The Conspectus of Anglo-Saxon Charters 600–1066 (in progress) is intended to serve as a systematic guide to the surviving corpus of Anglo-Saxon charters (royal and ‘private’, in Latin and in the vernacular), and in this way to provide an overview of the charters of a particular kingdom, period, or king, for general historical purposes.
Full details of each charter (manuscripts, editions, translations, discussions, and so on) are to be found in Anglo-Saxon Charters: an Annotated List and Bibliography, compiled by Peter Sawyer in the 1960s and first published in 1968, as revised and updated (by Susan Kelly, Rebecca Rushforth and others) in the form which has been available online since 1999, known in its current manifestation as the Electronic Sawyer. The Conspectus is intended to complement this fundamental work, and at the same time to complement the volumes in the new edition of the corpus, organised archivally, in course of publication as part of the British Academy’s Anglo-Saxon Charters series (twenty volumes so far, the latest in 2021, towards a projected total of between 35 and 40 volumes). Pending completion of this series, reference is also made to the edition produced by J. M. Kemble (6 volumes, 1839–48); to the edition (of the charters to 975) produced by W. de Gray Birch (3 volumes, 1885–93); and to the editions of the vernacular charters produced by Florence Harmer, Dorothy Whitelock and Agnes Jane Robertson between 1914 and 1952.
A pilot ‘Conspectus of the Charters of King Edgar (957–75)’ was published in Edgar, King of the English 959–975: New Interpretations, ed. Donald Scragg (Woodbridge, 2008), pp. 60–80. The organisation of each part follows the same basic (chronological) principle; but entries for each text, following a standard format, are much fuller, summarising content and operative details, with discussion of archival context, transmission, formulation, dating and authenticity, with cross-reference to other charters and, where appropriate, discussion of any other matters of interest.
Conspectus of Anglo-Saxon Charters 600–1066 · in progress
A systematic guide to the whole corpus, king by king
Part I · 600–900
approximately 550 items
The earliest charters, from the conversion to the death of Alfred: the kingdoms of Kent, the Hwicce, Mercia, the West Saxons and their neighbours.
Arranged by kingdom and reign; not yet subdivided here.
Part II · 900–975
approximately 600 items
The reconquest of the Danelaw and the making of the kingdom of the English, to the death of Edgar.
- Edward the Elder899–924
- Æthelstan924–39in preparation
- Edmund939–46
- Eadred946–55
- Eadwig955–9
- Edgar957–75pilot published 2008
Part III · 975–1066
approximately 550 items
From the succession crisis of 975 to the Conquest: the Danish kings, the Confessor and Harold.
- Edward the Martyr975–8
- Æthelred the Unready978–1016in preparation
- Edmund Ironside1015–16
- Cnut, Harald Harefoot and Harthacnut1016–42
- Edward the Confessor1042–66in preparation
- Harold1066
A Conspectus of the Charters of King Edgar, 957–75
S. Keynes, in Edgar, King of the English 959–975: New Interpretations, ed. Donald Scragg, Publications of the Manchester Centre for Anglo-Saxon Studies 8 (Woodbridge: Boydell, 2008), pp. 60–80. The model for every later instalment: entries in a standard format, summarising content and operative details, with discussion of archival context, transmission, formulation, dating and authenticity.
Drafts in preparation
Working drafts for the reigns of Æthelstan, Æthelred the Unready and Edward the Confessor, following the model of the Edgar pilot, remain in preparation and are not yet available online. When they are ready they will be posted on this page in PDF form and revised from time to time. Simon Keynes, who conceived the Conspectus, retired from the Elrington and Bosworth chair in 2019 and continues the work as Emeritus Professor; the Joint Committee that oversees the charters project is chaired by Professor Julia Crick FBA.
Companion resources
The Electronic Sawyer ↗Full details of every charter: manuscripts, editions, translations and discussions, as revised and updated since 1968.
Atlas of AttestationsThe Conspectus’s companion: every witness in the royal diplomas, c. 670–1066, in 78 tables.
The British Academy seriesTwenty volumes so far (the latest Barking Abbey and Waltham Holy Cross, 2021), of a projected 35 to 40, edited archive by archive.
The Conspectus of Anglo-Saxon Charters was conceived as a companion to the Atlas of Attestations in Anglo-Saxon Charters, c. 670–1066, available on this website; both works aim to cover the corpus as a whole. The Conspectus is itself complemented by maps on this website (General / Maps), covering the reign of King Æthelstan (with reference to his charters), the reigns of Edmund and Eadred (with reference to the ‘alliterative’ charters), and the reign of Eadwig; the card above shows which of them are available.
SDK, September 2016
Revised September 2026