The Saxon Cathedral at Canterbury, Chapter 8

What it is

This is a chapter from a 1929 historical study of Canterbury Cathedral. The passage referenced discusses an apograph (copy) of a charter dated 927, in which King Athelstan granted land or rights to the Church of Christ in Canterbury. The chapter itself focuses mainly on Archbishop Odo, who held office after Athelstan's reign.

Why it matters

This source shows how later historians used surviving manuscript copies of royal charters to reconstruct the relationship between Anglo-Saxon kings and the church. Athelstan's 927 grant to Christ Church Canterbury reflects the close ties between royal power and religious institutions in his reign, which historians still study through documents like this one.

Look closer

• Why would a modern historian in 1929 still be studying a copy of a charter from 927?
• What does it mean that this is a copy ('apograph') of the original charter, not the original itself?
• Why might kings like Athelstan have made grants to churches and cathedrals?