The Tribal Hidage

Description of intent here

Collect transcript of all recensions into one place
Attempt to compare them...

Recension A

HTML Representation

This is an HTML version of British Library, MS Harley 3271, f. 6v. The following conventions have been used to produce this version:

The punctuation, capitalisation, and spacing of the manuscript have not been preserved.
Each entry is shown on a separate line, with a numeric value for the number of hides.
The Old English character "yogh" has been represented as "g".
The Old English character "wynn" has been represented as "w".
All abbreviations have been silently expanded. For example, Tironian "and" has been represented by the Old English word ond.
Marginal notes and corrections have been represented in italics.
"Lost" material has been represented in bold.
No account has been taken of the "form" of the characters in the text: they are represented by their nearest Modern English equivalent.

Manuscript Transcription

Myrcna landes is þrittig þusend hyda þær
mon ærest Mrycna hæt.                                 30,000
Wocen sætna is syfan þusend hida.                      7,000
Westerna eac swa.                                      7,000
Pecsætna twelf hund hyda.                              1,200
Elmed sætna syx hund hyda.                               600
Lindesfarona syfan þusend hyda mid Hæþ feldlande.      7,000
Suþ gyrwa syx hund hyda.                                 600
Norþ gyrwa syx hund hyda.                                600
East wixna þryu hund hyda.                               300
West wixna syx hund hyda.                                600
Spalda syx hund hyda.                                    600
Wigesta nygan hund hyda.                                 900
Herefinna twelf hund hyda.                             1,200
Sweord ora þryu hund hyda.                               300
Gifla þryu hund hyda.                                    300
Hicca þry hund hyda.                                     300
Wiht gara syx hund hyda.                                 600
Noxgaga fif þusend hyda.                               5,000
Ohtgaga twa þusend hyda.                               2,000

þæt is six ond syxtig þusend hyda ond an hund hyda.   66,100

Hwinca syfan þusend hyda.                              7,000
Ciltern sætna feower þusend hyda.                      4,000
Hendrica þryu þusend hyda ond fif hund hyda.           3,500
Unecungaga twelf hund hyda.                            1,200
Arosætna syx hund hyda.                                  600
Færpinga þreo hund hyda. is in Middelenglum Færpinga     300
Bilmiga syx hund hyda.                                   600
Widerigga eac swa.                                       600
Eastwilla syx hund hyda.                                 600
Westwilla syx hund hyda.                                 600
East engle þrittig þusend hida.                       30,000
Eastsexena syofon þusend hyda.                         7,000
Cantwarena fiftene þusend hyda.                       15,000
Suþsexena syufan þusend hyda.                          7,000
Westsexena hund þusend hyda.                         100,000

Ðis ealles twa hund þusend ond twa ond feowertig
þusend hyda ond syuan hund hyda.                     242,700

[this actually adds up to                            244,100]

Recension B

HTML Representation

This is an HTML representation of part of Henry Spelman's Archæologus in modum Glosarii ad rem antiquam posteriorem, which was published in London in 1626. In this he includes an entry about Anglo-Saxon hides and hidages on pages 352-3 which incorporates what appears to be a Latin version of the Tribal Hidage. It is thought to be from a Latin text through fairly minimal evidence: the word continet in the entry for Mercia; and the use of the word hidas.

The relevent section of this entry is transcribed below. This transcription preserves the capitalisation, puntuation, and italics used in the original. However, it does not preserve the spacing. This has been "tidied up" so that the numbers of hides form a column.

Manuscript Transcription

Veterrimam, etiam apud Franciscum Tatum schedam aliquando vidimus, hydarum numerum in plurimus Angliæ reglunculis continentem, vt hic sequitur.

Myrcna continet    30000. Hidas.
Woken-setna         7000. hidas.
Westerna            7000. hidas.
Pec-setna           1200. hidas.
Elmed-setna          600. hidas.
Lindes-farona       7000. hidas.
Suth-Gyrwa           600. hidas.
North-Girwa          600. hidas.
East-Wixna           300. hidas.
West-Wixna           600. hidas.
Spalda               600. hidas.
Wigesta              900. hidas.
Herefinna           1200. hidas.
Sweordora            300. hidas.
Eyfla                300. hidas.
Wicca                300. hidas.
Wight-gora           600. hidas.
Nox gaga            5000. hidas.
Oht gaga            2000. hidas.
Hwynca              7000. hidas.
Ciltern-setna       4000. hidas.
Hendrica            3000. hidas.
Unecung-ga          1200. hidas.
Aroseatna            600. hidas.
Fearfinga            300. hidas.
Belmiga              600. hidas.
Witherigga           600. hidas.
East-willa           600. hidas.
West-willa           600. hidas.
East-Engle         30000. hidas.
Eastsexena          7000. hidas.
Cant-warena        15000. hidas.
Suth-sexena         7000. hidas.
West-sexena       100000. hidas.

[This adds up to: 243600 hides]

Recension C

HTML Representation

This is known from six manuscripts of the 13th or 14th century. In some of these it is titled De numero hidarum Anglie in Britannia. The manuscripts are:

Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, 70+258 (MS 70, pp. 304).
London, British Library, Hargrave 313 (f. 15v).
London, Guildhall, Liber Custumarum, fos. 103-72 & 187-284+Oxford, Bodleian Library, Oriel College 46, fos. 1-108+London, British Library, Cotton Claudius D.ii, fos. 116-23 (Oriel, f. 2v).
London, Guildhall, Liber Custumarum, fos. ii, 1-102, 173-86+London, British Library, Cotton Claudius D.ii, fos. 1-24, 30-40, 42-115, 124-35, 266-77+ Oxford, Oriel College 46, fos. 109-211 (Claudius, f. 4v).
London, Public Record Office, E. 164/2 (K.R. Misc. Bks. 2: Red Book of the Exchequer) (fos. 29v-30r).
Manchester, John Rylands University Library, Latin 155+London, British Library, Additional 14252 (Rylands, f. 3v).

Manuscript Transcription

Unfortunately, I don't have access to a transcription of any of these! Or to the Davies/Vierk article

A Comparison of the Recensions

The Tribe Names

Recension A        Recension B        Recension C

Myrcna             Myrcna
Wocen sætna        Woken-setna
Westerna           Westerna
Pecsætna           Pec-setna
Elmed sætna        Elmed-setna
Lindesfarona       Lindes-farona
Suþ gyrwa          Suth-Gyrwa
Norþ gyrwa         North-Girwa
East wixna         East-Wixna
West wixna         West-Wixna
Spalda             Spalda
Wigesta            Wigesta
Herefinna          Herefinna
Sweord ora         Sweordora
Gifla              Eyfla
Hicca              Wicca
Wiht gara          Wight-gora
Noxgaga            Nox gaga
Ohtgaga            Oht gaga
Hwinca             Hwynca
Ciltern sætna      Ciltern-setna
Hendrica           Hendrica
Unecungaga         Unecung-ga
Arosætna           Aroseatna
Færpinga           Fearfinga
Bilmiga            Belmiga
Widerigga          Witherigga
Eastwilla          East-willa
Westwilla          West-willa
East engle         East-Engle
Eastsexena         Eastsexena
Cantwarena         Cant-warena
Suþsexena          Suth-sexena
Westsexena         West-sexena

Some first thoughts, without having seen Recension C:

Apart from the Arosætna, all the -sætna peoples mentioned in Recension A are -setna in Recension B. Is this significant? Could it signify that the MS. that Spelman used contained e-caudata in these names?
Recension A's Widerigga are the Witherigga in B. Did the A's scribe mis-copy an "ð" as a "d"?

The Hidages

The hidages for recensions A and B differ only in the hidage listed for the Hendrica.In recension A it is given as 3500 hides, but it is 3000 hides in recension B.

References

The Tribal Hidage: an introduction to its texts and their history: David Dumville, in The Origins of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms
ed. S.Bassett, 1989. ISBN 0 7185 1317 7
The contexts of Tribal Hidage: social aggregates and settlement patterns: W.Davies and H.Vierk, in Frühmittelalterliche Studien, viii (1974)

Tony Jebson <aj@wg.icl.co.uk> 20/10/94