A letter from Ermengard and Raymond Bernard

Translated letter:

In the name of the Lord. I Raymond-Bernard viscount, and Ermengard my wife, [we] are the donors to you [sing.] our daughter Guillemette/Guilherma by name and to your husband Peter by name.  We the aforenamed are donors to you [pl.] of something from our allod and fief:  we give in the county of Rouergue that   which is called Brusque, complete and whole, with its rights of possession and its rents and its payments and with that dominion that it has today and ought to have, as said Raymond and bishop Frotar rather have it and as pertains to the castrum; by such agreement that said Raymond may hold that half, Raymond and Frotar of said castrum and its castellanies, and of that castellany during the life of said Raymond and Frotar; and after his and the donors’ death it will revert to Guillemette and her husband Peter.  And we give in another place, I Raymond and said Frotar that castrum which is called Castel-nou, which Raymond-Gerald holds from Ato, which Raymond holds through sharing the castle, after the death of us donors.  And in another place we donors give that castrum which they call La Livinière to you Guillemette and your husband Peter after the death of Frotar, and during his life if we or you [sing.] could arrange that with him.  And in another place, that half of the castrum of Julien and of that castrum of Rochebrune, with those halves which pertain to the castros after the death of Bremond.  And in another place we give that half of those vineyards of Joncels and of that wine.  And in another place we give that half of Couffoulens, of as much as we have or ought to have there.  And in another place we give that town of Cantal complete and whole, as Frotar and Raymond have or ought to have it and any man through them.  And if viscount Raymond or Ermengard his wife recovered the honor of Carcassonne or of Minerve that was Peter Raymond’s, Guillemette and her husband Peter Ato would have what Raymond and his wife Ermengard gave them.  And we the donors make this agreement about that abbey of St. Benedict of Castres with that whole honor that pertains to the abbey, similarly we make an agreement about that castrum of Boissezon and the honor that pertains to that castrum, as Raymond and Frotair have or ought to have it and any man through them: by such agreement, indeed, that if said Raymond should die without legitimate male son, that honor of Boissezon and that abbey of St. Benedict of Castres would revert to Guillemette and her husband Peter; and the son of Raymond, if he died without a child from a legitimate marriage.  By such agreement, that if you had a child born from you Peter and Guillemette, you Peter would hold, you would have, hold and possess it for your life:  after your death it would revert to me the donor or to my relatives.  Sign of Frotar.  Sign of Raymond Bernard.  Sign of viscountess Ermengard.  Sign of Raymond Stephen.  Sign of Sigar Salomon.  Sign of Adalbert Engelbert.  Sign of Bernard Arnald.  This charter of donation was done on 4 kalends of November, Thursday, in the reign of king Philip.  Pons wrote it.

Original letter:

IN nomine Domini. Ego Raymundus-Bernardus vicecomes, & Hermengard mulier mea, donatores sumus tibi filia nostra nomine Guilherma & a viro tuo nomine Petro. Donatores sumus vobis nos praescripti aliquid de alodem nostrum & de fevum : donamus in comitatu Ruthenense ipsum castrum quod vocatur Bruscha totum & ab integrum, cum ipsos usos & cum ipsos censos, & cum ipsos usaticos, & cum ipsa domengadura quae hodie habet & habere debet, sicut Raymundus praescriptus & Froterius episcopus melius habent & ad castrum pertinent; in tali vero convenientia, quod Raymundus suprascriptus teneat ipsam medietatem, Raymundus & Froteriiis de ipsum castrum suprascriptum, & de ipsos castellanos, & de ipsa castellania in vita de Raymundo suprascripto & de Froterio; & post obitum illius donatores revertat ad Wilherma & ad viro suo Petro. Et donamus in alio loco ego Raymundus & Froterius suprascriptus ipsum castrum quod vocatur Castro-novo, quod tenet Raymundus-Giraldus ab Ato, quae tenet per castellum Raymun­dus nec sui parierii, post obitum de nos donatores. Et in alio loco donamus nos donatores ipsum castrum quem vocant Lavineira a te Wilherma & a viro tuo Petro post obitum Froterio, & in vita sua si ab illo potuerimus trobare o tu o nos. Et in alio loco ipsam medietatem de ipso castro de Juliano & de ipso castro de Rocabruno, cum ipsas medietates quae ad ipsos castros pertinent post obitum de Bremundo. Et in alio loco donamus ipsam medietatem de ipsas vineas de Joncels & de ipso vino. Et in alio loco donamus ipsam medietatem de Confolentes, de quantum ibidem habemus vel habere debemus. Et in alio loco donamus ipsam villam de Cantul totam & ab integram, sicut Froterius & Raymundus melius habent vel habere debent ni homo per els. Et si Raymundus vicecomes ni Hermengardis mulier sua recuperabant ipsum honorem de Carcassez ni de Menerbez qui fuit de Petro-Raymundo, haberent Wilherma & vir suus Petrus Ato quae datum illi habebant Raymundus nec mulier sua Hermengardis. Et nos donatores facimus convenientiam de ipsa abbatia de Sancto Benedicto de Castras cum totum honorem quae ad abbatiam pertinent, similiter facimus convenientiam de ipso castro de Buxadono & de ipsum honorem quae ad ipsum cas­trum pertinet, sicut Raymundus & Frote­rius habent vel habere debent ni homo per illos: in tali vero convenientia, quod si Raymundus suprascriptus mortuus fuerit sine filio masculo legitimo, revertat ipsam honorem de Buxadono & ipsam abbatiam de Castras de Sancto Benedicto a Wilherma & a viro suo Petro; & filius Raymundi, si morierit sine infante de legitimo matrimonio. In tali vero convenientia, quod si infantem habueritis qui de te Petro sint procreati & de Wilherma nati, teneas tu Petrus in vita tua, habeas, teneas & possideas: post obitum tui ad me donatore, vel ad propinquos meos revertat. Sign. Froterius. Sign. Raymundus-Bernardus. Sign. Hermengard vicecomitissa. Sign. Raymundus-Stephanus. Sign. Sigarii-Salonioni. Sign. Adalbert-Engelbert. Sign. Bernardo- Amaldo. Facta carta donationis istius IV kalendas novembris, feria V, regnante Philippo rege. Poncius scripsit.

Historical context:

The contract of marriage Ermengard and her husband made for their daughter Guillerma with Peter, viscount of Bruniquel, lists various lands as her dowry, some of which will only come to them if Raymond and Ermengard can recover the honor of the Carcassès or the Minervois that had been her father’s.  Bishop Frotar is the brother of Raymond-Bernard’s father who retained a share in the rule of  the family lands for decades.  A castrum is an administrative unit with a foritification/castle at the center.

Printed source:

Histoire Générale de Languedoc 5.568-70, #290, CCXLIV. 

Date: