A letter from the church of Reims
Sender
Milo, provost of ReimsReceiver
Blanche of Navarre, Countess of ChampagnePublic
Translated letter:
Milo, provost, Stephen deacon, F. cantor, and the other brothers of the church of Reims, to all to whom these letters will come, greetings in the Lord. We make known to all that such a peace has been made between us and lady Blanche, countess of Champagne, about the town of Ponte: namely, that from the fires/burnings which men in our land made or might make, to the boundaries placed by our beloved Odo, marshal of Champagne and Guy Pes-lupi, our fellow canon, who are the arbiters of this, we shall have a twelfth sheath for land-tax; and that land-tax the men in the town of Ponte bring into the town of Ponte, to the grange which we shall have there, if we so wish, and they will not be held to bring it outside the town. – In that town we shall have one serving free from military service, toll, writ and cavalry. And that one servant will protect our things in everything in which we have or shall have a right. – Moreover the meadows, which owe us the customary right that men are accustomed to have from jurisdiction, the men will hold from power and those who are outside the jurisdiction will give us the customary dues and debt of the land. – Whoever [is] an inhabitant of that town, who has an oven and a place, will give us, on the feast of St. Martin, as is the custom, one measure of oats in the measure in which the men of Maurimont give their customary dues, and one capon, for use-fees of our woods and waters, and nothing more can be exacted from them for the named usages. – We indeed will have in our domain our arable lands, meadows, waters and woods, as we are known to have had up to now, except that in those woods the men of that town will have their usage to burn and build, as the men of Maurimont have there; and moreover they will have their fires/burnings there which they have done and will do, up to the boundaries which the said arbiters, marshal Odo and Guido set. – And if those arbiters are missing or dead, in their place we will choose one and the said countess another to set the said boundaries. – That this may remain in force and stable, we have had the present letters written and strengthened by the affixing of our seal. Enacted in the year of grace 1212, in the month of October.
Original letter:
Milo prepositus, Stephanus decanus, F. cantor, ceterique Remensis ecclesie fratres, omnibus ad quos littere iste pervenerint in Domino salutem. – Notum facimus universis quod talis pax facta est inter nos et dominam Blancham, comitissam, Campanie, de villa de Ponte: videlicet, quod de exartis que homines in terra nostra fecerunt aut facient, usque ad metas quas dilecti nostri Odo marescallus Campanie, et Guido Pes-lupi, concanonicus noster, ponent, qui ex hoc sunt dictores, habebimus duo-decimam garbam pro terragio; et illud terragium ducent homines intra villam de Ponte, ad grangiam quam ibi habebimus, si voluerimus, nec extra villam ducere tenebuntur. — In eadem villa habebimus unum servientem liberum ab exercitu, tallia, tolta et chevalchcia. Et ille serviens custodiet res nostras in omnibus in quibus jus habemus vel habebimus. — Preterea prata, que debent nobis costumam, que homines de imperio solent tenere, tenebunt homines de potestate et qui erunt extra imperium, qui reddent nobis consuetudines et debitum terre. — Quilibet mansionarius ejusdem ville, qui habebit focum et locum, reddet nobis, ad festum Sancti Martini, nomine costume, pro aisantiis boscorum et aquarum nostrarum, unum bichetum avene ad mensuram ad quam homines Maurimontis reddunt costumas suas, et unum caponem, et nichil ultra ab eis exigi poterit pro aisantiis memoratis. — Nos vero habebimus in nostro domanio terras nostras arabiles, prata, aquas et nemora, sicut hactenus dinoscimur habuisse, hoc excepto quod in illis nemoribus habebunt homines ejusdem ville usuarium suum ad comburendum et edificandum, sicut ibi habent homines Maurimontis; et preterea habebunt ibi exarta sua que fecerunt et facient usque ad metas quas ibi ponent prefati dictores, Odo marescallus et Guido. — Et si ipsi dictores deficerent vel decederent, loco eorum unum eligeremus et predicta comitissa alium ad ponendum predictas metas. —Quod ut ratum permaneat et stabile, presentes litteras scribi et sigilli nostri appensione fecimus roborari. Actum anno gratie m° cc° duodecimo, mense octobri.
Historical context:
The letter records the details of an agreement between the church of Reims and the countess for the town of Ponte. In a separate document, the Blanche, the countess palatine, confirms the agreement: “Which, that it may remain known and be held firmly annotated by the letters, I have had it strengthened by the protection of my seal. Enacted in the year of grace 1212, in the month of October." Layettes du Trésor des Chartes, 1.383-84, #1025: Blancha Trecensis comitissa palatina precedentem compositionem se ratam habere et confirmare declarat. — “Quod ut notum permaneat et firmum teneatur litteris annotatum, sigilli mei feci munimine roborari. Actum anno gratie m° cc° duodecimo, mense octobri."
Printed source:
Layettes du Trésor des Chartes, 1.383, #1024. 1212, October