A letter to Exabel and Garoca

Translated letter:

In the name of God.  I Arnau Mir de Tost, protector of Ager and my spouse Arsenda, we together as one, as it pleased and pleases our souls, with noone persuading us by power or trick, but spontaneously our good will chose to make the charter of franchise to you, our faithful Exabel and the woman Garoca, and so we make it.  Wherefore for the love of God and your service which you performed for us, we make this charter of franchise to you for your allods which you have today in that castrum of Ager and in that castrum of Clarmont and in Aroners and in other castros which are within the boundaries of Ager, except that castrum of Pedra, and henceforth we give you licence to buy one land and one vineyard and one flax-field and one garden in that territory of Ager.  These said allods with lands and vineyards, houses, villages, gardens, trees, flax-fields and sugar-canes (cannamares), mills and milling rights, waters and waterways, meadows, pastures, woods and uncultivated lands, their exits and reentries, everything in all things which came to you from relatives and purchase and seizure and whatever rights, all in all, complete and whole, I said Arnau and Arsenda make this charter of franchise to you Exebel and Garoca and your posterity for these said allods, so that you and your posterity may hold them in peace without any tribute or disruption or payment to any lord.  And we sell you for that said allod of Ager those tenths from our allods where you could work it, entirely.  And similarly with that allod of Clarmont.  And for the other allod that you have in those other castros that are in the territory of Ager half of those tenths so that from those tenths which we sell you for all that you could increase you may have licence which church or whatever man you and your posterity might wish to choose without any trouble from us or our posterity or any other lord.  And we have received from you the acceptable price for those tenths of 3 ounces of gold and in that island of Lena your inheritance and 1 plot to Puiol that abuts that land that was of Vendut, and another on that roadway.  And those said allods abut in the east the river Noguera, and in the south the town of Portol, and in the west the trough of Noguerola, in the north the ridge of Ares.  As much as these abutments enclose and these boundaries contain, so we make this charter of franchise or sale to you for your allods and your tenths as your own, and by our right we hand it over to your domain and power as your own, on the condition that for all that is written above you or your posterity  do not choose another lord except for us or our posterity.  And if the said, I, Arnau Mir, or I, Arsenda, or our posterity or any man should attack this charter of franchise or sale to break it, we or they could not prevail, but must pay double all that is written above with all improvements, and henceforth this charter will remain firm and stable now and for all time.

This charter of franchise or sale was made on the 7th ides of August in the 11th year of the reign of king Henry.  Sign+ of Arnau Mir.  Sign+ of Arsinda, we who asked this franchise or sale to be written and witnesses to sign.  Sign+ of Bernard Raymond. Sign+ of Raymond Sancio.  Sign+ of Atinard Mir.  Sign+ of Companho Ballomar.  Sign+ of Rodlan Arnau.  Sign+ of Berenger Borrel.  Sign+ of Crispio.  Sign+ of William Salla.  Wifred Sala above [ ] Mir, priest, as asked, wrote on the day+ and year above.

Original letter:

In Dei nomine. Ego Arnallo Mir de Tosto sive custus de Ager et coniuge mea Arsindis, nos simul in unum placuit in animis nostris et placet, nullus quoque gentis imperio nec suadentis ingenio, set propria expontanea hoc elegit nobis bona volumptas ut tibi fidelem nostrum Exabel et Garoca femina charta franchitatis vobis fecissemus, sicut et facimus. Propterea pro amore Dei et vestrum servicium que nobis facitis, sic faci­mus vobis carta franchitatem de vestris alaudibus que hodie abetis in ipso castro de Ager sive et in ipso castro de Clarmont vel de Aroneners aut in alios castros qui sunt infra terminos de Ager, exceptus ipso castro de Petra, et in antea donamus vobis licencia ad emere I terra et I vinea et I linar et I orto in ipso termino de Ager. Sunt ipsi alaudes suprascripti teris et vineis, casas, casalibus, ortis, arboribus, linares et cannamares, mulinis et mulinariis, aquis aquarum, pratis, pascuis, silvis et garriciis, exiis vel regresiis earum, omnia in omnibus qui vobis advenit de parentorum vel de comparacione sive de aprisione aut de qualicumque voces, omnia in omnibus, totum ab intecrum, ego Arnallo et Arsindis supras­cripti ad te Exebel et Garoca et posteritis vestris de ipsis alaudibus suprascriptis facimus vobis carta franchitatis ut teneatis vos et posteritis ves­tris securus et quietum e sine nullam funccionem vel disrupcionem aut blandimentum de nullum seniore. Et vindimus vobis de ipsum alaudem de Ager suprascripto ipsas decimas de nostris alaudibus ubi laborare potueritis, totum ab intecrum. Et de ipsum alaudem de Clarmont, similiter. Et de alium alaudem que abetis in ipsos alios castros qui sunt in terminio de Ager ipsa medietate de ipsas decimas ut de ipsas decimas que hos vobis vindimus de omnia que augmentare potueritis licenciam abeatis qualem ecclesiam aut qualem ominem vos volueritis eligere sive posterita vestra sine uullam nostram inquietudinem vel de posteritis nostris aut de alium seniore. Et recepimus de vos precio placibile pro ipsas decimas uncias III de auro et in ipsa insula de Lena ipsa vestra ereditate et I te­rra ad ipso Puiol qui afrontat in ipsa terra qui fuit de Vendut, et de alia in ipsa strata. Et ipsi alaudes suprascripti abent afrontaciones a parte orientis in flumen Noguera, et de meridie ad vila de Portol, et de occiduo in alveo Nogerola, a parte vero circi in serra de Ares. Quantum inter istas afrontaciones includunt et isti termini continent, sic facimus vobis istam cartam franchitatis vel vindicionis de vestris alaudibus et de vestris decimis a vestrum proprium, et de nostro iure in vestro eam tradimus tradimus dominio vel potestatem ad vestrum proprium, in tale, videlicet, racionem ut de ista omnia superius scripta non eligatis alium seniore nisi nos vel posteritis nostris nec vos nec posterita vestra. Et si ego Ar­nallo Mir aut ego Arsindis suprascripti sive de posteritis nostris aut ullusque omo qui contra hanc ista carta franchitatis vel vindicionis venerimus aut venerint ad inrumpendum, non hoc hoc vindicemus nec vindicent, set componamus aut componant in duplo ipsa omnia superios scripta cum onmem suam inmelioracionem, et in antea ista carta firma et stabilis permaneat modo vel omnique tempore.

Facta ista carta franchitatis vel vindicionis VII idus autusti anno XI regnantem Aienrici reie. Sig+num Arnall Mir. Sig+num Arsindis, qui ista franchitate vel vindicione rogavimus scribere et testes firmare. Sig+num Bernard Raimon. Sig+num Raimon Sancio. Sig+num Atinard Mir. Sig+num Chompanno Ballomar. Sig+num Rodlan Arnall. Sig+num Berenger Borrel. Sig+num Crispio. Sig+num Willelm Salla. Wifred Sala sus [ ] Miro, presbitero, rogatus, scripsit et sub+ die et anno quod supra.

Historical context:

The viscount and viscountess enfranchise the allods held by a man and woman in various castros for services rendered, sell them parts, and allow them to buy other pieces of land.  Castrum is an administrative unit including a fortified castle.   

Printed source:

Pedro Sanahuja, Historia de la Villa de Ager (Barcelona:  Editorial Seráfica, 1961), 319-21, #7.

Date: