THE BISHOPRIC OF CORNWALL. 185 



Bodmin Manumissions. The Saxon entry may be thus trans- 

 lated : — 



"Wuenmon and her progeny, Morvith her sister, and her 

 progeny, and Wurg-ustel and his progeny, were freed here in 

 town for King Edred and for Bishop Ethelgar, in witness of the 

 Convent which is here in town." * 



The date of this entry must be of the reign of King Edred, 

 A.D. 946-955. 



There was an Ethelgar Bishop of Crediton about this time, 

 namely, from 934 to 953 ; but there seems to be no ground for 

 thinking that the Devonshire Bishop would be found manumitting 

 slaves at Bodmin. We therefore conclude that this was a Cornish 

 Bishop, contemporary with King Edred, and that he succeeded 

 Conan. His name cannot be pointed out with certainty in any 

 known Charter. The Ethelgar, whose name is so often met with 

 in Charters of this period, was probably the Crediton Bishop, and 

 on one occasion he is described as such.t 



Athelstan probably succeeded Ethelgar. His signature as 

 Bishop of Cornwall is appended to a Charter of Archbishop Dun- 

 stan and other Prelates to Croyland Abbey, dated 966, as fol- 

 lows : — 



" ^ Ego -<Ethelstanus, Episcopus Cornubiensis, consilium 

 dedi." + 



Among the signatures is that of Ordgar, Duke of Damnonia, 

 father of Duke Ordulf and o^ Elfrida, Queen of King Edgar, and 

 founder of Tavistock Abbey, who died in 971. || 



Bishop Athelstan's name does not occur in any other Charter. 



The Bodmin Manumissions also furnish the names of Bishops 

 Wulfsie and Comoere. 



* Wuennmon and hire team, Moruiw hire swuster and hire team, and 

 Wurgiistel and his team, wnarun gefreod her on tune, for Eadryde Cyninge 

 and for ethelgar Biscop, an thas hirsdes gewitnesse the lier on tune syndun. 

 — Bodmin Manumissions, No. 23, according to Dr. Oliver's notation in his 

 Monasticon, pp. 431-436. 



f Kemhle, Cod. Dip., No. 1112, A.D. 935. 



+ Kemble, Cod. Dip., No. 528. 



jl Florence of Worcester. Palgrave's English Commomvealth, Vol. 2, p. 265. 



