Page:St. Oswald and the Church of Worcester.djvu/31

 said to have been of later date than King Offa's time: see Hearne, Heming, p. 592. It is rejected by Kemble, and marked as doubtful by Stevenson.

This is marked as spurious by Stevenson.

It is granted monachis sanctae Mariae Guigornensis æcclesiae, and is followed by a Saxon form, from which perhaps it was derived; but in this form the grant is made 'to the minster at Worcester for the use of the brethren', no mention being made of monks or of St Mary's.

On this Mr. Stevenson has pronounced no judgement. It is rejected by Kemble. Its witnesses are the same as those of B. C. S. 239, Offa's grant of lands to St Peter's at Worcester; and its wording at the close is similar. It also has points in common with B. C. S. 236, and with the spurious charter B. C. S. 235. None of these charters are of good repute.

The mention of fures illos quos Saxonice dicimus uuergeldtheouas is suspicious. Other notices relating to Iccomb and to Sapey seem hard to reconcile with the exchange spoken of in this charter. Of Sapey we learn (Hearne, Heming, p. 255) that Beorhtheah, the bishop from 1033 onwards, granted it to his brother-in-law, and thus it became alienated, ultimately being granted to St Evroul. Iccomb, on the other hand, is said (ibid., p. 406) to have been given to the church by Earl Ælfgar, when Wulstan was prior: cf. p. 370, where it is said to have been given in Harold's time.

It is clear, therefore, that nothing can be built on the evidence of this charter.

This completes our review of the evidence for the existence of St Mary's in the eighth century. We need have no hesitation in dismissing it as quite worthless. After this point we have not the help of Mr. Stevenson's judgements.