See also:

• WITAN, or WITENAGEMOT (from O. Eng. wita, p1. witan, a wise man, and gemot, a meeting, from O. Eng. metan, to meet)

WITAN, or WITENAGEMOT (from O. Eng. wita, p1. witan, a See also:

• WISE, HENRY ALEXANDER (1806-1876)
• WISE, ISAAC MAYER (1819-1900)

wise See also:

• MAN
• MAN, ISLE OF (anc. Mona)

man, and gemot, a See also:

• MEETING (from " to meet," to come together, assemble, 0. Eng. metals ; cf. Du. moeten, Swed. mota, Goth. gamotjan, &c., derivatives of the Teut. word for a meeting, seen in O. Eng. Wit, moot, an assembly of the people; cf. witanagemot)

meeting, from O. Eng. metan, to meet)  , the See also:

• NATIONAL

national See also:

• COUNCIL (Lat. concilium, from cum, together, and the root cal, to call)

council in See also:

• ENGLAND
• ENGLAND, THE CHURCH OF

England in Anglo-Saxon times . Its origin is obscure . There is some resemblance between it and the two assemblies mentioned by See also:

• TACITUS, CORNELIUS (c. 55-120)
• TACITUS, MARCUS CLAUDIUS

Tacitus in the Germania, a larger and a smaller one, but this See also:

• ANALOGY (Gr. avaXo-yLa, proportion)

analogy must not be pressed too far . In Anglo-Saxon England in the 7th and 8th centuries it seems certain that each of the larger kingdoms, See also:

• KENT
• KENT, EARLS AND DUKES OF
• KENT, JAMES (1763-1847)
• KENT, WILLIAM (1685-1748)

Kent, Wessex, See also:

• MERCIA

Mercia and See also:

• NORTHUMBRIA (regnum Northanhymbrorum)

Northumbria, had its See also:

• SEPARATE

separate See also:

• WITAN, or WITENAGEMOT (from O. Eng. wita, p1. witan, a wise man, and gemot, a meeting, from O. Eng. metan, to meet)

witan, or council, but there is a difference of See also:

• OPINION (Lat. opinio, from opinari, to think)

opinion as to whether this was identical with, or distinct from, the folkmoot, in which, theoretically at least, all freemen had the right to appear . H . R. von See also:

• GNEIST, HEINRICH RUDOLF HERMANN FRIEDRICH VON (1816-1895)

Gneist (See also:

• HISTORY

History of the See also:

• ENGLISH

English Constitution) agrees that the two assemblies were identical, and a somewhat similar view is put forward by J . M . See also:

• KEMBLE
• KEMBLE, JOHN MITCHELL (1807-1857)

Kemble (See also:

• SAXONS

Saxons in England) and E . A . See also:

• FREEMAN
• FREEMAN, EDWARD AUGUSTUS (1823-1892)

Freeman (History of the See also:

• NORMAN
• NORMAN, SIR HENRY WYLIE (1826-1904)

Norman See also:

• CONQUEST

Conquest) . Freeman advances the theory that the right of all the freemen to attend the gembt had for See also:

• PRACTICAL

practical purposes fallen into disuse, and thus the See also:

• ASSEMBLY, UNLAWFUL

assembly had come tobe confined to the See also:

• WISE, HENRY ALEXANDER (1806-1876)
• WISE, ISAAC MAYER (1819-1900)

wise men . In other words, the folkmoot had become the witan .

See also:

• EVIDENCE (Lat. evidentia, evideri, to appear clearly)

Evidence in support of this view is sought for in the accounts in the Anglo-Saxon See also:

• CHRONICLE (from Gr. Xpovos, time)

Chronicle and elsewhere, where the decisions of the witan were received with loud expressions of approval or of disapproval by an assembled See also:

• CROWD, CROUTH, CROWTH

crowd, and it is argued that this is a survival from an earlier See also:

• AGE (Fr. age, through late Lat. aetaticum, from aetas)

age, when all the freemen attended the witan . But the attendance of the crowd can be otherwise explained .. The meetings referred to were probably those of exceptional See also:

• INTEREST

interest, such as the See also:

• ELECTION
• ELECTION (from Lat. eligere, to pick out)

election or the See also:

• CORONATION (Lat. corona, crown)

coronation of a See also:

• KING
• KING (O. Eng. cyning, abbreviated into cyng, cing; cf. O. H. G. chun- kuning, chun- kunig, M.H.G. kiinic, kiinec, kiinc, Mod. Ger. Konig, O. Norse konungr, kongr, Swed. konung, kung)
• KING [OF OCKHAM], PETER KING, 1ST BARON (1669-1734)
• KING, CHARLES WILLIAM (1818-1888)
• KING, CLARENCE (1842–1901)
• KING, EDWARD (1612–1637)
• KING, EDWARD (1829–1910)
• KING, HENRY (1591-1669)
• KING, RUFUS (1755–1827)
• KING, THOMAS (1730–1805)
• KING, WILLIAM (1650-1729)
• KING, WILLIAM (1663–1712)

king, and See also:

• PEOPLE

people from the neighbourhood were there merely as interested, and sometimes excited, spectators . The contrary opinion, that the two assemblies were distinct, is held, although with characteristic caution, by See also:

• STUBBS [STUBBES], PHILIP (c. 1555-c. 161o)
• STUBBS [STUnnE], JOHN
• STUBBS, WILLIAM (1825-1901)

Stubbs (Const . Hist. vol. i.) . He thinks that on the See also:

• UNION
• UNION (known locally as Union Hill and officially as Town of Union)

union of the kingdoms the witans were merged into one another, while the folkmoot became the shiremoot . As the number of See also:

• KINGS, FIRST AND SECOND BOOKS OF

kings decreased the number of witans decreased, until See also:

• EARLY
• EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894)

early in the 9th See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century there was one king and one witan in all England . The See also:

• POWER [WILLIAM GRATTAN] TYRONE (1797-1841)

power of the witan varied according to the See also:

• PERSONALITY (from Lat. persona, originally an actor's mask, from personare,1 to sound through)

personality of the reigning king, being considerable under a weak ruler, but inconsiderable under a strong one . Generally speaking, it diminished as the years went by, and from " necessary assenters " its members became " merely attesting witnesses." Its duties are shown by the See also:

• PREAMBLE (Med. Lat. praeambulum, from praeambulare, to walk before)

preamble to the See also:

• LAWS

laws of See also:

• INE

Ine, king of Wessex, and 200 years later by the preamble to those of See also:

• ALFRED

Alfred the See also:

• GREAT

Great, while several similar cases could be instanced . Ine legislates " with the counsel and with the teaching of Cenred my See also:

• FATHER

father and of Hedde my See also:

• BISHOP (A.S. bisceop, from Lat. episcopus, Gr. irio-Korros, " overlooker " or " overseer ")
• BISHOP, ISABELLA (1832-1904)
• BISHOP, SIR HENRY ROWLEY (1786-1855)

bishop, and of Eorcenwald my bishop, with all my ealdormen and the most distinguished witan of my people " (Stubbs, Select Charters), and Alfred issues his See also:

• CODE (Lat. codex)

code of laws " with the counsel and consent of his witan." Thus the members of the witan were primarily counsellors . With their consent the king promulgated laws, made grants of See also:

• LAND

land, appointed bishops and ealdormen, and discharged the other duties of See also:

• GOVERNMENT
• GOVERNMENT (0. Fr. governement, mod. gouvernement, O. Fr. governer, mod. gouverner, from Lat. gubernare, to steer a ship, guide, rule; cf. Gr. xv(3epvav)

government . The witan was also a See also:

• COURT
• COURT (from the O. Fr. court, Late Lat. cortis, curtis, a popular form of class. Lat. cohors, gen. cohortis; the mod. Fr. form tour is due to the influence of the Lat. curia, the word used in medieval documents to translate " court " in the feudal sense)
• COURT, ANTOINE (1696-176o)

court of See also:

• JUSTICE (Lat. justitia)

justice, See also:

• EARL

Earl See also:

• GODWINE (d. 1o53)

Godwine and many other offenders receiving See also:

• SENTENCE (Lat. sententia, a way of thinking, opinion, judgment; vote, sentire, to feel, think)

sentence of See also:

• OUTLAWRY

outlawry therein .

Its members had the power of electing a new king, although the See also:

• AREA

area of their choice was strictly limited by See also:

• CUSTOM (from O. Fr. costume, costume or coustume; Low Lat. costuma, a shortened form of consuetudo)

custom and also the right of deposing a king, although this seems to have been infrequently exercised . Its members signed the charters by which the king conveyed grants of land to churches and to individuals, and it is from the extant charters that we mainly derive our knowledge about the See also:

• COMPOSITION
• COMPOSITION (Lat. compositio, from componere, to put together)

composition of the witan . It consisted, in addition to the king, his sons and other relatives, of the bishops and later some abbots, of some under-kings and the ealdormen of the shires or provinces, and of a number of ministri, or king's thegns . These ministri were nominees of the king; they included the important members of his See also:

• HOUSEHOLD, ROYAL

household, and their number gradually increased until it outstripped that of all the other members . The witan appears probably to have had no fixed See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place of See also:

• MEETING (from " to meet," to come together, assemble, 0. Eng. metals ; cf. Du. moeten, Swed. mota, Goth. gamotjan, &c., derivatives of the Teut. word for a meeting, seen in O. Eng. Wit, moot, an assembly of the people; cf. witanagemot)

meeting, and to have assembled around the See also:

• PERSON, OFFENCES AGAINST THE

person of the king, wherever he might be . In the later years of its existence, at least, it met three times a See also:

• YEAR

year, at See also:

• EASTER

Easter, Whitsuntide and See also:

• CHRISTMAS (i.e. the Mass of Christ)

Christmas . The number of counsellors attending the meetings of the witan varied considerably from See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time to time . " In a witenagemot held at See also:

• LUTON

Luton in See also:

• NOVEMBER (Lat. novem, nine)

November A.D . 931 were the two archbishops, two Welsh princes, seventeen bishops, fifteen ealdormen, five abbots and fifty-nine ministri . In another, that of See also:

• WINCHESTER
• WINCHESTER, EARLS AND MARQUESSES OF

Winchester of A.D . 934, were See also:

• PRESENT

present the two archbishops, four Welsh kings, seventeen bishops, four abbots, twelve ealdormen and fifty-two ministri . These are perhaps the fullest extant lists .

Of See also:

• EDGAR (EADGAR)
• EDGAR, or EADGAR (c. 1050-c. 1130)

Edgar's witenagemots, the one of A.D . 966 contained the king's See also:

• MOTHER

mother, two archbishops, seven bishops, five ealdormen and fifteen ministri; and this is a See also:

• FAIR

fair specimen of the usual See also:

• PRO

pro-portion " (Stubbs, Const . Hist. ch. vi.) . Almost immediately after the Norman Conquest the word See also:

• FELL
• FELL, JOHN (1625-1686)

fell into disuse . See also D . J . Medley, English Constitutional History (1907); H . M . See also:

• CHADWICK, SIR EDWIN (18o0-1890)

Chadwick, Studies on Anglo-Saxon Institutions (1905) ; and the See also:

• ARTICLE (from Lat. articulus, a joint)

article See also:

• PARLIAMENT (Anglo-Lat. parliamentum, Fr. parlement, from parler, to speak)

PARLIAMENT . (A . W .