3. The attestation begins thus: ✠ Ego Aldredus regulus Huicciorum propriam meam donationem signo crucis notavi. The phrase signo crucis notavi does not appear to occur again in any charter. In the very doubtful charter of his brother Eanberht (B. C. S. 183) we have signum salutiferae crucis praenotavi. In the Act of the council of Clovesho in 803 (B. C. S. 312) we find signum notavi: but only in copies, not in the original document. In the tenth century we have partial parallels: as notavi alone in two charters of King Athelstan to Exeter (B. C. S. 724, 726, both questionable); regno (for signo) salubri adnotavi, King Edred (B. C. S. 880); signo salutifero … prenotavi, King Edgar (B. C. S. 1112); sigillum sancte crucis annotavi, King Ethelred (K. C. D. 684); and, what is most notable, Oswald, in attesting King Ethelred's charters, though not in his own, constantly uses the phrase crucis taumate adnotavi (K. C. D. 639, 647, 648, 650, 652, 655, 657, 658, 659, 663, 673). Lastly, in a questionable charter of Edward the Confessor, A.D. 1060, we have in Bishop Wulstan's attestation vexillo sanctae crucis praenotavi (K. C. D. 809). Our parallels, therefore, so far as they are trustworthy, come exclusively from the tenth century.
4. There follow the names of three praefecti, introduced in each case by signum manus, as are the later names of Offa's charter. In Uhtred's charter (B. C. S. 232), already referred to, these three praefecti follow Eadbald princeps, who is the last witness of Offa's charter here. If this postscript is not genuine, we may suppose that they originally stood at the end of Offa's charter, and have been treated as the principes of Aldred by the forger (though still styled praefecti).
5. Finally, we have the dating of the charter after these last witnesses, whereas we should have expected it before the witnesses of Offa's charter. The year is not in agreement with the indiction and the other notes of time, being a year too late. Both Kemble and Birch, working from two chartularies, give it as DCCLXXVIII; Hickes, however, who transcribed the Worcester charter, gives DCCLXXIIIII (sic). The year pointed to by the indiction is A.D. 777.
Accordingly, it seems reasonable to conclude that a genuine charter of King Offa was copied or imitated by a forger, who inserted a grant by Aldred of the land in question to the church of St Mary at Worcester; making the three praefecti who closed Offa's attestation into the principes of Aldred's grant, and placing the date at the end of the whole piece.
