It must be understood by all those who read these charters that this ...

THE SAXON LAND CHARTERS OF WILTSHIRE. I ~J\
marks in the charter do not in any single instance correspond
with the landmarks in the survey attached to B.970. That
the land was near Shaftesbury is probable ; but I am unable
to identify it with any place in Wilts.
Charter referring to the lands of Teffont Magna and
Teffont Evias, 6i m. W. of Wilton.
B.500 ; K.284.
RD. A.D. 860.
Granted by Aethelbert, king of the West Saxons, to
Osmund the thegn.
Hides. 14.
Name (a) in title, 'juxta Tefuntam" 1 \ (b) in body of
document, ' in loco qui appellatur be Tefunte , (the
name shows that it is really that of the brook which
flows through the two villages).
Ident. K. Teffont, Wilts. ; B. Teffont, Wilts.
The forms of words in the survey attached to the grant
show that the extant copy of the survey is of post-Conquest
date, though probably of an age not long subsequent to
the Conquest. It looks as if it had been made by one who
knew the English of his own age, but had little if any
knowledge of Anglo-Saxon, for there are errors which make
the interpretation of the text at times difficult. That the
survey goes back to one of the AS. period is, however,
almost certain. Apart from such errors, the topographical
interpretation of the details of the survey is very uncertain.
That being so, it will be well to give the whole of the survey
before attempting to solve its topography.
Survey.
1. Arest on thane Reanden (for Readan) Weg ·. ' First
to the Red Way (or Track).'
2. That on thone Forde to Teofunte : ' Then to the
Ford to Teffont.'
3. Thanen on Broehenenberge : ' Then to Broken
Barrow.' 1
4. That on Hoddes Clif : ' Then to Hod's Steep Slope.'
1 It is just possible that beorb here means ' hill.' If so, it is a most exceptional use of
the term in the charters.