Â鶹Éç

11c depiction of English village

Contributed by Henry Aubrey-Fletcher

11c depiction of English village

A cartulary dated 1444 was produced for Edmund Rede of Boarstall in Buckinghamshire. We are descendants of Edmund. Within the cartualry is bound what is understood to be the oldest surviving depiction of an English village.

It tells the story of Nigel the Forester of Bernewode. A great wild boar was terrorising the inhabitants of the forest. Legend has it that the boar was slain by Nigel and the head presented to Edward the Confessor, who hunted in the forest. The map illustrates the event, as well as the boar's head being presented to the King by Nigel, we can see the King holding a horn on a sling that he presents to Nigel, "a great black horn mounted with silver gilded, which was the first charter of office of the forest of Bernewode and was given by the King to one Nigel" One of the earliest "Tenurial horns".

The cartulary is looked after by the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies (Record Office). It is rarely displayed in public due to its antiquity and the need to preserve the extraordinay detail and colour of the 11c. map. The horn itself is also looked after by the centre.

Comments are closed for this object

Share this link:

Most of the content on A History of the World is created by the contributors, who are the museums and members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of the Â鶹Éç or the British Museum. The Â鶹Éç is not responsible for the content of any external sites referenced. In the event that you consider anything on this page to be in breach of the site’s House Rules please Flag This Object.

About this object

Click a button to explore other objects in the timeline

Location

Aylesbury

Culture
Period
Theme
Size
Material

View more objects from people in Beds Herts Bucks.

Find out more

Podcast

Â鶹Éç iD

Â鶹Éç navigation

Â鶹Éç © 2014 The Â鶹Éç is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.