THE BISHOPRIC OF CORNWALL. 181 



■ Now William of Malmesbury, according to Mr. Hardy, copies 

 from this Bodleian Manuscript almost word for word; but in- 

 stead of the words " ^thelstanum ad Ecclesiam Cormiensem," he 

 writes "Adelstanum ad CornuUemem." ^ 



The earlier Chronicler, Florence of Worcester, does not fall into 

 this error : he has, with the Bodleian Manuscript, ** ad Ecclesiam 

 Corvinensem." 



Sir H. Spelman, in his Concilia,t giving another account of the 

 same transaction from a Manuscript, which, he informs us, he 

 found among the archives of the Church of Canterbury, has " ad 

 Corwiensetn." 



That the two Sees were distinct, is proved first, by the mention 

 of Cornwall expressly in the Bodleian Manuscript immediately 

 after, and also by a Charter of King Ethelred, A.D. 993, relating 

 to the Monastery of Abingdon, | to which are appended the sig- 

 natures of the Bishops of both these Sees, as follow : — 



" © Ego ^Ifric, Corvinensis parrochie Episcopus, quse pree- 

 fatum adjacet Monasterium, huic dono sanctam Crucem impressi." 



" Ego Ealdred, Cornubiensis Ecclesie Episcopus, hoc decretum 

 consentiendo laudavi." 



And there are extant signatures of several other Bishops of the 

 Corvinensian Church, who were certainly not Bishops of Corn- 

 wall. 



The See in question was undoubtedly that of Wilton or Wilt- 

 shire, first established probably at Ramsbury in Wiltshire, || 

 according to Mr. Kemble ; wKich Bishopric was afterwards joined 

 to Sherborne, and finally established at Salisbury. 



Of this See of Eamsbury, Athelstan was the first Bishop, A.D. 

 909. Other Prelates of the same Diocese are described in their 

 signatures as Bishops of the Corvinensian or Wilton See indiffer- 

 ently. § 



* Gul. Malms. Gest. Reg. Angl., lib. II, c. 5. 



f Vol. I, p. 387. 



J Kemble's Codex Diplomaticus, No. 684. 



II Some say, at Sunningwell in Berkshire, probably the Sunnungnensis 

 Ecclesia of Florence of Worcester. 



§ Compare Kemble, Cod. Dip., Nos. 684 and 686, and Thorpe, Dip. Aug., 

 p. 290 ; also Kemble, Nos. 737, 1324, and 753, 761, 763, 771, 774, 775, 916, 1810. 



