the two hves o the veum togeth-ei the ciogph mtched, the document ws uthentic. Hee, in ode to mke the woud-be ogestsk even moe diicut, the scibe hs witten CIROGRAHUM LEUM ES (he ciogph is com-pete), but the phse cn be decoded on i one eds eve othe ette.

exT 4: ueen fThrTh

S (W , )Souce: BL, Addition , os. v (tweth centu, oigin Od Minste, Wincheste)

A e exmpe o text ttibuted soe to n Ango-Sxon queen, this wit, composed sometime between nd , stnds out s the on extnt document in thths own voice. Athough it suvives in tweth-centu cop, schos gee on the uthenticit o the text itse. Recoding he pticiption in nd dispute ppoximte twent-ive es eie, the wit oes thths esponse to ccustionstht she hd behved impope in he epesenttion. he known cts o the dispute e these: sometimebetween nd , the bishopic o Wincheste petitioned King Edg to etun coection o esttes tunton tht the king hd pevious bsobed into his own popet. Athough unton hd been ssoci-ted with o consots since the eign o Edwd the Ede,20 thth nonetheess intevened on Win-chestes beh t the equest o Bishop thewod, ong he poitic .21 Edg gnted the equest nd,s esut, o tennts on the esttes wee equied eithe to enegotite thei ese with Wincheste oeinquish thei popet.22 One tennt, Leoic, eused to submit to these tems, nd so ound himse in dispute with Bishop thewod. Leoics wie, Wugth, etion o thths, ppeed to the queen

Mc A. Mee, Te Queens Demesne in Lte Ango-Sxon Engnd, Te Culture o Christendom: Essaysin Medieval History in Commemoration o Denis L. . Bethell, ed. Mc A. Mee (London: Hmbedon nd London,), -.

S . On the etionship between thewod nd hth, see Bb Yoke, thewod nd the Poitics othe enth Centu, Bishop thelwold: His Career and Infuence, ed. Bb Yoke (Woodbidge: Bode, ), .

On this point o w, see Puine Stod, Queen Emma and Queen Edith: Queenship and Womens Power inEleventh Century England(Oxod: Bckwe, ), n. .


15/24

Voume no.

to intevene with the bishop on he husbnds beh. thth did so, nd thewod gnted Leoic ietime tennc on the estte, which woud then evet to Wincheste t his deth. Yes te, ccustionswee bought ginst thth nd thewod, pobb b Leoics heis, tht togethe the empoedundue oce to compe him to sette the dispute nd ied his nd ginst his wi. Nothing moe is knowno the cse; howeve, the bsence o uthe documenttion o ecod o punishment suggests tht the

queen eithe ws ceed o n wongdoing o tht he deth in put n end to the suit.

Alfry get ic cebiscop Eewed edmn edmodice. ic ce inc et ic

eom to gewitnsse tDunstn cebiscop getehte Aewode biscope a e sw

his bec specon. Edg cning hit ge , bed con his egn e enig nd on n

nde hde, thi hit oeodon be es biscopes gemedon oe hit geum. se cning

cw et he nhte nn nd ut to snne, he ne doste m Godes ege him s et

heod hbbn m ged Risctun to es biscopes hnd. Wug d to me to

Cumbe gesohte me.

ic , o n e heo me gesib ws, sw, o n e he he boo ws, bedon t

All biscope thi moston bucn es ndes h deg, ete h dege eode et

ond into ntune mid mete mid mnnum, e sw hit stode. wit ht swie unee to

n bocton.

Nu cdde mn me t All bisceop ic sceodon onedin boc t Leoice. Nu

ne eom ic nne nede gecnewe e ibbe, e m e he wode eh he ode. Ac Leoic

hde ne niwe boc; ge he , cdde he mid n et he node nn s e on don.

cdde All bisceop him t hine ne mihte nn his fra beein. Het

gewitn tw gewitu, oe him su hede, oe he Leoice sede.

noTes

thth (d. ) ws the thid wie o King Edg the Pecebe. Possib the ist queen tohve om coontion, thth ws n ctive poponent o the Benedictine Reom, which she usedto expnd he inuence nd omize he pce t cout. Foowing Edgs deth in , she ttemptedto hve he son, theed, nmed his successo. Howeve, iv cout ction ed b Achbishop Dun-stn suppoted Edwd, Edgs son b pevious wie, nd thth ws compeed to submit. In ,Edwd ws mudeed (thus ening his posthumous sobiquet, the Mt) whie visiting ththt Coe Cste. Whie the pecise ntue o thths invovement in the ssssintion pot eminsunce, it seems unike tht such n ct coud hve been cied out without t est he tcit consent.

theed succeeded Edg on the thone, nd thth emined the dominnt eme pesence t couto the est o he ie. Athough condemned te he deth s the pototpic wicked stepmothe, du-ing he ietime thth seems to hve ttcted ge numbe o oowes nd suppotes, most no-tb Bishop thewod o Wincheste. She so seems to hve mde pctice o intevening in egdisputes, especi on beh o eme petitiones, s she does hee.

Achbishop ic (d. ), oigin o Abingdon, ws ised to the chbishopic o Cntebu in (this ows us to dte the wit to sometime between nd thths deth ou to six es te)oowing the deth o his pedecesso, Sigeic the Seious. Edomn thewed (. c. -) ws


16/24


pominent West Sxon nobemn. His nme ppes on the witness ists o numeous chtes suvivingom the eign o King theed.

Fo inomtion on Dunstn, see the notes to ext bove. His pesence in this document is signiicnt:despite thei shed commitment to eom nd ot to King Edg, he ws ieong poitic iv oQueen thth. He egded he s n immo inuence on the king nd cout nd vigoous opposedthe ccession o he son theed. Upon Edwds ssssintion nd theeds eevtion to the thone,he stepped down s chbishop o Cntebupossib becuse o pessue exeted b the queen nd hectionnd spent his st ten es in etiement.

unton, the popet t issue in the dispute, ies in Someset nd hd been ssocited with the see tWincheste t est since the eign o thewu, the to King Aed. In descibing the initi tnse othe esttes, thth evises the eg ecod b signiicnt downping he oe in the exchnge. Hesttement tht she ws mee witness to the oigin tnsction nd tht Dunstn ped the opetiveoe in ssigning the esttes to Wincheste eveses the oes ech is depicted s ping in the ecod o theexchnge peseved in n eie chte. S ecods tht thth ctive petitioned on Winchestesbeh (nd eceived mncuses o he eots) whie Dunstn, in contst, ppes in tht documenton s witness.

to handa geridan to pce into [someones] powe o possession. Ruishton, vige bit moe thn twomies om unton, hd been incuded in pevious tnses s pt o the ge estte.

he: Leoic, tennt on the unton popet nd min petitione in the dispute.

hi: ht is, Wugth nd Leoic.

thth does not nme he ccuses, but given the ntue o the chges, it seems ike tht the eLeoics heis.

Both thewod nd Leoic hve died in the inteim, nd thth does not speci which o themthe he ees to hee. he sntx o this sentence ecs tht o eg oth, such s those ound in theOd Engish omuies Swerian nd His becw.

exT 5: A Herefordshire idoWS (W )

Souce: Heeod Cthed, Den nd Chpte, MS. P.I., os. v (eeventh centu)

he in document concens nd dispute between one Edwin nd his mothe duing the eign o Cnut(). Peseved in the Heeod Gospes, the text povides detied ccount o how scirgemotmight espond when cononted with eg dispute. In pticu, the ctions o huki the White onbeh o Edwins mothe iustte how womens eg inteests m hve been epesented to the coutthough the intecession o dvoctes o potectos. he chte ecods tht Edwin ppeed beoe theshie counci to chenge his mothes owneship o esttes t Weington nd Cdse in Heeodshie.Athough huki poesses to be be to spek on the widows beh beoe the cout, his unmiiitwith the he eg is eds the counci to send thee epesenttives to consut the widow in peson.Summoning Leod, hukis wie nd he kinswomn, the widow om gnts he o he pos-sessions upon he deth. he thee epesenttives subsequent etun to the counci nd testi to thewidows wishes, which huki then sks the counci to ti. he do so, nd chte concudes with nccount o huki iding to the cthed in ode to ecod the event in gospe book.

Much is omitted om this ccount, incuding the widows nme, the esons behind the sons cim, ndthe justiiction o the councis in decision. Indeed, in ecoding the cicumstnces o the dispute,hukis go seems to hve been to secue his own mis ights to the popet b eving out n s-


17/24

Voume no.

pect o the wsuit tht might c those ights into question. Howeve, this ntive does povide one othe ceest suviving ccounts o how women might be epesented in cout o w. Seve etues ohukis dvocc shoud be noted. Fist, he seves simutneous s the widows dvocte nd s sit-ting membe o the judici pne. his ws not uncommon, nd thee is no evidence tht this sot o duoe ws seen s inppopite; the, it ppes to hve been expected tht orespeca woud pticipte

in the pnes deibetions. Second, despite his oe s the widows dvocte, huki cims to be unmi-i with he eg is. Athough he m be teing the tuth, it is woth noting tht these sots o cimse so ound etive equent in the eg ecod, especi in those cses whee eged wongdoingmight esut in the conisction o popet om the cimin s we s those dvocting on his beh(c. Andew Rbin, Od Engish Forespeca nd the Roe o the Advocte in Ango-Sxon Lw, MediaevalStudies []: -). Whie it seems unike tht the widow is guit o some sot o unecoded eo-nious ct, unde the pope cicumstnces, he sons ttempt to seize his mothes nd might we poviden cquisitive o with just the excuse necess o conisction. Fin, though the widow eminsbsent om cout nd must e on huki to epesent he inteests, it is not huki but his wie whoshe summons nd to whom she wis he popet. Even s the widow equies me dvocc in ode tohve voice in cout, she nonetheess eies on eme communit nd kinship ties to potect he ightsnd mke he inteests known.

He swute on issum gewite tn scigemot st t genoesstne be Cnutes dge

cinges. ston estn biscop, Rnig edomn, Edwine s edomnnes

[sunu], Leowine Wusiges sunu, uci Hwit, oig Pud com on s Cinges

ende, ws Bning scigee, geged t Fome, Leowine t Fome,

Godic t Stoce, ee egns on Heeodscie.

com ende to m gemote Edwine, Ennewnes sunu, spc on his gene

modo te sumon de ndes, tws Weointun Cdeseh. csode se bisceop

hw sceode ndswein o his mode. andsweoode uci Hwit sde the sceode

gi he tu cue. he tu n ne cue, scewode mn eo egns o m gemote[idn] heo ws tws t Figtws Leowine t Fome gesig

e Red Wnsig Scgmn. heo to hie comon csodon heo hwce tu heo

hde mbe nd e hie sunu te spc. sde heo theo nn nd [h]de e

him ht to gebede, gebeh heo swie eoice wi hie sunu.

geceopode Leode hie mgn to hie ucies wi, beon heom to hie us

cw: he sit Leoed min mge e ic genn ge ge mines ndes ge mines godes ge

ges ge ees ge ees e ic h te minon dge. heo sn to m egnon

cw: do egnice we beod mine ende to m gemote beon eon m

godn mnnum, c heom hwm ic mines ndes geunnen hbbe ee mine hte,

minon genn sun ne nn ingc, bidd heom eum beon isses to gewitnesse.

heo sw ddon: idon to m gemote cddon eon m godn mnnum hwt heo

on heom geed hde.

stod uc hwit up on m gemote bd ee egns sn his wie nd

cne e hie mge hie geue. heo sw ddon. uc d to s ancte ebehtes

mnste be ees s oces ee gewitnesse et settn on ne Cistes boc.


18/24


noTes

gelnoesstan is pobb Aton in Heeodshie.

he identiibe membes o the shie counci incude thestn, bishop o Heeod (. - ); Ealdorman Rnig (. -, though the ength o time epesented b these dtes mkes it ike- tht the ives o two individus o the sme nme hve been conted), who m hve tken pt inHdcnuts hing o Woceste; Edwin, pobb Rnigs son, though Robetson specutes tht hem hve been the son o E Leoic o Meci nd thus seved s his epesenttive t the shie meeting(Robetson, Anglo-Saxon Charters ); huki the White, one o the wethiest ndownes in Heeod-shie; nd oi the Poud, who sponsoed the ist chuch in Wthm, though the kings end thtbought him to Heeodshie emins unspeciied.

- Nothing ese is known o Edwin othe thn wht his ecoded hee. he nme o his pent, Enneawn,hs cused some disgeement: e editos o this chte ed this nme s coupted vesion o theeme Enwen. Moe ecent, howeve, edes hve pointed to the mscuine genitive -es ending tosuggest tht the nme is the mscuine Enniun, though this nme is othewise unttested duing the

Ango-Sxon peiod. he nds in dispute e Weington nd Cde, Heeodshie.- Fligl ees to Fwe, nine mies southwest o Aton. Nothing is known o the thee epesent-tives o the cout, howeve Wnsigs cognomen Scgman indictes tht he m once hve been cew-membe on n Engish ongbot (scg).

o own popet cen eeed to the possession o nd ee om n entiment o outstndingdispute. huki hee sks the counci to den in pepetuit the vidit o Edwins cim so tht his wie(nd he) might possess them without the thet o uthe itigtion.

sncte elberhtes mynstre: Heeod Cthed, nd the Cristes boc pesumb is the mnuscipt othe Gospes in the mgins o which the ntive o this cse is peseved.


19/24

Voume no.

Gossar

he goss is intended to be compete, though not occuences o some common wods e ecod-ed. Pope nmes o pesons nd pces hve so been excuded. Wek veb csses e indicted b A-bic numes, nd stong veb csses b Romn numes. Vebs e descibed b peson, numbe, tense,

nd, whee necess, mood, e.g., s p. subj. Adjectives e identiied b cse nd numbe, nouns b cse,numbe, nd gende, e.g., ns. = nomintive singu, nsn. = nomintive singu neute. Enties e in-dexed b text nd ine numbe, so tht . ees to wod ound on the nd ine o ext . he oowingcommon bbevitions e used:

. accusativedj. adjectivedv. adverbt. articlecomp. comparativeconj. conjunctiond. dativede. deinitedem. demonstrative

. eminineg. genitiveimp. imperativei. instrumentalind. indicativeinde. indeinitem. masculinen. neutero nominativenum. number

p ptc past participlep. present(tense)pt. preterite (pst tense)pep. prepositionpon. pronoune. relatives. singularsubj. subjunctivesupe. superlative

7 nd (the ionin et) ., ., et.bb m. bbot ns. abbud., .; ds. abbude.bb . bbess ns. abbudisse ., .b II to nnounce, to deive imp. abeoda.b V to get b sking, to obtin p pt.abedon .

b II to boow s pt. aborgude . conj. but . to sk s pt. acsode .; p pt. acsodon. to down s pt. adrencte . dv. eve ., ., .t dv. te, next ., ., ., .t m. estitution, epment gs. gites .,. conj. ger ge ... ge... both ... nd ... .t . popet, possession np. hta .; gs. hte5.18l dj. ech, eve s. lcere .; dsm. lcon.dj. n gsn. niges . I. conj. unti ., . II. dv. eie, pevi-ous . p ptc? detected hapax legomenon . n. end, messge ds. rende .; s.rende .

t dv. ist .t pep. t, om ., ., etc.tbt III to escpe s pt. tberst.t I to dece oeit s pt. trehte .t VI to den s pt. tsoc .lm. pince, mn o nobe o o inegegp. elinga .ll VII to p ptc. aeallen .

pet-pes. to own, to possess s p. ah .;s pt. ahte .; p ptc. aht.. With negtive:s pt.nahte . dj. own s. agene .; dsm. agenan .;dp.agenum . V to give o to give bck in. agyan/agi-an ., .; s pt. age., ., ., ., .; p pt.ageon .; p. p. subj. ageum /; p ptc., negtiveunaginum unepid . tente speing oagieany tente speing oagieange to own inin. geahnian .. poo o owneship, ptent p. ahnun-ga .lt VII to einquish s pt. alet.lt m. t s. altare . dj., indeinite tice one ns. an .; nsn. an.; s. ane ., .w to nswe in. andswerian .; s pt.andsweorode .


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w n. pedge ds. anwedde . . I. popet ns. ar., s. are ., ., .II.hono ds. are .bp m. chbishop ns. arcebiscop ., .,.; s. arcebiscop .; ds. arcebiscope ., .t VI to stnd s pt. astod.

t to ssume powe s pt. astiude .tll to count, to enumete inin. atellan.t II to dispose o, to de with geundateonne . m. oth s. a ., ., ., .; ds. ae ., .wdv. w ., .w to chnge s p. subj. awende .wy to dmn s p. subj. awyrgde .

b VI to summon p pt. beonn .b pep. w/d. bout, concening, b., ., etc.b see bbw V to s s pt. becw .b pep. in the pesence o ., ., .bt V to cquie, to eceive s pt. beget.gebl III to gow ng s pt. gebealh .b II to commnd s pt. bead.b nomous to be inin. beon ., s p. eom., .; s p. is ., .; s pt. was/ws ., etc.;ppt. wron ., etc.; s pt. subj. wre ., .; p. pt.subj. wren .. With negtive: s pt. ns .; spt. subj. nre .

b see bgeb IV to be, to be bon geund geborenneive .; negtive: ungeborenne unbon .b to punde inin. bereaian .byp to punde, to ob s pt. berypte .bt to hnd ove, to entust, to oe s pt.bethte ., .bt dj. bette nsn. betere .b V to sk, to equest inin. biddan .; spt. bd., ., .;p p. impetive bidda .geb III to potect inin. gebiorgan .bp m. bishop ns. bisceop/biscop ., ., .,

., ., ., etc.; ds. bisceope/biscope ., ., .,.; gs. biscopes ., .; gp. bisceopa .bpsee bpb . deed, chte, document s. boc/bec .,., ., ., ., .; np. bec .; p. bec ., .,.;gp. boca .; dp. bocum ., .b. bidge ds. bricge .b I to bing inin. bringan .; p pt. broc-ton .

b m. bothe s. broor.b II to enjo, to use inin. brucan ., .,.b dv. bove, pevious .bt pep. outside, except, excuding ., .,., .

bt see btgeby I to beong to, to beit, to be pope tos pt. gebyrede .

ge II to choose p ptc. gecoren .l n. chid, chid o nobe o o bith ds. cilde.see yl dv. cen, utte, entie .l to cen, to pui, to ce, toexonete inin. geclnsian .; s pt. geclnsude.gelp to c, to summon, to c out s pt.gecleopode .gew VII to undestnd, to know, to bewe s p. gecnewe .m IV to come s pt. com ., ., ., .; ppt. comon . pt. p. to know s pt. cue .w V to s s pt. cw/cw ., ., .,., ., .; p pt. cwdon .ym. king ns. cyning/cyncg/cynincg/kyng.,., ., ., ., ., ., ., .; s. kynincg.; gs.

cinges/cyninges/cynincges/kynincges .,., ., .,., ., ., .; ds. cyncge/cyninge/kynge ., .,., .; gp. cyninga .y . chuch gs. cyrcean ., .; ds. cyrcean .y to eve, to mke known, to inom sp. cye .; p p. impetive cya .; s p. cy., .; s pt. cydde ., ., .; p pt. cyddon/cy-don ., .

m. d instument deg/dge/dege ., .,.;np. dagas .l m. pt, potion gs. dles .; ds. dle .

t see tt m. dish-sevnt ns. discten .t . dughte ns. dohtor., .; ds. dehter. nomous to do inin. don/gedon ., .,.;p p. impetive do .; s pt. dyde ., .,.; p pt. dydon ., . I to dive p pt. drion . pt. p. to de s pt. dorste ., ., .


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Voume no.

ml dv. humb .lm m. nobemn ns. ealderman/ealdor-man ., .; s. ealdarman .; gs. ealdormannes.ll I. dj. ns. eal/eall., etc; s. eal/eall.;gs. ealles ., .; gp. ealra/ealre ., ., ., .;

dp. eallon/eallum ., ., ., . II. dv. entie-, u ., etc.ge to deseve p ptc geearnud.mtt n. humiit dp. eamettum . (NB:eamettu decines in the pu, et cn nd shoudbe tnsted into ModE s singu) . etenit ds. ecnesse .t . estitution ds. edgit.t dv. gin, tewds .t see tt m. oowe, descendnt gp. etergen-ga . m. e, we ds. ege .mb pep. bout, ound .ge to end, to compete s pt. geendude.dj. n ns. enig. see l dv. ngi .

m. the ns. der/eder., ., ., .; gs.der., .; s. der.tl dv. stedst, im .

l n. sehood s. als . VI to go p pt. aron .;p ptc. arende . n. mone, pice, ee gs. eos ., .;ds. eo . III to ind, to obtin (om) to induce ppt. undon .l n. peope, communit gs. olces . VII to ctch, to seize, to succeed (to the king-dom) s pt. encg. pep. on ccount o, becuse o ., etc.; conj. becuseb II to obid s pt. orbead.p dj. oesid pn. orespecenen .

