A letter to Gueral Bonessin

Translated letter:

In the name of the Lord.  I, Arnau Mir de Tost and my wife Arsenda, we together as one are the donors to you Geral Bonessin; by this document of our gift we give you that Espluga of Portaclusa, with its boundaries which came to us by seizure and by certain rights.  And it is in the territory of St. Lawrence, and  that said Espluga of Portaclusa abuts in the east the cliff where there is a licina at the cross and the cross is in the boundary of St. Lawrence, and thus descends through that stone where there is a saddle with its crosses, and so descends to that eyrie (aquilero) in that cliff where there is a cross, and on the west it descends over the cliff where the crosses are and from the saddle of that cliff it descends to the river Noguerola, and goes through the river Noguerolo up to the steps of Govolore.  Whatever these abutments enclose, we give you that said Espluga of Portaclusa with its exits and entries and as much as these boundaries contain.  We give this to you on the condition that your and your posterity hold it as your own allod and neither you nor your posterity can choose to have another lord nor another official except for us and our posterity nor can you or your posterity sell or alienate it except to us or our posterity, and so we give you that said Espluga with its boundaries and with that half of its tithe, which results from all the working of it, and we retain the other half in our domain.  And this is all the above lands, woods, sands, moveable stones or cliffs, meadows, waters and their sources.  And this is manifest.  Which if we donors or any man or woman who might attack this charter of gift to break it, he could not prevail, but must pay you double with every improvement, and by our right we hand over to your dominion and power and henceforth this charter of donation will remain firm and stable now and for all time.

This charter of gift was made on the day before the kalends of January in the 12th year of the reign of king Henry.  Sign+ of Arnau Mir of Tost.  Sign+ of Arsenda, we who ordered this charter of donation to be written and asked witnesses to sign.  Sign+ of Mir Miro. Sign+ of Berenguer Isarn. Sign+ of Pons Ariman. Sign+ of Raymond Lorence:  these are witnesses, observors and auditors.  Exabel, priest, wrote as asked on the day + and year above.

Original letter:

In nomine Domini. Ego Arnal Mir de Tost et uxor mea Arsendis, nos simul in unum donatores sumus tibi Geral Bonessine per hanc scriptura donacionis nostre donamus tibi ipsa Spluga de Porta Clusa cum suis terminis qui nobis advenit per aprisione vel per qualicumque voces. Et est in territorio de Sancti Laurencii, et abet afrontaciones ipsa Espluga superscripta de Porta Clusa a parte orientis in ipsa rocha ubi est ipsa licina ubi est ipsa cruce et est ipsa cruce in terminio de Sancti Laurencii, et sic descendit per ipsa petra ubi est ipsa savina cum ipsas cruces, et sic descendit ad ipso aquilero in ipsa rocha ubi est ipsa cruce, et de parte occidentis sic descendit supra ipsa rocha ubi sunt ipsas cruces et sumo ipsa rocha sic descendit usque in flumen Nogerola, et sic pervadit per flumen Nogerol a usque ad ipsas eschalas de Govolore. Quantum istas afronta­ciones includunt, sic donamus tibi ipsa Espluga de Porta Clusa superscripta cum exiis vel regresiis suis vel quantum isti termini continent. In tale conveniencia sic donamus tibi ut teneas tu et posterita tua ad vestrum proprium alodium et tu nec posterita tua non poteatis alium seniorem facere nec eligere nec alium baiolem facere nec eligere nisi nos et posteritas nostras nec non posseatis vindere nec inalienare nec tu nec posterita tua nisi ad nos vel ad posteritas nostras et sic donamus tibi ipsa Espluga superscripta cum suis terminis vel cum ipsa medietatem de ipso decimo, cuius inde exierit de totas laborancias, et aliam medietatem retineamus ad nostrum dominico. Et est hec omnia suprascripta terras, silves, arenalles, petras mobiles vel rochas, pratis, aquis sive cum illorum fontanellas. Et est manifestum. Quod si nos donatores sut nullus homo vel femina qui contra hanc istam carta donacionis venerit ad inrumpen­dum, non hoc valeat vindicare, set componat tibi in duplo cum omni sua inmelioracione, et de nostro guro in vestro tradimus dominio et potestatem et in antea ista carta donacionis firma et stabilis permaneat modo vel omnique tempore.  

Facta carta donacionis pridie kalendas ianuarii anno XII regnante Aenrigi rege. Sig+num Arnal Mir de Tost. Sig+num Arsendis, quis ista carta donacionis fieri iussimus scribere et testes firmare insuper firmare rogavimus. Sig+num Mir Miro. Sig+num Berenguer Isarno. Sig+num Ponco Arimanno. Sig+num Ramon Lorenc: testes sunt, visores et auditores. Exabel, sacer, rogatus, scripsit die et anno + quod supra. 

Historical context:

The viscounts give Gueral Bonessin a piece of land seized presumably from the Saracens, the source of much of Arnau’s territory, as his allod, retaining half the tithe.

Printed source:

Pedro Sanahuja, Historia de la Villa de Ager (Barcelona:  Editorial Seráfica, 1961), 322-23, #10.

Date: