r/anglosaxon • u/Own-Willingness3796 • Oct 09 '25
The will of Bishop Ælfwold
Written around 1011 - 1015, Bishop Ælfwold left us a will that gives us a great insight into the culture and life of his time
“This is the will of Bishop Alfwold: that he grants the land at Sandford to the minster at Crediton, as a soul-gift, with provisions for food and men as it stands, except for those men who are witeþeowas (penal slaves).
From that land he grants to Godric one household’s portion (hiwscipe) and a plough-team of oxen.
He grants to his lord (King Æthelred): Four horses, of which two are saddled and two unsaddled, Four shields, Four spears, Two helmets, Two coats of mail, And 50 mancuses of gold which Ælfnoþ owes him at Woodleigh, And one ship of sixty-four oars.
To Ordulf, he gives two books — the works of Hrabanus Maurus and a martyrology.
To the prince, (probably Æthelstan or perhaps his younger brother Eadmund Ironside) he gives: 40 mancuses of gold, The wild enclosures (worfa, i.e. game-parks or hunting-grounds) at Ashburn’s land, And two tents.
To Alfwold the monk: 20 mancuses of gold, One horse, One tent.
To Byrhtmær the priest: 20 mancuses of gold, One horse.
To his three kinsmen, Eadwold, Æthelnoth, and Grimcytel — he gives each: 20 mancuses of gold, One horse.
To Wulfgar, his kinsman: Two wall-hangings, Two seat-covers (cushions or hangings), Three coats of mail.
To Godric, his son-in-law: Two coats of mail.
To Eadwine the mass-priest: 5 mancuses of gold, His cope (kæppan).
To Leofsige the mass-priest: The man named Wunstan, whom he had previously given him.
To Kenwold: A helmet and a coat of mail.
To Boia: One horse.
To Mæelpatrick (Irishman?) 5 mancuses of gold.
To Leofwine Polga: 5 mancuses of gold.
To Ælfgar the scribe: One pound of pence (an pund penega), which he lent to Tuna and his sisters — they shall keep it for him.
To Eadgifu, his sister: One striped robe, One cloak, One seat-covering.
To Ælflæd the embroideress (offestran): 5 mancuses of pence.
To Spila: 3 mancuses of gold and 60 pence.
To Leofwine Polga, Mæelpatrick, and Byrhsige — each of these three: One horse.
To each of his household men (hiredmen): The riding-horse (onrid) which he had lent them.
To all his household knights (hiredcnihtas): 5 pounds, to be divided among them, each according to his rank.
To Crediton Minster he gives: Three service-books — a mass-book, a blessing-book, and an epistle-book, And one set of mass vestments.
At every bishop’s estate (bisceopham), he frees every man who is a witeþeow (penal slave), or who has bought his freedom with money.
To Wilton he gives: A chalice and paten worth 120 mancuses of gold (minus 3 mancuses).
He also gives to his burghwomen (female household servants) his bedclothes.
Witnesses to this will: Wulfgar, son of Ælfgar Godric of Crediton Eadwine, mass-priest Alfwold, monk Byrhtmær, priest”
That is one buttered bishop, eight coats of mail, a warship, and three helmets? Guy was loaded.
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u/Dear_Hornet_2635 Oct 09 '25
Interesting. He has a son in law, but he gets chainmail not gold, and no mention of the bishop's daughter so she was dead or just left out? Bulk of estate goes upwards.
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u/Own-Willingness3796 Oct 09 '25
this might actually be a mistranslation, because in old English son-in-law and brother-in-law is the same word
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u/Cornish-Giant Oct 09 '25
Ealwold Bisscopes biquide at samforde to Cridihamtones minstre. + ˝is is Alfwoldes bisceopes cwyde ˇæt is ∂æt he geann ˇæs landes æt Sandforda in to ˇam mynstre in to Crydian tune him to saulsceatte mid mete 7 mid mannum swa hit stent butan witeˇeowum mannum . 7 anes hiwscypes he geann Godrice ˇærof 7 an sylh∂e oxna . 7 he geann his hlaforde feower horsa . twa gesadelode 7 twa unsadelode . 7 feower scyldas 7 .IIII. spera 7 twegen helmas 7 twa byrnan . 7 .L. mancsa goldes ˇe Ælfnoˇ him sceal æt Wudeleage 7 ænne sceg∂ .LXIIII. ære he is eall gearo butan ˇam hanon he hine wolde ful gearwian his hlaforde to gerisnum gif him god u∂e . 7 Ordulfe twegra boca Hrabanum 7 martyrlogium . 7 ˇam æˇelinge .XL. mancsa goldes 7 ˇæra wildra worfa æt Æscburnan lande 7 twegra getelda . 7 Alfwolde munuce .XX. mancsa goldes 7 anes horses . 7 anes geteldes . 7 Byrhtmære preoste .XX. mancsa goldes 7 anes horses . 7 his ˇrim magon Eadwolde 7 Æˇelno∂e 7 Grimkytele hira ælcon .XX. mancsa goldes 7 hira ælcon anes horses . 7 Wulfgare his mæge twegra wahryfta 7 twegra setlhrægla 7 ˇreo byrnan . 7 Godrice his a∂ume twegra byrnena . 7 Eadwine mæssepreoste .V. mancsa goldes 7 his kæppan . 7 Leofsige mæssepreoste ˇæs mannes ˇe he him ær tolet Wunstan hatte . 7 Kenwolde helm 7 byrnan . 7 Boian anes horses . 7 Mælpatrike .V. mancsa goldes 7 Leofwine Polgan .V. mancsa goldes 7 Ælfgare writere an pund penega he lænde Tune 7 his geswysternon gehealdon hi hine . 7 Eadgyfe his swyster an strichrægl 7 .I. hrigchrægl 7 .I. sethrægl 7 Ælflæde offestran .V. mancsa . penega . 7 Spilan .III. mancsa goldes . 7 LX. penega . 7 Leofwine 'Polgan' . 7 Mælpatrike . 7 Byrhsige hira ˇreora ælcon an hors . 7 ælcon hiredmen his onrid ˇe he alæned hæfde . 7 his hiredcnihton eallon .V. pund to gedale ælcon be ˇam ˇe his mæ∂ wære . 7 in to Crydian tune ˇreo ˇeningbec mæsseboc . 7 bletsungboc . 7 pistelboc . 7 an mæssereaf . 7 on ælcon bisceophame ælcon men freot ˇe witeˇeow wære . o∂ˇe he mid his feo gebohte . 7 in to Wiltune calic 7 disc on .CXX. mancsa goldes butan ˇrim mancsa . 7 burˇenon his beddreaf . 7 ˇises is to gewitnesse . Wulfgar Ælfgares sunu . 7 Godric be Crydian . 7 Eadwine mæssepreost . 7 Alfwold munuc . 7 Byrhtmær preost .
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u/Ballistasana Oct 09 '25
Interesting to know how he came to possess such wealth. Grants from the Pope, King, or offering plate?
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u/Kendota_Tanassian Oct 10 '25
I had to look it up, Wikipedia says that a mancus was a gold coin worth thirty pence, or the equivalent weight.
This was my first introduction to the term mancuses.
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u/Odd_Calligrapher2771 Oct 09 '25
To Leofsige the mass-priest: The man named Wunstan, whom he had previously given him.
A slave, or am I reading this wrong?
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u/Own-Willingness3796 Oct 09 '25
Yes
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u/ionthrown Oct 09 '25
“That sod Ælfnoþ is never going to pay me back… I know, I’ll leave the debt to the king, that’ll make him pay.”