Page:St. Oswald and the Church of Worcester.djvu/22

 The changes here shown are not more than might be expected in the course of five years. Four of the first list are missing from the second; but of these Wulfnoth reappears in 966 and afterwards; and Behstan, the senior in 957, may have died, or may have gone to live on the estate then granted to him. Eight names are new in 962; but we cannot be sure that some of these were not merely absentees on the former occasion.

Judging from the titles appended in 962, it seems that the only priests in 957 were Behstan, who is styled 'presbyter' in the body of the grant made to him, and Wulfric, who succeeds Behstan as the senior. Nor were matters any better in 962; for Wulfric and ^Ethelnoth are the only priests, and there is but one deacon, Ælfric. This is a startling revelation. It helps us to understand the general complaint that the monasteries or minsters were in the hands of clerks and the services grossly neglected. In contrast with this we may remember that nine presbyters, four deacons, and five other persons had attested Bishop Denebert's charter of c. 798.

Although we have lists of the familia in charters of 963, 966, 967, and 969, it will suffice for our present purpose to examine two lists which belong to the year 977; and it is important to bear in mind that there has been an interval of seven years (970-6), during which there are no lists for comparison. The first year of their appearance is noted before the names of those who have attested earlier charters.