Editing Edgar, King of England (section)

=== Charters ===
[[File:S 690 Diploma of King Edgar for Abingdon Abbey AD 961, written by Edgar A.tif|thumb|upright=1.9|Charter of King Edgar for [[Abingdon Abbey]] in 961, written by the scribe known as Edgar A. London, [[British Library]], Cotton Augustus ii. 39{{sfnm|1a1=Owen-Crocker|1a2=Schneider|1y=2013|1pp=vi, 89 (figure 1.8), 175–176|2a1=Charter S 690}}]]

Since the 930s, charters had been produced by a royal secretariat, but this probably did not survive the division of 957 to 959 in unchanged form. When Edgar succeeded in 959 he appears to have preferred to retain the secretariat he had employed as king of Mercia rather than use the one he had inherited from Eadwig.{{sfn|Keynes|1980|pp=69, 76}} Edgar's charters were written in competent but formulaic and derivative Latin, drawing on the prose of much earlier charters. They are more diverse in style than those of previous kings, and Snook argues that this does not indicate a decline in central control, but rather the increasing sophistication of the Anglo-Saxon bureaucracy. Although there is great variety in the charters' [[proem]]s (introductions), and in the sanctions against anyone defying the provisions of the charter, the political and legal protocols follow a stable tradition.{{sfn|Snook|2015|pp=160, 168, 187–188}}

The charters fall into several groups. Most belong to the "diplomatic mainstream", including those produced by the scribe known as Edgar A.{{sfn|Keynes|2013|p=97}} Scholars disagree about his location. {{ill|Richard Drögereit|de}} in the 1930s and [[Pierre Chaplais]] in the 1960s linked the scribe with Æthelwold's Abingdon, and perhaps with Æthelwold himself. Keynes argued in 1980 that he was probably a priest in the royal writing office, and Susan Kelly defended the older view in 2000.{{sfnm|1a1=Keynes|1y=1980|1pp=70–79|2a1=Kelly|2y=2000|2pp=cxv–cxxxi|3a1=Snook|3y=2015|3pp=169–170}} Edgar A started drafting when Edgar was king of Mercia and a significant proportion of charters in the early 960s were produced by him. He ceased work in 963, but some charters later in the reign were produced by scribes who adopted his style.{{sfn|Keynes|2008a|pp=14–16, 19–20}} Another group is associated with Dunstan and called the Dunstan B charters. They were produced between 951 and 975, with a break in Eadwig's reign. The ones dating to the period when Edgar was only king of Mercia were not personally attested by him.{{sfnm|1a1=Keynes|1y=1994|1pp=182, 190–191|2a1=Snook|2y=2015|2pp=161–162}} There were also charters produced by midlands and west country agencies, and in some cases the beneficiary may have played an important role in the drafting.{{sfnm|1a1=Keynes|1y=2013|1p=97|2a1=Keynes|2y=2008a|2p=22}}

Charters are problematic sources because of the difficulty of distinguishing genuine ones from the many forgeries.{{sfn|Keynes|2008a|p=12}} About 160 charters of Edgar survive, including 10 dating to 957 to 959 when he was king of Mercia. Most of the Mercian ones, and around 100 of those he issued as king of the English, are substantially genuine, the highest numbers being in 961 to 963 and 968. They are mainly standard grants of land to religious houses or individuals, with a few more complex ones such as the one granting privileges to the New Minster, Winchester (see image below).{{sfn|Keynes|2008b|pp=60–63}}{{efn|Edgar's charters are listed with comments in Keynes's "A Conspectus of the Charters of King Edgar 957–975".{{sfn|Keynes|2008b|pp=64–80}} }} Most charters are only known from later copies, but sixteen survive as single sheets which are or may be originals.{{sfn|Keynes|2013|pp=175–179}} Some give Edgar's [[regnal year]], and the start date they were based on varied, some being from 959, 960 and 973, but most often 957. Like Æthelstan, Edgar used the title king of the English in some charters and king of Britain in other ones, and Keynes comments that "the consistent usages of Edgar's reign represent nothing less than a determined reaffirmation of the polity created by Æthelstan in the 930s".{{sfn|Keynes|2008a|pp=25–26}}