The Anglo-Saxon Chancery: The History, Language and Production of Anglo-Saxon Charters from Alfred to Edgar, by Ben Snook

Abstract

This is a strange book in various respects. Whereas the title might suggest a contribution to the long-standing debate over the production of charters in later Anglo-Saxon England, the book does not mobilise fresh argument in this area, and in reality has narrower concerns. The main purpose of its author, Ben Snook, is to explore the literary dimensions of charters in a period in which ambitious ‘hermeneutic’ Latin was extensively employed within the charter form. Quite why this elevated, convoluted register came to dominate the language of charters is an important question, and one which connects with some important political and cultural processes: evolving modes of Latinity, the character of court culture, the large-scale expansion of West Saxon rule in the course of the tenth century and the political implications of the monastic reform movement. Snook’s account shows awareness of these broader contexts, but they are largely present in summary form. The majority of the discussion offers a general overview of the production of charters, and often rehearses familiar ground at the expense of more fully developing an overall position. Prone to lapses of tone, the prose has a tendency to distract the reader at important points of evaluation.