manding talents exist to predominate in the discussions, and СНАР. to shape the council. The reigns of Ethelred the Second, and of the Confessor, were distinguished by the turbulence, and even treason of the nobles. Of the former, our Malmsbury writes, "When 66 ever the duces met in the council, some chose one thing "and some another. They seldom agreed in any good "opinion. They consulted more on domestic treasons, than "on the public necessities." " IV. BOOK THE CHA P. V. Their Official Dignities. HE EALDORMAN was the highest officer in the kingdom. In rank he was inferior to an etheling; for when an etheling's were-geld was fifteen thousand thrymsas, an ealdorman's was but eight thousand, He was the chief of a shire, and he lost this dignity if he connived at the escape of a robber, unless the king pardoned him. He was one of the witan, who attended the witena-gemot.' He presided with the bishop at the scire-gemot, which he was ordered to attend,* and the folc-gemot.' He ranked with a bishop, but was superior to the thegn." He had great civil powers in administering justice, and also enjoyed high military authority; he is mentioned as leading the shire to battle against the enemy. To draw weapons before him, incurred a penalty of one hundred shillings; and to fight before him in a gemot, incurred a fine to him of one hundred and twenty shillings, besides other punishments." The ealdorman is a title which occurs perpetually in the Saxon Chronicle. The EORL is a dignity recognized in our carliest laws. It appears in those of Ethelbert, who died in 616, where offences in the tune and against the birele of an eorl are expressly punished." He is also mentioned in a charter, dated 680." The mund of his widow is highly estimated." He is also noticed in the laws of Alfred, Edward, Ethelstan, and Edgar.1 CHAP. An eorl's heriot was four horses saddled and four horses not saddled, four helms, four mails, eight spears and shields, four swords, and two hundred mancusa of gold, which was twice a thegn's heriot." To be an eorl was a dignity to which a thegn might arrive," and even a ceorl." 18 In 656, Wulfer in his charter mentions the eorls: "I Wulfer, "kyning, with the king and with eorls, and with herotogas, "and with thegnas, the witnesses of this gift." " The persons who sign this, with the king and clergy, call themselves ealdormen. The title of eorl occurs again in a grant of 675," and afterwards.2° In the fragment of poetry in the Saxon Chronicle to the year 975, Edward, the son of Edgar, is called the eorla ealder; the ruler of eorls." 22 In 966, Oslac is stated tohave received his ealdordome. In 975, he is called se mære eorl, the great earl; and is stated to have been banished; " he is also called ealdorman." This same Oslac is mentioned in the laws of Edgar as an earl: "Then let Oslac eorl promote it, and all the army that in "this ealdordome remaineth." 24 These passages induce a belief that eorl and ealdorman were but different denomina tions of the same official dignity. Yet, when we find in the Chronicle such distinctions, in the same paragraph, as “Ealfrice ealdorman, and Thorode eorl," " we are led to imagine that there must have been some peculiar traits by which they were discriminated. But it is obvious, from the Saxon Chronicle, that corldome" expressed the same thing that ealdordome has been applied to signify. In the latter part of the Anglo-Saxon period, the title ealdorman seems to have been superseded by that of eorl." The iarl of the Northmen was the same title. B.O O.K 28 The term HERETOCH implies the leader of an army; and HOLD is mentioned as a dignity in Ethelstan's laws, whose were was higher than that of a thegn. Many persons with this title are mentioned in the Saxon Chronicle," in the years 905, 911. The GEREFAS were officers appointed by the executive power, and in rank inferior to the corl or caldorman. They were of various kinds. The heh-gerefa is mentioned, whose were was four thousand thrymsas." Also the wic-gerefa, before: whom purchases of the Kentishmen in London were to be made, unless they had good witnesses." And the porte-gerefa, or the gerefa of the gate, who was to witness all purchases without the gate, unless other unimpeachable persons were present." 34 The gerefas were in every. byrig." They were judicial officers, and were ordered to judge according to right judgment, and the dom-boc, or book of judgment. They delivered over offenders to punishment." They were present at the folc-gemot," where they were to do justice. They were ordered to convene a gemot every four weeks, to end lawsuits. They took bail or security in their respective shires for every one to keep the peace; and if they omitted to take. the bail, and neglected their duty, they lost their office, and the king's friendship, and forfeited to him one hundred and: twenty shillings.38 In cases of robbery, application was to be made to the gerefa in whose district it was; and he was to provide. as many men as were sufficient to apprehend the thief, and avenge the injury." If any one became "untrue" to every one, the king's gerefa was to go and bring Lim under bail, 28 Wilk. Leg. Sax. 71. 30 Wilk. Leg. 71. Si Ib. 9. 22 Ib. 48. 33 Ib. 54, 55. 34 Wilk. Leg. 9. 12. 48, 49. 35 Ibid. 12. 16 Ibid. 39. 41. 27 Ibid. 50. 38 Ibid. 69. 39 Ibid. 68. that he might be brought to justice to answer his accuser. If the offender could find no bail, he was to be killed." He was to supply such prisoners with food who had no relations that could support them." He was to defend the abbots in their necessities.* 42 They were made responsible for their official conduct. If they neglected their duty, it was ordered, in the laws of Ethelstan, that they should be fined for their delinquency, and be displaced, and the bishop was to announce it to the gerefa in his province. If they broke the law, they had to pay five pounds the first time, the price of their were the second, and for the third offence they lost all their property.43 If they took a bribe to pervert right, they were punished as severely." The THEGNS of the Anglo-Saxons were in rank below the eorls and ealdormen. They formed a species of nobility peculiar to those ancient times; and though, at this distant period, they cannot be delineated accurately, yet, from the circumstances which we can collect, we shall find them a very curious and interesting order of men. It has been already mentioned, that it was a rank attainable by all, even by the servile, and that the requisites which constituted the dignity are stated in the laws to have been the possession of five hides of his own land, a church, a kitchen, a bell-house, a judicial seat at the burgh gate, and an appropriate office in the king's hall. But it was essential to a thegn, that he should be á landed proprietor; for though a ceorl had a helm, mail, and a goldhandled sword, yet if he had no land, the laws declare that he must still remain a ceorl." The thegns were of two descriptions. The inferior sort was called thegn, and the superior were distinguished as king's СНАР. V. |