15 



Horn. (Evesham) 35 carucates of land of the Warwickshire 

 side of the river (in plaga Warwicensis). These places are 

 Ragelei, Arve, Eccleshall, Wiveleshall, Eadrichestone, 

 Budaford, and Hildeburhworth. This would show that the 

 shire boundary was marked at an early period, and it is 

 generally understood that the shires were formed on some 

 ancient territorial divisions, but altered to suit the different 

 interests which had arisen. The fact should not be over- 

 looked that the Mercian shires received their distinctive 

 names from the chief towns therein. The Chartulary of 

 Evesham also mention the gifts of a certain Ufa, Vicecomes 

 of Warwickshire a.d. 980,* and that his son afterwards 

 confirmed the gifts of Whitlagerford. Both these persons 

 figure in Rous' roll of the Saxon " Earls " of Warwick. 

 Rous speaks of the invasion of Cnut and his Danes and the 

 ravages they committed at Warwick. We have some confirm- 

 ation of this in a charter of Cnut, given to the monks of 

 Abingdon, in which he grants certain lands at Myton lying 

 between the Learn and the broad pool, and from the pool to 

 Tsecel-brook, and thence by said stream to the Avon. The 

 entry in the Saxon Chronicle under the year 1016, mentions 

 the raid into Warwickshire, but does not mention the county 

 town specially. It runs thus: — 



"a.d. 1016. — In this year Cnut came with his army, and 

 the Ealderman Eadric with him, over the Thames into 

 Mercia at Cricklade \_Cricgelade'\, and then they went into 

 Warwickshire [ W arincscira], during the mid winter's tide, 

 and harried, and burnt and slew all that they came to." 



The line of march of the troopers would probably be by 



the Fosse way. We have in different parts of the county 



indications of this visit, and we know that one of the 



Coventry churches received special gifts and relics from 



*' Ufa is said to have been buried at Arden's Grafton. 



