Centuries-Old Charter Reveals Forgotten History, Reshapes Understanding of Early Medieval England
The Gumley Charter of 749, found as B178 (S92, MS 2), is considered suspicious by some due to similarities with another charter. However, it is likely that the Abingdon charter was copied from the Gumley charter. The oddities in the Gumley charter suggest its genuineness, as twelfth-century writers found them troubling and tried to correct them. This indicates that the Gumley charter is likely authentic.