The Foundation Charter of Neath Abbey, Glamorgan By LAWRENCE BUTLER The purchase in 1990 by the Glamorgan Archives Joint Committee of the original foundation charter of Neath Abbey (to be placed in its West Glamorgan, Swansea, repository) marked an important accession which took their archive holdings back several years.' It is unusual for an early twelfth-century charter to come on the open market as most charters passed at the Dissolution of 1536-9 into the hands of local families and thence to collectors and often on to major libraries. This particular charter had not been previously known though an almost identical version of it was copied into the lost 'Neath Cartulary', later in the possession of the Stradling family of St Donat's; this was recorded by Sir William Dugdale and paraphrased by Rice Merrick.2 Slightly different versions were reproduced by George Grant Francis and by Walter de Gray Birch.' This newly acquired charter appears to offer the definitive earliest text, but is not without its difficulties. The form of the parchment strip (Plate 1), 5.75 inches wide by 15 inches long, its foot pierced by three cuts for seal attachments, looks entirely authentic. One seal-tag survives, but all three wax seals have gone, either to the ravages of time or to antiquarian seal collectors. The script is easy to follow, both that of the main text and of the final three-line endorsement. Of the thirty- five lines the first four lines recite the circumstances of the donation [?in 1129] by Richard de Granville and his wife Constance to the church of Holy Trinity of Savigny [in Normandy]. The next twelve lines detail the lands and privileges given by the founders from their own possessions in Glamorgan and Devonshire, principally in Neath west of that river and in Nash, the later Monknash grange. The next six lines record the donation of land and a mill held from Maurice [de Londres] and Richard de Saint Quintin. In the following passage of six lines it is stated that all these lands are given freely and peaceably in the presence of Robert earl of Gloucester, his wife the countess Mabel and their son William, and with the approval of King Henry of England. The gifts are made with the express purpose that the abbot and convent of Savigny would found a monastic house within the territory. There then follow the names of seventeen witnesses; three are household clerks or companions, two are office holders-Robert the steward and Richard the butler, both landowners in Glamorgan. The twelve other names include major landowners such as Maurice [de Londres], Richard de Saint Quintin, Robert de Umfranville and Pagan de Torbivilla [Turberville]. The final three lines give Robert earl of Gloucester's endorsement and his note that an abbot had been canonically appointed. The three seals were either those of Richard de Granville, Constance and the abbot of Savigny, or of Robert earl of Gloucester, Richard de Granville and the abbot of Savigny. In the writing of this charter there are four occasions where the line breaks occur in the middle of a word (lines 19, 26, 27 30) as if this was being written for the first time and one occasion (line 10) where the words deforesta are added above the line, perhaps omitted through carelessness. There are a number of points where this text differs from those discussed in 1902 by Birch (pp. 36-7): namely lines 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 25. There are also a few changes in the word order (lines 1, 23). The addition in lines 11-12 gives a new change-point and greater precision to the boundary of the initial grant. The new material in lines 13-14 explains that th-