A letter from Constance, countess of Urgell

Translated letter:

In the name of the Lord.  I, Constance, by the grace of God countess, and I, Ermengol, count by God’s gift.  We are the sellers to you Arnau Mir and your wife Arsenda; by this document of our sale we sell you our own castrum which is called Malagastre with the roofs and pavements and all the furnishings of the buildings, greater and lesser, and with lands and vineyards, cultivated and not-cultivated, meadows and pastures, woods and trees of every kind and all the revenues and tributes/tolls and courses and deviations of waters, with tithes and first fruits and all payments.  All these came to us, to me Constance by my tithe and all rights and to me, said Ermengol, count, by succession from my parents and by all rights.  The site of this castrum and the estate is in the county of Urgell beside the Sigur river.  And it abuts in the east the castrum which is called Artes, in the south it ends at Mount Roto and Saint Mera, in the west a part abuts the boundary of Alos and Rubio, in the north a part adjoins the boundary of said Alos and Verned. As much as these boundaries contain and surround or enclose of lands, namely, and of said vineyards all these things we sell you as above with all the appurtenances and adjacencies which the said castrum had and has and ought to have with all its exits and entries, we sell all this to you as your own fullest whole for the price which we accepted from you, namely one thousand five hundred solidos in equivalence and by our right we hand it over into your dominion and power without any reservation and whatever you choose to do you may have free will in all ways, and if someone wished to break this and take away a part or the whole from you, or in any way to disturb it, he could not prevail but would be compelled to pay all the above doubly and afterwards this document would have the fullest power for all time.

This was enacted on the 2nd kalends of March in the 17th year of King Henry.  Sign+ of Constance, countess.  Sign+ of Ermengol, count, who does not know how to make another sign but by the cross of the Lord which I impressed on this charter before my name, and signed it by such a sign and asked to sign together with my mother and we both ordered [others] to  write in our presence.  Sign+ of Raymond Arnau.  Sign+ of Guitard Arnau.  Sign+ of Raymond Sancho. Sign+ of Atinard Miro.  We are the witnesses of this thing and since we saw this charter signed by its authors, we are therefore signers.  Sign+ of Berengar Borrell.  Ermengol, count.  William of Osona, judge, who wrote this down [dictavi] and signed it afterwards before the authorities.  Raymond, deacon and head of school.  Vitalis, preist, who composed this document of sale and impressed the usual sign on it, namely +, in said day and year.

Original letter:

In nomine Domini. Ego Constancia, gracia Dei comitissa, et ego Ermengaudus,dante Deo comes, venditores sumus vobis Arnallo Mironis et uxori tue Arssendi per hanc nostre vendiccionis scripturam vendimus vobis kastrum nostrum prorprium quod dicitur Malagastro cum tectis et pavimentis et omnibus edificiorum istrumentis, tam maioribus quam minimis, et cum terris et vineis, cultis et eremis, pratis et paschuis silvisque et arboribus universi generis sive cum reditibus et funccionibus omnibus et cum aquarum decursioibus eccesiisque, cum decimis et primiciis et oblacionibus cunctis. Advenerunt quidem nobis hec omnia mihi Constancie per meum decimum et per omnes voces et mihi iamdicti Ermengaudo, comite, per successionem parentarum meorum sive per omnes voces. Situs autem huius kastri et prediorum est in Urgelli comitatu iuxta fluviam Sigorim. Et habet affrontacionem ab oriente in termino de kastro quod dicitur Artesa, de meridie quoque desinit in Monte Rupto et in Sancta Mera, occiduana iterum pars abet affrontacionem in termino de Alos et de Rubio, circea itidem pars collaterat sibi terminum prefati Alos et Verned. Quantum isti termini con­tinent et circumeunt sive infra includunt terrarum, scilicet, et vinearum predictarumque omnium rerum tantum vendimus vobis insuper cum omnibus pertinenciis et adiacenciis quas per directum prelibatum kastrum abuit et abet et habere debet cum exitibus et regressionibus omni­bus hoc totum vendimus vobis ad vestrum plenissimum proprium ab integrum propter precium quod a vobis accipimus, scilicet, mille quingentos solidos in re valente ideoque de nostro iure in vestrum tradimus dominium et potestatem absque ulla resservacione ut quidquid inde elegeritis facere liberum omnibus modis abeatis velle, et, si quis vobis hoc voluerit disrumpere et partem aut totum vobis voluerit tollere aut aliquo modo inquietare non hoc valeat vendicare set prelibata omnia in duplo vobis cogatur persolvere et postea hec scriptura plenissimum obtineat robur omni tempore.

Que est acta II kalendas marcii XVII anno regis Enrici. Sig+num Constancie, comitisse. Sig+num Ermengaudus, chomes, qui aliut signum facere non novi, set per crucem Domini quam in hac karta ante meum nomen impressi et tali signo eam firmavi et firmare rogavi simul cum matre mea et nobis presentibus scribere eam iussimus ambo. Sig+num Remundi Arnalli. Sig+num Guitardi Arnalli. Sig+num Remundi Sancii. Sig+num Atinardi Mironis; nos testes huius rei sumus et quia ab auctoribus hanc karta firmari vidimus, ideo firmatores extitimus. Sig+num Berengarius Borrelli. Ermengaudus, comes. Guillelmus, ausonenesis, iudex, qui hanc et dictavi et coram auctoribus postea firmavi+. Remundus, levita et kaput scole+. Vitalis, sacerdos, qui hanc vendiccionis composui scripturam et solitum signum impressi istum, videlicet, + in prefato die et anno. 

Historical context:

The countesss of Urgell, Constance, and her son count Ermengol, sell Malagastre as a full allod to the viscounts of Ager for 1500 solidos.  Castrum is an administrative unit including a fortified castle.

Printed source:

Pedro Sanahuja, Historia de la Villa de Ager (Barcelona:  Editorial Seráfica, 1961), 324-25, #13.

Date: