A letter from Aleide

Translated letter:

In the name of the holy and individual trinity.  I, Theoderic/Dirk, by the grace of God count of Holland and Zeeland, and countess Aleide, greetings in the Lord to all the faithful.  Since every temporal effort/advantage of commerce or business can be obscured by the passage of time or the faintness of hearts and deleted from the memory of mortals, we considered it necessary that a certain contract which we had made with the abbot of Middelburg, be confirmed by the written notation  and commended to the notice of those who come after.

Therefore we wish it to be known to those of the future as well as the present that I, Theoderic/Dirk, and countess Aleide, have conferred a quarter part of the tithe of Souburg which is collected from those three parishes, as the abbots and brothers of the church of St. Mary in Middelburg had conceded to my father, to the abbot and brothers of that church for the remedy of our souls to be possessed free from any trouble from our successors.

Lest the action of this agreement fall into doubt or the ignorance of those to come, but in order that it remain firm and unmoveable, we wished to confirm it by the present writing and the impression of our seals, and strengthen it no less by the  underwriting of  other men and our presence, whose names are written below:  Florence/Floris, provost, and Baldwin, my brothers, Hugo of Voorne and Theoderic his brother, Gerard of Horst, Henry of Riswick, Bartholomew of Haarlem, chaplain Frank, Arnold of Ouervort (?), Florence/Floris Rost, William Rauen, Wolfard and his sons Walter and William, Arnold and Henry of Scinge his brother, Henry Wiszo, Gerolf son of Anthony, Alard son of Reilaf, Simon son of Boneface, William of Kaldekerke.   Enacted at Middelburg, in the 1198th year from the incarnation of the lord.

Original letter:

In nomine sancte et individue Trinitatis.  Ego Th., Dei gratia comes Hollandie atque Selandie, et Aleidis  comitissa universitati fidelium salutem in Domino.  Quoniam omnis comercii temporalis vel negotiorum emolumentum  temporis evolutione vel cordium constat [h]ebitudine fuscari et a mortalium recordatione deleri, necessarium estimavimus  contractum quendam, quo cum abbate Middelburgense  convenimus, scripti annotatione firmare ac posterorum noticie commendare.  Notum igitur esse volumus tam futuris quam presentibus, quod ego Th.  Hollandie comes  et Aleidis comitissa quartam partem decime de Sutburg, que de tribus illis colligitur parrochiis, quam patri meo abbates ac fratres ecclesie beate Marie in Middelburg concesserant, eiusdem ecclesie abbati ac fratribus pro remedio animarum nostrarum libere ab omni posterorum nostrorum infestatione possidendam  contulimus.  Ne ergo conventionis huius actio in dubium forte vel in ignorantiam posteris veniat, set ut firma et immobilisn permaneat, hanc scripto presenti atque sigillorum nostrorum volumus impressione firmare ac nihillominus testium subscriptione ceterorumque hominum nostrorum presentia roborare, quorum nomina subscripta sunt: Florencius prepositus et Balduinus, fratres mei, Hugo de Vorne et Theodericus frater eius, Gerardus de Horst, Henricus de Risuuich, Bartholomeus  de Harlem, Franco capellanus, Arnoldus 0[.]e[.]ort, Florentius Rost, Wilhelmus Rauen, Wolfardus et filii eius Walterus et Willelmus, Arnoldus et Henricus de Scinge, frater eius, Henricus Wiszo, Gerolfus filius Antonii, Alardus filius Reilafi, Symon filius Bonefacii, Willelmus de Kaldekerke. Actum apud Middelburg, anno incarnationis dominice M°C0XC0VIII°.

Historical context:

The count and countess affirm their gift to an abbey and church of a quarter of a tithe which his father had collected from them.

Printed source:

Oorkondenboek van Holland en Zeeland tot 1299, ed. A.C.F.Koch, 1.391, #232.

Date: