The history and antiquities of London, Westminster, Southwark, and other parts adjacent ... Continued to the present time / by Thomas Wright.
- Thomas Allen
- Date:
- 1839
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The history and antiquities of London, Westminster, Southwark, and other parts adjacent ... Continued to the present time / by Thomas Wright. Source: Wellcome Collection.
66/504 page 50
![gained possession of London, William caused a strong fortress to be erected, which he garrisoned with the best of his troops in order to secure the same, and awe the citizens ^ notwithstanding, when he made his public entry into London soon after, he was received with the greatest acclamations, and external signs of joy. The conqueror soon after set out to visit his Norman domi- nions ; and on his return from thence, in the 2d year of his reign, anno 1067, was received into London with a magnificent proces- sion of the clergy, magistrates, and principal citizens; in return for which, and at the intercession of William Stigand, (the Nor- man) Bishop of London, he granted a charter to the citizens in their own language ; a great favour at that time, when the An- glo Norman was so common. This charter consists of four lines and a quarter, beautifully written in the Saxon character on a slip of parchment, of the length of six inches, and breadth of one, which is preserved in the city archives as a jewel of great value. The seal of the charter is of white wax, and now broken into se- veral pieces, preserved in an orange coloured silk bag ^ the rim of the seal being almost gone, the only letters remaining are m. WILL, but the writing of the charter is very perfect. The fol- lowing is an exact transcript: lUillm. XynS WiWm. bifceop ] Gopppes^ pop-cepepan ] ealle pa buphpapu binnan Lonbone Fpencipce ] Gnglipce ppeonblice.] ic Jcy^e eop ic pille, get: been eallpa paepa laga people pe g^ pepan on Gabpepbep baege jeyngep. ] ic pylle pse'c selc cylb beo hip psepep yppnume eeptep hip pse^ep bsege. ] ic nelle gepolian senig man eop senig ppang beobe Gob eop gchealbe. In English thus: William the King friendly salutes William the Bishop, and Godfrey the Portreve, and all the Burgesses within London, both French and English. And I declare, that I grant you to be all law'worthyas you were in the days of King Edward ; * “ There were two ways of being law-worthy, or having the benefit of the law. By the state and conditions of men’s persons, almost all freemen had the free benefit of the law; but men of servile condition had not, es- pecially such as were in Doinniio, (in Demesne,) for they received justice from their lords, were judged by them in most cases, and had not the true benefit of the law : so neither as to the second observation in this charter, could their children be their heirs; for they held their lands and goods at the will of the lord, and were not sure to enjoy them longer than at his plea- sure. ‘‘ The second way of being law-wor- thy was, when men had not committed any crimes, or done any thing for which they forfeited the law, and de- served to be outlawed; then they were said to be legates homines, recti in curia, or law worthy, but not so pro- perly as in thi first sense of the word. “ Hence may arise a very probable conjecture at the meaning of this pro- tection or charter. That the burges- ses of London had obtained of the Saxon kings several liberties and ira-](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b29310775_0066.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
