Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of illustrations
- Dedication
- Miscellaneous Frontmatter
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Note on the references
- Introduction
- 1 Anglo-Saxon written wills: the nature of the evidence
- 2 The process of will-making
- 3 Politics, power and the bequest of land
- 4 Lay bequest of land: pious gifts and family strategy
- 5 The bequest of movable wealth
- 6 Wills, commemoration and lay piety
- Conclusion: Why make a written will in Anglo-Saxon England?
- 1 The corpus of Anglo-Saxon wills
- 2 The evidence for wills and will-making in the Liber Eliensis and Chronicon Abbatiæ Rameseiensis
- 3 The bequest of movable wealth
- 4 Local churches mentioned in wills
- 5 Note on unpublished material by Patrick Wormald
- Bibliography
- Index
- York Medieval Press: Publications
3 - Politics, power and the bequest of land
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 September 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of illustrations
- Dedication
- Miscellaneous Frontmatter
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Note on the references
- Introduction
- 1 Anglo-Saxon written wills: the nature of the evidence
- 2 The process of will-making
- 3 Politics, power and the bequest of land
- 4 Lay bequest of land: pious gifts and family strategy
- 5 The bequest of movable wealth
- 6 Wills, commemoration and lay piety
- Conclusion: Why make a written will in Anglo-Saxon England?
- 1 The corpus of Anglo-Saxon wills
- 2 The evidence for wills and will-making in the Liber Eliensis and Chronicon Abbatiæ Rameseiensis
- 3 The bequest of movable wealth
- 4 Local churches mentioned in wills
- 5 Note on unpublished material by Patrick Wormald
- Bibliography
- Index
- York Medieval Press: Publications
Summary
Land was at the heart of wealth and status in Anglo-Saxon England, and the seriousness with which its transmission was viewed is demonstrated by the process of will-making described in the previous chapter, hedged around as it was with witnesses, documentation and the protection of king and church. It can often be difficult to determine the factors which influenced donors' decisions, hampered as we are by the limited information in the sources about the donors themselves, their beneficiaries and the history of the estates. However, where donors belonged to the highest echelons of Anglo-Saxon society both they and their families feature more frequently in the historical record, providing a clearer context for their bequests. Among those holding secular office are two kings and five ealdormen, along with lesser figures who came within their orbit: a king's son, women who were associated with the royal family, and the daughters of an ealdorman. A second group held high ecclesiastical office; the bequests of five bishops, an archbishop and two further potential archbishops must be placed in the context not only of their responsibilities within the church, but also of their role as major landholders and political figures. If the bequests of this elite group reveal the particular influence of their political roles, and the power which they wielded, the wills of lesser men reveal in various ways the significance of the local political network as well as, in some instances, the impact of the political upheavals of the time.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Wills and Will-Making in Anglo-Saxon England , pp. 80 - 139Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2011