[fol. 194r] Her bigynneth the syren and the hundredes of Engelonde.

prose-textblock1Englelond is eyhte hundred myle long, from Penwyth steorte (that is fyftene mylen byyonde Mihhales-steowe on Cornwale) fort that cume to Katenes. The breade of Englelonde is threo hundred myle brod, from Dewyes-steowe to Doveran. On Englelonde syndon two and thrytti schire, summe more and summe lasse, and threottene byscopryche and two erchebiscopryche, that is, alles, vyftene biscopryche. On is the erchebiscophryche of Kanterbury; othe the leod-biscopryche on Rouecestre; the thridde on Lundene; the feorthe on Northwych; the fyfte on Cicestre; the sexte on Wyncestre; the seovethe on Saresbury (this bispryche wes hwylen two bispriche: theo other stol wes at Remmesbury and the other at Shireburne, ac Eadward King bitauhte theos two Heremon Biscop, and he myd thes kinges leave adylegade tha, twa noman, and makede enne at Saresburi); the eyhteothe on Excestre (this wes ek two bispriche, other on Cornwale and the stol wes at Seynte Germane, and the other stol at Bridyport, ac Leofrych Biscop hit makede to one myd Eadwardes Kynges leave and sette hit to Excestre); the nyethe on Bathun (ac thes stol wes at Welle, [fol. 194v] and Bathe wes abbodryche, and on Willames daye the yonger kynges wes that abboddie bynumen and imaked ther bisscop stol thurh Johan ); the teonthe on Wirecestre; the eolleste on Hereforde; the tweolfte on Lycchesfeld; the threotteothe on Lyncholne (ac this wes hwile threo bisscopriche; forthi herto hereth .viii. store schire and on half schire); .xiiii. on Dunholme; on Everwich (this wes .v. bispriche: on the erchebisscopriche, other on other half thes wateres, .iij. on Rypun, .iiij. on Hwytebi, .v. at Beverley). Her beoth .xv. bispryche.

prose-textblock2Swo we biforan quethen, .xxxij. schiren syndan on Engelonde, and Northhumbre is withutan, and Lothen, and Westmaralond, and Cumberlond, and Cornwale. On Cornwale, syndan .vii. lutle schire, and Scotlaund, and Brutlaund, and Wyht. Thes .xxxij. schire syndon todelede on threo lawan. On is West Sexene lawe; other Denelawe; the thrydde Mercena lawe. To West Sexene lawe bilympeth .ix. schiren: .i. Kent, .ii. Suthsexe, .iii. Sutheray, .iiii. Bearrucschire, .v. Wiltoneschire (on Wiltoneschire syndon .xlviii. hundred hida ), .vi. Suthhamptounschire, .vii. Sumersethschire, .viii. Dorsetschire, .ix.Devenaschre. To Denelawe bilympeth .xv. schire: Everwichschire, Snotingham, Deorebyschire, Leycestreschire, Lyncolneschire, Hertfordschire, Bukinghamschire, Suthfolk, Northfolc, Bedefordschre (.xii. hundred hyda), Eastsexe, Grauntebruggeschire (.xxv. hundred hida), Huntynduneschire (viij. hundred hida and half hundred), Norhamtoneschire (.xxxij. hundred hida), Middelsex. To Mercene lawe bilimpeth .viij. schiren: Gloucestreschire (xxxiiij. hundred hida), Wyricestreschire (.xij. hundred hida), Herefordschire (xij. hundred hida), Warewikschire (xij. hundred hida), Oxenefordschire (xxiiij. [fol. 195r] hundred hida), Slobschire (xxiiij. hundred hida), Chestreschire (.xij. hundred hida), Staffordschire (.v. hundred hida). This is under al xxvi. thusend hida and on half hundred.

[fol. 194r] Here begins the shires and the hundreds of England.

prose-textblock1England is eight hundred miles long, starting from Penwith (fifteen miles beyond Michaelstow in Cornwall) until ending in Caithness. The breadth of England is three hundred miles broad, from Deastow to Dover. In England there are two and thirty shires, some larger and some smaller, and thirteen bishoprics and two archbishoprics, that is, in total, fifteen bishoprics. One is the archbishopric of Canterbury; another is the diocesan in Rochester; the third in London; the fourth in Norwich; the fifth in Chichester; the sixth in Winchester; the seventh in Salisbury (this bishopric was once two bishoprics: one stool was at Ramsbury and the other at Sherborne, but King Edward handed over these two to Bishop Heremon, and he with the king’s leave did away with them, took those two, and made one at Salisbury); the eighth in Exeter (this was also two bishoprics, one in Cornwall and the stool was at St. Germans, and the other stool at Bridport, but Bishop Leofric converted it to one with King Edward’s leave and established it in Exeter); the ninth in Bath (but this stool was in Wells, [fol. 194v] and Bath was an abbacy, and during King William the Younger’s reign, that abbacy was taken and made there a bishop’s stool by John); the tenth in Worcester; the eleventh in Hereford; the twelfth in Lichfield; the thirteenth in Lincoln (but this was once three bishoprics; to it belong eight large shires and a half shire); the fourteenth in Durham; the fifteenth in York (this was five bishoprics: one the archbishopric, another across the river, 3. in Ripon, 4. in Whitby, 5. in Beverley). Here are fifteen bishoprics.

prose-textblock2As we said before, there are thirty-two shires in England and beyond it are Northumberland, Lothian, Westmorland, Cumberland, and Cornwall. In Cornwall, there are seven little shires, and Scotland, Britain, and Isle of Wight. These thirty-two shires are divided into three laws. One is West Saxon law; another is Danelaw; the third is Mercian law. To West Saxon law belong nine shires: 1. Kent, 2. Sussex, 3. Surrey, 4. Berkshire, 5. Wiltshire (in Wiltshire there are forty-eight hundred hides), 6. Southamptonshire, 7. Somerset, 8. Dorset, 9. Devon. To Danelaw belong fifteen shires: Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire (twelve hundred hides), Essex, Cambridgeshire (twenty-five hundred hides), Huntingdonshire (eight and a half hundred hides), Northamptonshire (thirty-two hundred hides), Middlesex. To Mercian law belong eight shires: Gloucestershire (thirty-four hundred hides), Worcestershire (twelve hundred hides), Herefordshire (twelve hundred hides), Warwickshire (twelve hundred hides), Oxfordshire (twenty-four [fol. 195r] hundred hides), Shropshire (twenty-four hundred hides), Cheshire (twelve hundred hides), Staffordshire (five hundred hides). This is overall twenty-six thousand and a half hundred hides.