Editing Witan (section)

== Role ==
{{Further|Anglo-Saxon law}}

The witan played a significant role in legislation. The king and his advisers would draft laws and then seek the witan's consultation and consent. As Lyon points out, this process was a testament to the king's belief in gathering opinions from all parts of the kingdom, which "produced a wider sampling of opinion and gave the law more solid support". The witan took part in both secular and ecclesiastical legislation. Church law, however, was drafted by the clergy, with [[Catholic laity|lay]] nobles merely giving consent.{{Sfn|Lyon|1980|pp=46–47}} 

The witan's influence was not limited to legislation. The king sought its advice and consent for extraordinary taxation that would burden the nobility, such as the [[Danegeld]].The witan deliberated on matters of war, peace, and treaties.{{Sfn|Lyon|1980|pp=47–48}} The declaration of royal [[Will and testament|wills]] occurred at witan meetings.{{Sfn|Loyn|1984|p=102}}

Kings issued charters granting [[Bookland (law)|bookland]] at witan meetings.{{Sfn|Loyn|1984|p=102}} The witness lists attached to these charters proved that the witan consented to the grants. This practice originated from the late [[Roman law]], which required witnesses for private transactions. Historian [[Levi Roach]] explains that the "adoption of this method of authentication for early English [[Anglo-Saxon charters#Diplomas|diplomas]] is understandable: in the absence of direct bureaucratic continuity with the late Roman Empire, which effectively precluded sealing or notarial subscription, as practised elsewhere, the use of witnesses, mirroring the methods of authentication used for private transactions on the continent, was an elegant solution."{{Sfn|Roach|2013|p=27}}