In the name of the holy and undivided Trinity. I, William, by the grace of God king of the English, make known to all archbishops, bishops, abbots, earls, barons and all my trusty men, French and English, present and to come, that when I came to England and landed with an army within the bounds of Hastings against my enemies who were striving unjustly to deprive me of the kingdom of England, upon the edge of battle, when I was already armed, I made a vow before my barons and knights, with the approval of them all and to strengthen their hearts, that I would build a church to the honour of God for the common salvation, if by God’s grace I should avail to gain the victory. And since we obtained the victory, I have fulfilled my vow and in honour of the Holy Trinity and St. Martin the Confessor of Christ I have built a church for the salvation of my soul and the souls of my predecessor, king Edward, and my wife, queen Matilda, and my successors in the kingdom, and for the salvation of all by whose labour and aid I obtained the kingdom, and specially of those who fell in the battle itself. And because God gave me victory in battle in this place where the church has been so built, in memory of the victory I have determined that the place itself shall be called Battle. Therefore to this church of St. Martin, Battle, first of all by royal authority I grant the dignity that it have its court in all matters, and the royal liberty and custom of treating of its own business and affairs, and justice to be holden by itself, and that it be free and quit for ever from all subjection to bishops and all domination of any persons, as is the church of Christ at Canterbury. And if any robber or homicide or any criminal, fleeing for fear of death, shall come to this church, he shall suffer no manner of hurt, but shall be sent away wholly free. And the abbot of the church may everywhere set free from hanging a robber or thief, if he come upon such. I grant also to the same church the lowey[9] adjacent on every side free and quit of all geld and scot, hidage and danegelds, and bridge-works and castle-works and park-works, and enclosures, and armies, and all aids, and pleas and plaints and shires and hundreds,[10] with sac and soc,[11] and tol[12] and theam,[13] and infangenetheof[14] and warpeni[15] and lastages[16] and hamsocne[17] and forestall[18] and blodwite[19] and cildwite[20] and larceny,[21] and free also of all custom of earthly service and of all exactions of bishops.