A letter from Rangard of La Marche

Translated letter:

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, our redeemer.  I, count Peter, and my wife Rangard, and our son Roger, and our daughters Garsind, Ermengard, and Adalaide, we together as one are the donators to the Lord God and St. Nazarius of the see of Béziers, and the canons serving in that place, that they may have at the same time in the canonry and in the community of St. Nazarius …  For we give to the Lord God and the canonry of St. Nazarius in the county of Béziers, that abbey by name St. Genesius which is beside the sea, with every honor pertaining to that said abbey, that is in houses, homes, villages, with their exits and returns, gardens, vegetables, vineyards, vines, cultivated and uncultivated lands, meadows, pastures, woods, barren lands, fruit-bearing and non-fruit-bearing trees, waterways and acqueducts and their drains, with their exits and returns, fisheries of river and sea, and streams and saltworks with canals, and swamps, and fields with all that is adjacent to them, and, with all that is adjacent to them [sic], steam bank fees, at the same time also all usages and rents, and all profits, everything and in everything, with whatever pertains or ought to pertain to that honor, all these, as are written out above, so we give, etc.  By this said gift, those canons written below gave to count Peter to said donors six hundred Tolousan solidos; to Deusde, by cognomen Desiderius, who also held the honor in fief, those canons of said St. Nazarius gave six hundred Toulousan solidos.  Repeating, indeed, we say, that if we said donors or any of our heirs, etc.  This gift was made to the Lord God and to St. Nazarius, and the canons of St. Nazarius in their canonry and also in their community, of which these are the names:  first lord William, archdeacon, the outstanding head of school Ragnerius, indeed, thence the notable keeper of the keys Racuin, brilliantly noble, Austind loveable in all things, Berengar, Ysimbert, Pons, Teudald, Bernard, Pons, Sigar, Hugo, Roger, Bernard, Galfred, Stephen, Clement, Peter, Stephen with certain others.  The names of noble men of the province are these:  Gisalfred, Raymond, Stephen-Raymond, Alcher-Raymond, and his brother Ricuin, Udalard, Matfred and his brothers, Peter of Pouzols-Auriol, Matfred of Salvian, Rostaing Rainard, Salomon, and Peter by cognomen Lupus, Rainard, Bonifilius, Sigar-Salomon, and Guitard Lupo, with several others.  This charter of donation was made in this year of the Incarnation of the Word 1054, in the reign of king Henry, 5 nones of March, that was Thursday.  Sign of said count Peter and his wife Rangard and their said son and daughters, who signed this charter of donation and asked it to be signed.  Sign of Gaucelin-Arnald.  Sign of Peter-Sigar.  Sign of Witard.  In the name of Christ deacon Bernard  wote it.

Original letter:

In nomine Domini nostri Jesu Christi redemptoris nostri.  Ego Petrus comes, & uxor mea Ranguardis, & filius noster Rotgerius, & filiae nostrae Garsindis, Ermengardis & Adalaicis, nos simul in unum donatores sumus Domino Deo, & Sancto Nazario sedis Biterrensis, & canonicis ejusdem loci famulantibus, ut simul habeant in canonica seu in communia Sancti Nazarii… Donamus nos namque Domino Deo & in canonica Sancti Nazarii in comitatu Biterrensi, ipsam abadiam vocabulo Sancti Genesii quae est juxta mare, cum omni honore ad ipsam abadiam praescriptam pertinente, id est in domibus, casis, casalicis, cum exeis & regresseis earum, ortis, ortalibus, vineis, vinealibus, terris cultis & incultis, pratis, pascuis, silvis, garricis, arboribus pomiferis & impomiferis, aquis aquarum vel ductibus & reductibus earum cum exiis & regressibus earum, piscatoria fluminis & maris, seu rivis atque salinis cum coctoriis, & matrocibus, & planiciis, & cum omnibus adjacentiis earum, & cum omnibus adjacentiis illorum, ribaticis, simul etiam & omnes usos & censos, & omnes explectos, omnia & in omnibus, cum quantumcumque ad ipsam honorem pertinet vel pertinere debet, ista omnia, sicut jam superius referuntur scripta, sic donamus, &c.  Per istud donum suprascriptum dederunt ipsi canonici subterius scripti ad Petrum comitem &  donatoribus suprascriptis sexcentos Tolosanos solidos; ad Deusde, cognomento Desiderio, qui ipsum etiam honorem tenebat per fevum, dederunt ipsi canonici Sancti Nazarii subscripti sexcentos Tolosanos solidos.  De repetitione vero dicimus, quod si nos jamdicti donatores aut ullus de haeredibus, &c.  Istud donum fuit factum Domino Deo, & Sancto Nasario, & canonicis Sancti Nazarii in canonica seu etiam in communia, quorum haec sunt nomina:  inprimis domnus Vuillelmus archidiaconus, egregius quidem scholaecaput Ragnerius, deinde insignis claviger Racuinus, nobilitate praeclarus, Austindus amabilis per omnia, Berengarius, Ysimbert, Poncius, Teudaldus, Bernardus, Poncius, Sigarius, Ugo, Rodgerius, Bernardus, Gaufredus, Stephanus, Clemens, Petrus, Stephanus cum caeteris aliis.  Nomina vero nobilium hominum comprovincialium haec sunt:  Gisalfredus, Raimundus, Stephanus-Raimundus, Alcherius-Raimundus, Ricuinus fraterque ejus Udalardus, Matfredus & fratres sui, Petrus de Pouciolas-Auriol, Matfredus de Salviano, Rostagnus Rainardus, Salomon, & Petrus cognomine Lupus, Rainardus, Bonifilius, Sigarius-Salomon, & Guitardus Lupo, cum aliis quampluribus.  Facta carta donationis istius anno Incarnationis Verbi MLIV, regnante Heinrico rege, V nonas martiis, quod fuit feria V.  S. Petri comitis  prescripti & uxoris suae Rangardis & filius eorum & filiae illorum suprascriptae, qui hanc cartam donationis firmaverunt & firmare rogaverunt.  S. Gaucelini-Arnaldi.  S. Petri-Sigarii.  S. Witardi.  In Christi nomine levita Bernardus scriptis.

Historical context:

This charter records a donation made by the countess, her husband, and their children of an abbey and its lands and holdings to St. Nazarius of Béziers.

Printed source:

HGL 5.478-80, #239.

Date: