The Privilege of Liberty in Later Anglo-Saxon England

Abstract

This paper explores the development of the privilege of liberty in later Anglo Saxon England. It argues that this documentary form was not prevalent before the second half of the tenth century, when it emerged within the circles of monastic reform. he key moment came not in the reign of Edgar (959–75), when this movement reached its high point, but that of his son Æthelred (978–1016) when the newly on rights of the reformers faced serious challenges, not least from the monarch himself. As a result diplomas came to be used to secure these – the chartered liberty was born. A knock on effect was a boom in forgery, as monastic houses scrambled to project these rights onto the past, both near and distant.