By Thereza Story Maskdyne. 403 



Tlie following MahiieHbury chai'b(3rs throw light on the connection 

 with Ellendune : — 



No. 7 of the charters as given in J. Y. Akerman's paper " On the Pos- 

 sessions of Mahneshury Abbey" {Archeologia, xxxvii., 257), is dated Aug' 

 19, 688. " Ceadunealla of Wessex made a donation of XXX nianentes on 

 the east side of Braden to Mahnesbury Abbey." ' 



" In the same year 688 Aldhelm exchanged this with one Baldred for 

 lands nearer the Abbey. But somehow this exchange seems to have gone 

 wrong, and the original gift remained in force." - 



A charter of Nov. 5th, 844, states that /Ethelwulf of Wessex 

 confirmed previous grants of land to the Abbey, and amongst them 

 is one which probably applies to the land in question, as it is re- 

 corded as " D?et is at Ellendune thirty hide/'-^ 



The Rolls Series Reg. Malm. I. 294, gives the following grant of 

 tithes to Mahnesbury by Ethelwulf, land "that is at Ellendune 

 thritty hyde." Evidently the same transaction as is recorded in 

 the charter of Nov. 5th, 844. 



Later on we get another clue to the history of this land,^ stating 

 that Eadwig in 956 A.D. granted " xxx mansas at Ellendune to his 

 faithful minister and relative ^Ifheah," and as the land limits of 

 Elhindune are recorded in the same document they presumably 

 apply to the same land. 



Akerman in the paper mentioned above {ArcJiccoloyia, xxxvii., 

 266) alludes to King Eadwig's great exchanges of land near 

 ]\Ialniesbury — which he says "enabled the monks to j'oin ujt this 

 land into one compact territory." 



Finally, we learn from No. 24 of the Mahnesbury charters (C.lJ. 

 :)9o) that ^Ifheah ])y his will {circ. 956—975 A.D.) bequeathed 

 land to Churches in liath and Wiiiche.sler, and assuming this gift 

 to Winchester to have been the xxx numentes at Ellendune given 

 in 956 by King Eadwig to .Elfheali, we liave a ])ossibh» (due as 

 to how ami when this land came to 1)0 u Winchester manor, for, 

 as we have alieady stated, in lulwanl tht; Confessor's time. 



' Manentes were tenants who were confined to the land. 



- hettt-r from tlio liislu.p of liri.stol. •' CD. 1048 Cart. S:vx. 4 1. 

 * (M ). 1 IS4 Carl. Sax. 9-18. 



