church states 'Since gifts are quickly forgotten or maliciously denied unless they are committed to writing, I commit to this page and through this page make known to all faithful men and confirm with the impress of my seal that I. . . . give to God and St. Mary of Bec the church of Weedon . . .' (no. XIX). One document is a record of a lease in the husting court (no. XIII).The authenticity of some is doubtful. Two alleged confirmations by Henry I of the manors of Chisenbury and Durrington consist of a statement of the terms of the grant, possibly copied from another charter, the king's consent being secured by adding the formula 'Ego Henricus rex Anglorum gratia dei concedo et signo et sigillo meo confirmo hanc elemosinam'. One late example of the king 'signing' as well as sealing a grant is just possible, but two are unconvincing and give rise to a suspicion of later rehandling, though the charters alleged to have received royal confirmation are probably genuine enough. The wording of the three charters of Richard I of Clare transcribed in the Windsor Liber Albus is too uniform and formalized to ring true; one granting the manor of Tooting Bec, and therefore presumably of an earlier date than Domesday, grants it 'cum omnibus rebus ad eundem manerium pertinentibus, liberum et quietum ab omni seculari servicio et exaccione in perpetuam et liberam et puram elemosinam' (no. XL). This formula is certainly not usual at so early a date. But at least the property conferred was mentioned in the confirmation of William I 1 and held by Bec throughout the Middle Ages, and however suspicious the charters they must be based on genuine grants.
2. THE CUSTUMALS
The customs of the manors are preserved both on rolls and in a book. It is possible that the rolls were intended for the use of the steward or itinerant bailiff when on circuit, whilst the book was to provide a more permanent central record. However, the volume no less than the rolls was continually liable to addition and revision, and all the surviving records are composite in their final form. King's College Cambridge Dd 33 is a long roll of 9 membranes 7 in. wide, with capital letters rubricated. The first membrane is considerably mutilated. The customs in the original version, which I call A, can be dated c. 1230; and since only the western manors are described it is possible that the estates were still administratively divided between Ogbourne and Ruislip at this time. Alterations have been made at two or three different dates by crossing or scratching out names and inserting others; the latest corrections date from c. 1247. I have called the final version B. In spite of these additions the earliest version can be almost com- pletely reconstructed, since only a few names are obliterated by corrections. The following manors are described:
m. 1. Ogbourne St. George (Wilts.). The beginning is missing, and the right- hand side of the membrane torn away.
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Publication Information: Book Title: Select Documents of the English Lands of the Abbey of Bec. Contributors: Marjorie Chibnall - author. Publisher: Royal Historical Society. Place of Publication: London. Publication Year: 1951. Page Number: x.
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