King Eadred’s Will
Overview
King Eadred’s will, preserved in the Liber de Hyda, a 15th-century manuscript, offers invaluable insights into the wealth, landholdings, and political alliances of the 10th century. Eadred, the grandson of Alfred the Great, ruled England from 946 to 955. His will includes significant bequests to religious institutions, rewards for loyal nobles, and provisions for his family, reflecting his piety, concern for his soul, and desire for political stability. While the will is undated, scholars agree it must have been written after 951, as it mentions Aelfsige, who became bishop of Winchester that year.
In the Liber de Hyda, King Eadred’s will is recorded in Latin, Old English, and Middle English. Given that the manuscript was created centuries after Eadred’s reign, it contains some corrupt spellings and mistranslations. Despite these flaws, the will remains a crucial document for understanding the distribution of royal wealth, land tenure, and the king’s relationships with both the Church and the nobility.
Image: Will of King Eadred – British Library Add MS 82931, f. 22v. Public Domain.
In the name of the Lord. This is King Eadred’s will. In the first place, he presents to the foundation wherein he desires that his body shall rest, two golden crosses, two swords with hilts of gold, and four hundred pounds. Item, he gives to Old Minster at Winchester three estates, namely Downton, Damerham, and Calne. Item, he gives to New Minster three estates, namely Wherwell, Andover, and Clere; and to Nunnaminster, Shalbourne, Thatcham, and Bradford. Item, he gives to Nunnaminster at Winchester thirty pounds, and thirty to Wilton, and thirty to Shaftesbury.
Item, he gives sixteen hundred pounds for the redemption of his soul and for the good of his people, that they may be able to purchase for themselves relief from want and from the heathen army if they need. Of this, the Archbishop at Christ Church is to receive four hundred pounds for the relief of the people of Kent, Surrey, Sussex, and Berkshire; and if anything happens to the bishop, the money shall remain in the monastery, in the charge of the members of the council who are in that county. And Aelfsige, bishop of the see of Winchester, is to receive four hundred pounds, two hundred for Hampshire and one hundred each for Wiltshire and Dorsetshire; and if anything happens to him, it shall remain as in a similar case mentioned above—in the charge of the members of the council who are in that county. Item, Abbot Dunstan is to receive two hundred pounds and to keep it at Glastonbury for the people of Somerset and Devon; and if anything happens to him, arrangements similar to those above shall be made. Item, Bishop Aelfsige is to receive the two hundred pounds left over and keep [the money] at the episcopal see at Winchester for whichever shire may need it. Item, Bishop Oscytel is to receive four hundred pounds and keep it at the episcopal see at Dorchester for the Mercians, in accordance with the arrangement described above. Now Bishop Wulfhelm has that sum of four hundred pounds. Item, gold to the amount of two thousand mancuses is to be taken and coined into mancuses; and the archbishop is to receive one portion, and Bishop Aelfsige a second, and Bishop Oscytel a third, and they are to distribute them throughout the bishoprics for the sake of God and for the redemption of my soul.
Item, I give to my mother the estates at Amesbury, Wantage, and Basing, and all the booklands which I have in Sussex, Surrey, and Kent, and all those which she has previously had. Item, I give to the archbishop two hundred mancuses of gold, reckoning the hundred at a hundred and twenty. And to each of my bishops one hundred and twenty mancuses of gold. And to each of my earls one hundred and twenty mancuses of gold. And to each appointed seneschal, chamberlain, and butler, eighty mancuses of gold. And to each of my chaplains, whom I have put in charge of my relics, fifty mancuses of gold and five pounds in silver. And five pounds to each of the other priests. And thirty mancuses of gold to each appointed steward, and to every ecclesiastic who has been appointed since I succeeded to the throne, and to every member of my household, in whatever capacity he be employed, unless he be …… to the royal palaces.
Item, I desire that twelve almsmen be chosen on each of the estates mentioned above, and if anything happens to any of them, another is to be appointed in his place; and all this is to hold good so long as Christianity endures, to the glory of God and the redemption of my soul; and if anyone refuses to carry it out, his estate is to revert to the place where my body shall rest.
Further Research & Sources
Harmer, Florence E. Select English Historical Documents of the Ninth and Tenth Centuries. Cambridge University Press. 1914.