On this first day of October in 1207, Henry III was born in Winchester, a city that inexplicably wants nothing to do with him. Chronicler Matthew Paris drew this picture of Henry swaddled in his cradle. His nursemaid was a woman by the name of Helen Dun. Such was Henry’s fondness for her that he made sure she was comfortably taken care of in her old age. It was from her and other servants of the royal household that Henry learned the English of his day. An example of it comes from his order to the sheriffs in 1258 validating the reform program of his council. Normally such orders were issued in Latin, but such was the prominence of the occasion that it became the first state paper issued in English following the Norman Conquest two centuries earlier. Here’s the opening with the conjectured pronunciation of this “Middle English” and modern translation.
Henr’ þurg godeſ fultume king on Engleneloande. Lhoauerd on Yrloand’. Duk on Norm’ on Aquitain’ and eorl on Anᵹow Send igretinge to alle hiſe holde ilærde and ileawede on Huntendon’ſchir’ þæt witen ge wel alle þæt we willen and vnnen þæt. þæt vre rædeſmen alle oþer þe moare dæl of heom þæt beoþ ichoſen þurg uſ and þurg þæt loandeſ folk on vre kuneriche. habbeþ idon and ſchullen don ín þe worþneſſe of gode and on vre treowþe. for þe freme of þe loande. þurg þe beſigte of þan to foreniſeide redeſmen : beo ſtedefæſt and ileſtinde ín alle þinge abuten ænde.
“Hen·rai thurkh God·es ful·tume kiq on Eq·lenelan·de, lhav·erd on Iir·lande, Dyyk on Normandai, on Akitain·e and ee’rl on Andzhuu’, send igreet·iqe to al·e ʜis·e ʜold·e ileer·de and ilee·wede on Hun·tendooneshii·re. Dhet wii·ten je wel al·e, dhet we wil·en and un·en dhet, dhet uu·re ree·desmen al·e odh·er dhe maa·re deel of ʜeum, dhet beuth itshoo·zen thurkh us, und thurkh dhet land·es folk on uu·re kin·eriitshe, ʜab·eth idoon· and shul·en doon, in dhe worth·nese of God·e and on uu·re treuth·e, for dhe free·me of dhe land·e, thurkh dhe besikh·te of than to foo·renisaide ree·desmen, beu stee·defest and iles·tinde in al·e thiq·e abuut·en en·de.”
Henry, by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Normandy, of Aquitaine, and Count of Anjou, sends greetings to all his lieges, clerical and lay, in Huntingdonshire. That know ye well all, that we will and grant that that which our councillors, all or the greater part of them, that have been chosen by us, and by the people of the country of our kingdom, have done, and shall do, to the glory of God, and in furtherance of our allegiance, for the benefit of the country, by the provision of the aforesaid councillors, be steadfast and lasting in all things ever without end.