V to give s pt. orgea., .yl III to equite inin. orgyldan . dv. oth, owd . dv. henceoth, theete . conj. becuse .m IV to come oth s pt. orcom.wy to oeit p pt. orwyrt.m pep. om . m. iend np. rynd.

p m. iendship ns. reondscype .ll dj. u nsm. ulla .ltm m. hep, suppot ds. ultume .yt m. peiod o time ds. yrste (on yrste in duetime, in the couse o time) .

nomous to go s pt. eode ., . conj. nd, both...nd ., etc. n. e ds. geare . . git gs. gie .conj. i . see dj. good nsm god., .; nsn god.; dpmgodan ., .l n. god s. gold.; gs. goldes .t to geet s p. gret.; s pt. grette .yt dv. et ., .

bb to hve, to hod inin. habban .; s p.hbbe s pt. hade/hde/hede/headde ., ., .,., ., etc.; p pt. subj. hden . . hnd ns. hand, s. hand .;ds. handa/hand., ., ., .; dp. handum .tt VII to commnd s pt. het., ., , t pon. he, she, it nsm. he ., ., etc.;sm. hine ., etc.; gsm. his ., etc.; dsm. him .,etc.; nsn. hit/hyt., etc.; sn. hit., etc.; ns. hio/heo ., ., etc.; gs. hire/hyre ., etc.; npm. hi/hy., etc.; gpm. hire/hiora/hyra ., etc.; dpm. heom

., etc. n. hed, hedship s. heaod.l VII to hod, to potect, to peseve, tostis inin. healdan .; p ptc. gehealden . see l dj. heven dpn. heoonlicum . dv. hee ., ., ., ., .t see dv. conj. how ., ., .w, wt pon. who, wht nsm. hwa .; nsn.hwt.; ds. hwm .w I to tun, to chnge p pt. hwyrdon .

wt dj. white nsm. hwita ., ., .wyl pon. dj. which ns. hwylce .y m. communit ds. hyrede ., ., .

/wt/w pon. I ns. ic ., etc.; s. me .;ds. me., ..; np. du wit.;np. we . pep+to into ., . du pon. ou pm. inc .l . chmbe, coset ds. inclian .


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l n. se s. insegel.t pep. into ., . dj. ion sm. iserne .

l to ed, to bing s pt. geldde, ldde., ., .

l to eve, to bequeth s pt. lde .; ppt. ldon .lt VII to et, to ow, to pemit, to eve un-done, to eve behind s pt. let., ., .; sp. subj. lete .l n. nd ns. land., etc.; s. land/lond., etc.;gs. landes ., ., ., ., ., .;ds. lande .; gp.landa .; dp. landum ., .ldj. ong tempo cuse swa lange .l. pemission, consent ds. leae ., .l ep, ewd inin. leanian .l to , to pce s pt. lede .; pt ptc.geled.lbb to ive s p. libbe .;s pt. subj. lyode.gelmp III to be s pt. gelamp ., ., .

m dj. moe ., .m n. m, host dp. mgne .m m. kin, etion, mi membe ns. mage., .; ds. magan .m pet-pes. to be be p p. magon .; s.pt. mihte ., .

m m. mn, peson ns. man ., etc.; gs. mannes.; dp. mannum ., ., .mll dj. wicked, sinu sn. manull.m see gem n. consent, wish dp. gemedon .mdj. mn nsm. menig., .mt m. poduce ds. mete .m pep. with ., etc.m pon., dj. mine nsm. min .; sn. mine., gsn. mines ., .; dsm. minon ., .; ds.minre .m . mothe ns. modor ., . ds. modor,

moder., .m n. cime, sinu object s. mor .gemt n. ssemb, meeting ds. gemote ., .,., ., ., .mt pet-pes. to be owed, m s pt. moste., .; p. pt. moston .myl dj. get, much ds. myclan .myt n. chuch ds. mynstre .

dv. no, b no mens, neve . dv. neve . = w see b = w see bt see pon., dj. none, not n nsm. nan ., etc.;

sn. nan ., etc.; gsm. nanes .; gs. nanre .I. conj. neithe ... no . II. dv. not ., etc. . compusion, oce gs. neade .m IV tke, seize s pt. nam ., .; p pt.namon .w dj. new s. niwe .l = wl see wll dv., conj. now .

pep. om, o ., . nom. to hod p p. subj. oeodon . to obtin b oce, to extot inin.oneadian . pep. on, onto, in ., etc. pet-pes. to gow ng, to bme, toccuse s pt. oncue . pep. ginst, towd ./ pep. up to, s s, unti ., ., ./ dj., pon. othe, nothe gp. oerra.; s. oer, oer./ conj. o ., .

pt m. piest ns. priost.

p dj. poud nsm. pruda .p n. pound gp. punda .

l n. cothing gs. rgles . dj. ed nsm. reada .n. cothing, inment gs. reaes .l n. obbe, cime s. realac .; gs. re-alaces .ge to diect, to ode, to give judgment,to expin s pt. gerehton ., ., .ge m. stewd, eeve, shei ns. gerea .t . est, epose ds. reste .

n. kingdom ds. rice . I to ide, inin. ridan .;s pt. rad., .;p pt. ridon .. Idiomtic: to handa geridan topce into [someones] powe o possession s pt..t n. ight, justice ds. rihte .tl dv. ight, just .tlt dj. most ight, most just .t dj. moe just, moe ight ns. rihtur.


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Voume no.

l m. time, occsion s. sl.t m. sint, ho peson gs. sancte .wl . sou, ie gs. sawle .m m. shipmn, sio ns. scgman .w to see, to choose, to seect s pt.sceawode .

tt m. mone ds. scette .t II to ssign, to ot s p. subj. sceote . . shie, distict ns. scir.mt n. shie-meeting, shie counci ns.scirgemot.; ds. scirgemote . m. shie eeve ns. scirgerea .l pet-pes. must, ought to s pt. sceolde/sci-olde ., ., ., ., .; p pt. sceoldon/scioldon., ., t, dem. pon./de. t. nsm. se ., etc.[o , see so b]; ns. sio .; nsn. t/t/et., etc.; sm. ane/one/onne/ene ., etc.; s.a/a ., etc.; sn. t/t/et., etc.; gsm. s/s/as ., etc.; gsn. s/s/as ., etc.; dsm.m/m/am/am/an ., etc.; dsn. m/m/am/am ., etc.; pm//n. a/a ., etc.; gpm//n.ara/ara ., ., .;dpm//n. m/m/am/am ., etc.ge I to seek, to ook o s pt. gesohte . to s s p. sg .; s pt. sde ., .;p pt. sdon .ll to give in. syllan ., s pt. sealde ., .,etc.; geund syllanne .

m to econcie, to sette in. geseman. to sendn s pt. sende ., ., .tt to set, to put, to set down in. settan.; p. ptc. gesett.gebb dj. [s noun] kin, etion ns. gesib .l n. sive s. siolor.tt V to sit s p. sit.; s pt. st.; p pt. s-ton .gem to gthe, to ssembe s pt. gesom-node .p . suit, dispute ns. spaec .

p V to s, to sue s p. subj. sprce .; spt. spc/sprc ., ., .; p pt. specon .t m. pin s. stacan .t VI to stnd s pt. stode .lsee yll n. Kentish popet mesuement co-esponding to mount o nd contined in hideesewhee. dp. sulungum .m pon. some nsm. sum .; dsm. sumon .

m. son ns. sunu/sune ., ., ., ., ., .;ds. suna/sunu .,.;np. suna .;gp. suna .w dv., conj. thus, ike, so, just s ., etc.w see wwtl to eve, to expose s p. sutela/swutela ., .

w to swe in. swerian .w/wy dv. ve, exceeding ., .,.wt . siste ns. swustor.wtl. sign, se s. swutelunga .ylpon., dj. se, himse nsm. syl/sul., .,.yll see lly/y dv. te, tewds, te .,., .yt sixth ds. syxtan .

t to instuct, to diect, to ssign s pt.gethte/thte/getehte ., ., .tl . cse, suit ns. talu ., .t II to dw, to dg, to tke s pt. teh .t . time ns. tid.t pep. to, s ., etc.t pep., dv. besides, moeove, so .getwl dv. tu .tw nume two nsm. twegen .; stwa .,.; gpm. twegea .; dpm. twam .twlnum. tweve, gp. twela .

/ dv. then, when ., etc. [o pon. uses, see]/ dv., conj. thee, whee ., etc. dv. theein .t dv. theeto .t/t conj. tht, so tht ., etc.yt dv. sti, et .ge to thnk s pt. geancude . dv. thence, theeom . etive ptice which, who, tht, s ., etc. dv. though, et, howeve

m. nobemn, thne ns. egen, np. egnas,p. egnas, gp. egna, dp. egnonl dv. o, nob . peope gs. eode dv., conj. thee// demonsttive pon. this nsm. es,ns. eos, nsn. is ., .; sn. is, gsm/n. isses/yses ., .;dsn. ysum/yssum/issum ., .,.


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anglo-saxon women before the law: a student edition of five old english lawsuits

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