A letter from Adelaide/Aleid

Translated letter:

Aleide, wife of the former lord John of Avesnes greetings to all who will see the presents.

All should know that because of paying debts of our late mother of bright memory, lady Mathilde, countess of Holland, we have sold goods at Erkenen, namely four bonaria* of arable land or around three bonaria of meadows, equal more or less to her own allod acquired in her widowhood, as heir and executrix of her will, to religious men, the abbot and convent of Park  in Brabant of the Premonstratensian order, for a certain sum of money wholly counted out and paid to us and already converted to payment of the debts of our mother in the presence of allodial partners who were to judge whether we had covered the agreement by the debt of right, promising to those religious the legitimate guarantee of the said thing sold and to carry out wherever  might be necessary, if by chance we had done less in this, until it could fully suffice to them to reach the owed stability of the premises.

Witnesses:  Henry of Rixensart, Libert of Dues, knights, Rener of Maleuia, Arnold of Winincghem, and many other allodial partners.

Towards stability of the premises, therefore, we have had the present letters strengthened with the protection of our seal.

Enacted in the castle of Loewen, in the 1270th year of the Lord, in the month of November, on the day of St. Katherine.

Original letter:

Noverint universi quod nos propter exsolutionem debitorum quondam genitricis nostre clare memorie, domine Machtildis Hollandie comitisse, bona apud Erkenen, videlicet quatuor bonaria terre arabilis vel circiter et tria boneria pratorum. parum plus vel minus, que suum proprium fuerunt allodium in sua viduitate ab ipsa conquisitum, tamquam heres et testamenti sui executrix viris religiosis  • • abbati et conventui de Parcho in Brabantia, ordinis Premonstratensis, pro certa summa pecunie  nobis integraliter numerate et  solute ac in ipsius matris nostre debitorum solutione iam converse vendidimus et coram consortibus allodialibus quorum interat abinde iudicare, per debitam iuris sententiam investivimus, promittentes eisdem religiosis dicte rei vendite legitimam warandiam et perficere ubicumque foret necesse, si quid forte minus ad hec fecissemus, quousque eis plenarie sufficere poterit ad premissorum stabilitatem debitam consequendam.

Testes: Henricus de Rixensart, Libertus de Dues, milites, Renerus de Maleuia, Arnoldus de Winincghem, et alii quamplures consortes allodiales.

In premissorum igitur stabilitatem presentes litteras sigilli nostri munimine duximus roborandas.

Actum in castro Louaniensi, anno Domini M° CC° LXX°, mense novembri, in die beate Katerine.

Historical context:

After the death of her mother, Mathilde of Brabant, the countess has to sell lands in order to pay what her mother owed or had promised.

Scholarly notes:

• Bonarium is a measure of land, more than a hectar.

Printed source:

Oorkondenboek van Holland en Zeeland tot 1299, ed. A.C.F.Koch  3.606-07, #1540.

Date: