New Minster Charter facts for kids
The New Minster Charter is a very old and special book from Anglo-Saxon times. It's like a fancy, decorated document. Bishop Æthelwold probably created it. King Edgar gave it to the New Minster church in Winchester in 966 AD. This was to celebrate a big change called the Benedictine Reform. Today, you can find it in the British Library.
Contents
What is the New Minster Charter?
Around 963 AD, Bishop Æthelwold of Winchester told the monks at New Minster they had to follow new rules. These were the rules of the Benedictine order. If they didn't, they would have to leave! King Edgar, who ruled England from 959 to 975, agreed with this change.
Why Was This Charter Created?
The charter was made to officially record King Edgar's gifts and new laws for the New Minster. This church later became Hyde Abbey. It is one of 34 old documents still existing from the New Minster's records. It's special because it's a real document, unlike many fake ones from that time.
What Does the Charter Say?
The charter has 22 short chapters. These chapters talk about the creation of angels and humans. They also explain King Edgar's wish to follow God's will. The document also tells us why Edgar changed from regular priests to Benedictine monks. It shows how the king and the church protected each other from dangers. Some pages are missing from the book, so we don't know everything it once contained.
How Does the Charter Look?
The New Minster Charter is very unique because every single page is written in gold letters. This was very rare in England at the time.
The Writing Style
The writing uses an old English style called insular. Most of the text is written in a rounded style called Anglo-Caroline script. Big capital letters mark the start of new sections. Other than these fancy letters, most pages don't have many pictures.
Special Pages
There are a few special pages near the beginning of the charter. One page shows King Edgar's name, "Eadgar rex," written in large square letters. It has a blue background and a gold border. The rest of that page is written in a different style called uncials. The page next to it has a large chi-rho symbol. This symbol looks like a fancy X and P, and it's decorated in green and gold. The text on this page is all in square capital letters.
The Front Cover Picture
Before these pages, there's a very detailed picture called a frontispiece. This is the only page with a full picture in the charter. It shows King Edgar kneeling between the Virgin Mary and St Peter. He is giving the charter to Christ, who is sitting above, to be blessed.
Artistic Details
The picture uses a rare purple color, which was often seen in art from the Byzantine Empire. The style also reminds us of royal books from the Carolingian period, like the Prayer Book of Charles the Bald. However, it mostly shows the special style of Winchester art from the 900s. This includes lots of gold and a border of wild acanthus leaves. The New Minster Charter is the first known book in the Winchester style. The Benedictional of St. Æthelwold is another famous example from the same time.
Witness List Crosses
At the end of the charter, there's a list of people who witnessed the document. Next to their names are crosses. Some crosses are filled with gold, while others are just outlined in brown or red. People think the different styles of crosses might show how important each witness was, but we don't know for sure.
