A letter to Eldegod and his wife Sabrosa

Translated letter:

In the name of Christ.  I Ermessenda, countess by the grace of God, am the donator to you, Eldegod, and your(his) wife Sabrosa.  For I give you a piece of land to you, said Eldegod and Sabrosa, cultivated and uncultivated, with the trees that are there, that formerly [belonged] to a man by the name Illa-Sulima or Rimla, a monk and his successors.   These are all in the county of Girona in the parrish of St. Mary and St. Stephen of Calidis.  Said land abuts:  in the east the territory of Riuran and the alod Bannarola, in the south the pond called Fanehil, in the west <Castro> Vetulo, in the north Rivi Torti and Serra Mala.  Whatever these abutments include and enclose, I give you all the inscribed, that is, a piece of land, complete and whole, with all its appurtenances and with its [entries] and exits, under the agreement, namely, that you peacefully and freely have and hold all the inscribed in my service, the inscribed countess, or [that of] my successors, and that you do that service and give that toll to me or my successors that was customarily given and done in former times to my successors and that it be allowed to you to sell, give, commute all the said to a similar inhabitant, and so that, in the name of Christ, you may obtain firm power for 8 mancusos* which you have given me.   And if I, the giver, or any man or woman from whatever person might move against this document of gift to break it, I/he/she could not achieve what we asked, but would pay all the said doubly with its improvement; and afterwards the present document of donation would have force in all things.  This document of donation was made on the 8th kalends of May in the 23rd year of the reign of king Henry.  Ermessenda, countess by the favor of God, who ordered this document of donation to be made, signed it and asked witnesses to sign.  Sign+ of Bernard Morato. Sign+ of Archimball. +Elias. Sign+ of Sunyer. Sign+ of Bertrand of Peretallada.  Sign+ of William Viscafred. Sign+ of Seniofred, bailiff. Sign+ of Seniofred, judicial officer by law (saioni lexto).  +Adrorarius, priest, who wrote this document of donation as asked, with the letters placed above in several places, on the day and year above.

Original letter:

In Christi nomine. Ego Ermessindis, gracia Dei comitissa, donatrix sum vobis, Eldegod, et uxor sua Sabrosa. Dono, namque, masada una de terra vobis iam dictis, Oldegod et iam dicta Sabrosa, culta et inculta, cum ipsis arboribus qui ibi sunt, que fuit condam hominem nomine Illa Sulima (?) vel Rimla, monacho, vel successoribus suis. Sunt, autem, hec omnia in comitatu Gerundensi intra parrochia Sancte Marie vel Sancti Stephani de Calidis. Affrontat iam dicta terra : a parte orientis in termino Riurani vel in alodio Bannarola, de meridie in stagno vocitato Fachil, de occiduo in <Castro> Vetulo, a parte vero circio in Rivi Torti vel in Serra Mala. Quantum iste tote affrontaciones includunt vel includuntur, sic dono vobis prescripta omnia, id est, masada una de terra, tota ab integro, cum suis pertinenciis omnibus et cum eius et earum regressiis, sub tali, videlicet, conventu et racione, ut libere et quiete habeas vel teneas prescripta omnia in meo servicio de me, prescripta comitissa, vel succes­soribus meis, et ut facias inde ipsum servicium et dones ipsum censum mihi vel successoribus meis quod soliti erat dare et facere in preteritis temporibus successoribus meis et sit tibi licitum iam dicta omnia vindere, donare, comutare tuo simile pagense et ut, in Christi nomine, firmam obtineas potestatem per mancusos viii, quod mihi dedisti. Quod, si ego donatrix, aut ullus homo vel femina ex qualibet persona, qui contra ista scriptura donacionis venero vel venerit ad irrumpendum, non hoc valeam vel valeat vendicare quod requisero vel requisierit, sed componam vel componat sibi iam dicta omnia in duplo cum sua melioracione; et postmodum presens scriptura donacionis in omnibus obtineat roborem. Facta ista scriptura donacionis viii kalendas madii anno xxiii regni Henrici, regis. Ermessendis, nutu Dei comitissa, qui ista scriptura donacionis fieri iussit, fecit, firmavit et testes firmare rogavit. Sig+num Bernardi Moratoni. Sig+num Archimballi.  +Elias. Sig+num Suniarii. Sig+num Bertrandi de Peretallada. Sig+num Guilielmus Viscafredi. Sig+num Seniofredi, baiulo. Sig+num Seniofredi, saioni lexto (sic).  +Adrorarius, presbiter, qui ista scriptura donacionis scripsit rogatus, cum literas superpositas in locis plurimis, die et anno quo supra.

Historical context:

Donation of a certain property in the county of Girona from the countess to Eldegod and his wife Sabrosa.

Scholarly notes:

• Arabic gold dinars, see Jonathan Jarrett, ” Currency Change in Pre-millennial Catalonia: Coinage, Counts and Economics,” Numismatic Chronicle 169 (2010 for 2009), pp. 217-243, 225.

Printed source:

LFM 1.408-09, #390.  

Date: