A letter from Cecilia and Bernard Ato IV

Translated letter:

In the name of the Lord, I Bernard, viscount of Nimes and Agde and Béziers, and I Cecilia, viscountess, having consulted and taken counsel with our sons, Roger, Trencavel and Bernard,  [we] give to you Rostaing de Posquières with our daughter Ermesinde, the castle of Marguerites, whatever we have in that city or within its boundaries, and whatever [any] man or woman has in that city or within its boundaries from us, and  whatever elders or inhabitants of that castle have from us, wherever they may have it.  And we give you, Rostaing, with our daughter Ermesinde, the castle which is called Cauvisson, so that from now on the lords of that castle may hold that castle and what pertains to it through you and by your hand, as they now hold it through us and by our hands.  We also give you, Rostaing, half of the castle of Beauvoisin, namely the part of Pont William of Montrotund, and similarly, by the same agreement, we give you another half, that is a part of Bertrand and his brother Peter, when we or you or ours or yours could have such and they wish it; and if meanwhile they should die, you would have that half through gift and the above-mentioned agreement.  And these three above-mentioned castles, and what pertains to them by ancient or modern right, we give to you with this charter by such agreement that those who hold them from us may from now on hold them from you just as they now hold them from us, and do for you for those castles what they did for us or ought to have done, namely oath and homage.   And as they have done this for you, Rostaing, you swear those to us, when we require an oath from you.

And we also give you, Rostaing, with our daughter, two properties (mansos) in Corbessadz, and whatever pertain to those properties. And we give you all that we have in the town of Caldusaneges or within its boundaries, or a man or woman has there through us.  And we give you whatever we have in Arderan, except the allod that was Bernard William of Clarensac’s.  And we give you whatever we have in Irunden or within its boundaries, or what a man or woman has there through us.  And similarly we give you whatever we have in Boixeras.  And we give you and our daughter one Jew and one burgher in Béziers, the burgher Raymond Durant, the Jew Benjamin, both with their holdings and their successors and their holdings. 

All these, which are noted and determined in this document, and as they are written, I Bernard, aforementioned viscount, and I Cecilia, aforementioned viscountess, give to you Ermesinde our daughter as your heredity, you and Rostaing your husband, in fief with all the honors from us, and in the same way you may have this in fief from our son, from him namely whom we will place as lord and elder over them.  And if you, Ermesinde, should end your life without an heir, Rostaing your husband shall have this whole honor as long as he outlives you and after the death of Rostaing, all these shall revert to our relatives, except the fief which Decan, the father of your husband Rostaing had from us, namely the castle Marguerites, which castle that Decan held from us in fief; and except the pledge which that Decan also had from us, that is the peasants of Marguerites with their holdings, and except the two properties of Corbessaz and except the one of Caldsusaneges.  Decan has such from us in pledge for 30 pounds of the best pure silver, namely the peasants of Marguerites and their holdings, and the two properties of Corbessaz and that of Caldusaneges. 

As therefore these are contained in this charter and as all these which are written above can be better and more reasonably read and understood, so I Bernard viscount and I Cecilia viscountess give them to you Rostaing and to you Ermesinde our daughter with this charter in fief and with all honors; retaining only justice in said honor, after a complaint (querimonia) will have reached us or our successors, if Rostaing and his wife or their sons or daughters or successors, when a complaint (clamor) will have come to them for which they could not or did not wish to give justice. 

This said donation was made with this charter in the city of Béziers, in the year of the Lord’s incarnation, 1121, in the reign of king Louis.  Witnesses of this donation are:  Peter Raymond of Alt-pol, Auztors of Lunaz, Salomon of Felgeiras, Peter Siger of Beders, Gormund of Chateauneuf, Peter of Rupe-acuta (Rochgude?), Peter William of St. Victor, Peter of Porta-Redes, Peter Raymond of Posquières, Peter Nicheforas, Bernard Galfred of Margaritas, Betrand of Margaritas.  W. of Margens, canon of Maguelone, wrote it.

Original letter:

In nomine Domini, ego Bernardus, Nemausensium et Agathensium et Biterrensium vicecomes, et ego Cecilia vicecomitissa, comunicato et habito consilio filiorum nostrorum, Rogerii, Trencavelz atque Bernardi, damus tibi Rostagno de Poscheriis, cum filia nostra Ermesenz, castrum Margaritas, quicquid in ipso castro nos habemus vel in ejus terminio, et quicquid homo vel femina in ipso castro vel in ejus terminio habet de nobis, et quic­quid seniores sive incole ejusdem castri habent de nobis, ubicumque habeant. — Et damus tibi Ros­tagno, cum filia nostra Ermessenz, castrum quod dicitur Calvenzung, ut amodo sic habeant seniores ejusdem castri illud castrum, et ad se pertinentia, per te et per manum tuam, sicut modo habent per nos et per manus nostras. — Damus etiam tibi Rostagno medietatem castri Belvedin, videlicet partem Poncii Villelmi de Montrotund, et similiter, per eandem convenientiam, damus tibi aliam me­dietatem, hoc est partem Bertrandi et Petri fratris ejus, quando nos vel tu aut nostri aut tui tales poterimus eos habere ut hoc ipsi velint; et si in­terim ipsi decesserint, habeas illam medietatem per donationem et convenientiam suprascriptam. — Hec itaque tria castella suprascripta, et que ad ea ex antiquo sive ex moderno jure sunt pertinentia, damus tibi cum hac carta per talem convenientiam ut hii, qui ea de nobis habent, teneant amodo taliter de te sicut nunc tenent de nobis, et faciat (sic) pro ipsis castellis illud tibi quod fecerunt nobis vel debuerant jam fecisse, scilicet sacramentum et hominium. Et cum hoc tibi perfecerint, tu Rostagne, jures ea nobis, quando nos illud sacramentum a te exigemus. — Adhuc etiam damus tibi Rostagno, cum filia nostra, duos mansos in Corbessadz, et quicquid ad ipsos mansos pertinent (sic). Et damus tibi totum illud quod habemus in villa Caldusaneges vel in ejus terminio, vel homo vel femina ibi habet per nos. Et damus tibi quicquid habemus in Arderano, excepto alodio quod fuit Bernardi Villelmi de Clarenzago. Et damus tibi quicquid habemus in Irundenens vel in ejus terminio, vel homo vel femina ibi habet per nos. Et similiter damus tibi quicquid habemus in Boixeras. Et damus tibi et filie nostre I. judeum et I. burgensem in Biterris, burgensem Raimundum Duranti, judeum Benja­min, ambos cum tenezonibus eorum et successores eorum in eisdem et cum eisdem tenezonibus. — Hec omnia, que hoc tomo et sicut in hoc tomo scripta, excepta et determinata sunt, ego Bernardus vicecomes suprascriptus et ego Cecilia vicecomitissa suprascripta damus tibi Ermessens filie nostre in hereditatem, et ut hanc hereditatem habeas, tu et Rostagnus vir tuus, de nobis ad feudum et ad totos honores, et eodem modo habeatis de filio nostro hec ad feudum, de illo videlicet quem nos super his dominum et seniorem instituemus. — Et si tu Ermessens vita functa fueris sine herede, habeat Rostagnus vir tuus totum istum honorem, quamdiu in hac vita superstes fuerit, et, post decessum Rostagni, revertantur hec omnia ad propinquos nostros, excepto feudo quod Decanus, pater Rostagni viri tui, habebat de nobis, videlicet castrum Margaritas, quod castrum idem Decanus de nobis tenebat per feudum; et excepto pignore quod etiam ipse Decanus habebat a nobis, hoc est villanos de Margarida cum tenezonibus eorum, et exceptis duobus mansis de Corbessaz, et excepto eo de Caldusanicis. Hec talia habebat Decanus de nobis in pignore pro xxx. libris argenti fini et obtimi, scilicet villanos de Margarida et eorum tenezones, et duos mansos de Corbessaz et illud de Caldusanicis. — Sicut igitur hec in hac carta continentur, et sicut melius ac sanius hec omnia, que suprascripta sunt, legi et intelligi possunt, sic ego Bernardus vicecomes et ego Cecilia vicecomitissa damus ea tibi Rostagno et tibi Ermessenz filie nostre, cum hac carta, ad feudum et ad totos honores; retinentes tamen in predicto honore justiciam, postquam querimonia ad nos vel ad successores nostros pervenerit, si Rostagnus et uxor ejus, vel filii vel filie eorum vel successores eorum, postquam clamor ad eos pervenerit, justiciam facere noluerint vel non potuerint. — Hec predicta donatio cum hac carta facta est in Bitterrensi civitate, anno ab incarnatione Domini M. C. XX. I., regnante Lodoyco rege. — Testes hujus donationis sunt : Petrus Raimundi d'Alt-pol, Auztors de Lunaz, Salomon de Felgeiras, Petrus Sigerii de Beders, Gormundus de Castello-novo, Petrus de Rupe-acuta, Petrus Guillelmus de Sancto Victore, Petrus de Porta-Redes, Petrus Raimundi de Poscherias, Petrus Nicheforas, Bernardus Gaufredus de Margaritas, Bertrandus de Margaritas. — W. de Margens, Magalonensis canonicus, scripsit.

Historical context:

This is a charter of the dowry from Bernard Ato  IV, viscount of Nimes, and Cecilia, his wife, for their daughter, Ermesinde, who is to marry Rostaing of Posquières.

Printed source:

Layettes du Trésor, 43-4, #48; also HGL 5.894-96, CCCLXXXVIII.

Date: