A letter from Marie, duchess of Burgundy ()

Translated letter:

I, Marie, Duchess of Burgundy, make known and testify that my Lord Duke Odo, in his last illness left to the church of St. Stephen, his spiritual mother, all that he had at some time unjustly denied it by right:  hence when I was in charge of the Duchy after his death, and went to Argilly, I purposely inquired into the truth of a certain right which the church of St. Stephen of  Dijon said it had in the property of that town and I recognized clearly that it has two free allods there with their appurtenances, one at Argilly, the other at Prefergoil, and therefore the church or the inhabitants of their estate [praediorem] ought to have free usage in the pastures, waters, and woods of that property, in this way, that they can cut down and carry away for timber or burning and all necessities, but they cannot cut them down to sell or give the wood, nor can they carry them outside the property without permission of the foresters.  That church can also send there one hundred one pigs, who will have free-run through the whole estate without payment for pasturage and brush [?ramalagio], which could also be a draw for foreign pigs, for which it will give half the pasturage-payment and will retain half; the pigs on the other hand will stay in one of the above-named places or in both, unless with the permission of the foresters they should stay elsewhere more conveniently; if the sows give birth there and nurse for a while, nothing will be exacted for the pigs following their mother.  To the foresters, on the other hand, will be given each year at Dijon after the feast of All Saints sixty sesters of wine if they ask for it, and the minister of the Canons, who comes for the pasturage-payment with the ministers of the Duke, will give them a sester of wine; and if there should be one on foot, he will give a sester of wheat in the Argilly measure. 

I, also, sollicitous of the salvation of the soul of my lord Duke, with Hugo my son grant and confirm this right as it is recognized and is written here,  in perpetuity to the church of St. Stephen of Dijon.  There were many present at this acknowledgment:  Master John, cantor of that church, whose father is named Lebaudus, conferred this benefit on the church for his soul; Master Humbert, chaplain of the Duke; Master Richard and Lord Nicolas, our clerks; William of Orgoil, knight of Dijon; Wido de Solio and his brother Henry, knights of Argilly; Hugh, townsman; Bonietus and Minox, our vassals from Argilly; Peter, forester of that town; Anselm and Lambert from our court.  And all these were recorded and acknowledged in our presence at Argilly and not much later at Dijon, at which [later] acknowledgment were present Lord Gislebert, venerable Abbot of St. Stephen of Dijon; and his brother Lord Josbert of Grancey; and aforesaid Master John; and lord Arvey of Faverney, canon; Henry, chaplain of Chenavis; the aforesaid Willerm [sic], Henry of Castellione and Goodfriend, burgher of Dijon, and many others.  These were enacted in the 1162nd year from the Incarnation of the Lord,  in which year the lord Duke Odo died.  [Here] hangs the greater seal of Duchess Marie.

Original letter:

Ego Maria Ducissa Burgundiae notum facio & testificor quod Dominus meus Odo Dux in ultima aegritudine reliquit Ecclesiae S. Stephani Spiritali matri suae omnia quae de jure ejus injuste aliquando renuerat:  proinde cum ego post ejus obitum Ducatus curam gererem, profecta Argilleium studiose inquisivi veritatem de quodam jure, quod Ecclesia S. Stephani Divionensis dicebat se habere in Potestate Villae illius, & manifeste cognovi, quod eadem habet illi duo Franca Allodia cum appendiciis eorum, unum apud Argillae, alterum apud Praefergoil, & propterea debet habere Francum usum in pascuis, aquis, silvis Potestatis illius, Ecclesia duntaxat sive incolae praediorem ipsorem, isto videlicet modo quod ligna caedere & convehere possunt ad marriminandum & ad focandum, & ad omnia necessaria, causa tamen vendendi vel donandi ligna caedere non possunt, nec extra Potestatem convehere sine permissu Forestariorum:  potest etiam ipsa Ecclesia mittere illuc porcos centum & unum, qui percursum habebunt per totam potestatem sine pasnagio & Ramalagio, potest etiam attractum alienorum porcorum facere:  unde tamen dimidium pasnagium dabit, & dimidium retinebit, porci autem jacebunt in aliquo supra-dictorum locorum sive in ambobus, nisi permissu Forestariorum commodius alibi jacuerint; si sues ibi porcellaverint & aliquandiu nutrierint, nichil de porcellis matrem sequentibus exigetur; Forestariis autem dabitur per singulos annos apud Divionem sextarium vini post Festum Omnium Sanctorum si petierint, & minister Canonicorum, qui perget ad pasnandum cum ministris Ducis, dabit eis sextarium vini; & si pedes fuerit,dabit sextarium avenae ad mensuram Argilleii.  Ego itaque sollicita de salute animae Domini mei Ducis, & Hugo filius meus jus istud, sicut cognitum est, & hic habetur scriptum, concedimus et confirmamus in perpetuum Ecclesiae Beati Stephani Divionensis; interfuerunt huic cognitioni plures:  Magister Johannes Cantor ipsius Ecclesiae, cujus pater nomine Lebaudus hoc beneficium pro anima sua eidem contulit Ecclesiae, Magister Humbertus Capellanus Ducis, Magister Richardus & Domnus Nicolaus Clerici nostri; Willelmus de Orgoil Miles Divionensis; Wido de Solio & Henricus frater ejus Argillenses Milites. Hugo Villicus, Bonietus & Minox; Clientes nostri de Argille, Petrus Forestarius ipsius Villa Anselmus & Lambertus de Curia nostra, & hoc quidem apud Argilleium non multo post etiam apud Divionem, haec omnia rememorata & recognita fuerunt in praesentia nostra cui recognitioni interfuit Domnus Gislebertus Venerabilis Abbas S. Stephani  Divionensis, & frater ejus Dominus Josbertus de Granceio, & Magister Johannes praedictus & Domnus Arveius de Faverneio Canonicus, Henricus Capellanus de Chenavis, Willermus praedictus, Henricus de Castellione & Bonus-amicus  Burgenses Divionenses, & plures alii;  Acta fuerunt haec anno MCLXII ab Incarnatione Domini, quo anno Dominus Odo Dux obiit. Pendet Sigillum majus Mariae Ducissae.

Historical context:

In order to fulfil a dying wish of Duke Odo, the duchess, attests that she has inquired into the rights of St. Stephen of Dijon, which her husband had unjustly assumed.  She enumerates and confirms them. 

Printed source:

Fyot de la Marche, Histoire de l’Eglise Abbatiale et Collegiale de Saint Etienne de Dijon, preuves historiques, p.108-09, #171, Ex Autographia Stephaniensi.

Date: