| III Æthelred (III Atr) | |
|---|---|
| "Wantage Code" | |
 Opening of the code in Textus Roffensis | |
| Ascribed to | Æthelred the Unready, king of England |
| Language | Old English |
| Date of issue | c. 997 |
| Manuscript(s) | Strood, Medway Archive and Local Studies Centre, MS DRc/R1 (Textus Roffensis); London, British Library, MS Additional 49366; Manchester, John Rylands University Library, MS Lat. 420; London, British Library, MS Royal 11 B.II; London, British Library, MS Cotton Titus A.XXVII, fos. 140r-141r |
| Principal manuscript(s) | Textus Roffensis, folios 48r-49v |
| Genre | law code |
The Wantage Code, sometimes referred to as III Æthelred (abbreviated III Atr), is an early English legal text. Recorded in Old English, it is a record of laws that Æthelred the Unready (died 1016) and his councillors enacted at the royal manor of Wantage, Berkshire (now Oxfordshire).
The enactments of the code are devoted primarily to the management of disputes and clarifying legal procedure, in particular the regulation of fines relating to the peace. In the case of one provision, the text specifically mentions the Five Boroughs of the Danelaw, and the code is of particular historical significance for the Danelaw and Anglo-Scandinavian Britain.