 Whether a liberty similar to that of Oswaldslow was an extra cause for concern, compromising Ælfhere's authority as ealdorman, cannot be ascertained from the sources.Pershore suffered worse misfortune when, according to Leland, it was destroyed by fire and subsequently deserted by the monks, probably in the year 1002.The monastic archives were largely lost in the event, as no original record from before that date survives today.