A letter of donation

Translated letter:

In the name of the Lord.  I Arnau Mir and my spouse Arsenda and our son William Arnau are the donors to the Lord God and St. Michael the Archangel which is located in the castrum of Montmagastre. We also give a third part of that parrish of said castrum with its tithes and a third part of that parrish of Anna with the third part of its tithes and those millstones which are there today and will be in the future, and one mill.  And we give it the tithes of all our allods which we have in the boundaries of the castrum of Montmagastre, the saints’ and our own.  We confirm also with the other lords who held the castrum of Montmagastre that from those allods which the faithful of God left to St. Michael for their souls, it might similarly receive that tithe from those that it has and will be acquired in perpetuity.  We also give it the church of Alentorn and of Mirandol which they call Valle Lebrera, and the church of Graeló with their allods of said churches, with their first fruits and offerings.  We also give it that castrum of  Comiols a third part of the parrish of that town, and we give those churches of Comiols with their allods of said churches that exist today and will be in the future.  And we give the men of Solanelles with their whole rent and service that they must do to us and our posterity.  We give yet to St. Michael those churches of Gavarra which exist today and will in the future, with a third part of those tithes with their first fruits and all offerings and with half of those demesnes that we have there and will acquire in the future and in those churches that they name.  And we give it a man in Lordá whom they call Ansolf of Cesalle with all his rent that he owes us and all his tenth, and in the town of Lordá an orchard with the olive-trees which we bought from Seniofred Agamio, and a condominium which is in Gaià, what is planted as well as what is to-be-planted, and in Ager two orchards.  And we give it one fourth of an allod in Chas, where they say it is the town of Garoca with that tithe that issues from it.  We also give it all the churches of Artesa which exist today and will be in the future or in their boundaries with their first fruits and offerings, and we give it the tithes from all our allods which we have within the boundaries of Artesa and our demesnes of tracts/threshing-floors (trillas) and single house and mills which are there and will be in the future.  We yet give it that quarter of that Aquila with its tower and the tithe that comes from it.  We give it the churches of Montmagastre which are today and will be in the future and with that tithe of Algar and a quarter near Foradada and the church of Foradada when it will have been built.  And we give it the churches of Collfret which exist today and will in the future, with a tenth of our allods which we have there.  All this we give for the redemption of our souls and of our son William.  And it is manifest.  Which, if we donors or any man or woman, should oppose this charter of donation to break it, he could not prevail but must pay double and afterwards it will remain firm.

This was enacted on the 14th kalends of March in the 22nd year of king Henry.  Sign+ of Arnau Mir.  Sign+ of Arsenda.  Sign+ of William, we who give said gift to the lord God and said Canonry of St. Michael and so that it have stability, we sign it with our hands and ask others to sign.  Sign+ of Bernard Trasvar.  Sign+ of Sallan Ymbla.  Sign+ of Guacerand Eremann.  Sign+ of Bertrand Borell.  Sign+ of Mir Borrell.  Sign+ of Berengar Ysarn.  Sign+ of Arnalu Horomer of Besora.  Sign+ of Drog.  Sign+ of Fulc Mir.  Sign+ of Sendred Durand.  Sign+ of Durand Nampii.  Sign+ of  Guirribert Tassi.  These are the witnesses, observors and auditors.  Vitalis, priest, wrote it as asked on said + day and year. 

Original letter:

In nomine Domini.  Ego Arnallus Mironis et coniux mea Arsendis et filio nostro Guillelmus Arnalli donatores sumus Domin Deo et Sancti Michaelis Archangeli qui est situs in castri Mamagastri.  Damus eciam et terciam partem ex ipsius parrochie kastri suprascripti de ipsis decimis et terciam partem de ipsa parrochia de Anna et cum ipsa tercia parte de decimis de ipsos molinos qui hodie sunt et in futuro erunt, et uno molino.  Et adhuc damus ei decimas de omnes nostros aloudes que habemus in terminos castri Mamagastri sive de sanctis quam de nostris.  Confirmamus eciam nos cum alios seniores qui tenebant kastri Mamagastri que de ipsis aloudes que dimiserint fideles Dei a Sancti Michaelis pro eorum animas, similiter accipiat ipsa decima de illos que habet et adquisituri erit usque in perpetuum.  Da­mus eciam ei ecclesia de Alantorn et de Mirandol que vocant Valle Lebrera, et ecclesia de Gradilone cum illorum aloudes de iamdictas eccle­sias cum illorum primiciis et oblacionibus. Damus eciam ei ipsum castrum de Chomedols terciam partem ipsius parrochie de ipsa villa, et damus et ipsas ecclesias de Chomedols cum illorum aloudes de iamdictas ecclesias qui hodie sunt et in futuro erunt. Et damus ei ipsos homines de Solanelles cum totum censum et servicium que debent facere ad nos et posterita nostra. Adhuc damus ad Sancti Michaelis ipsas ecclesias de Gavarra qui hodie sunt et in futuro erunt, cum tertiam partem de ipsis decimis cum illorum primiciis et oblacionibus cunctis et cum medietate de ipsos dominchos que ibi habemus et in antea adquisituri erimus sive in ipsas ecclesias que vocant. Et damus ei in Lorda uno homine que vocant Ansolfus de Cesalle cum totum suum censum que debet facere ad nos, et totam suam decimam, et in villa de Lorda uno horto cum ipsos olivarios que nos emimus de Seniofredi Agamio, et una condamina qui est in Gaia, tam plantata quam ad plantare, et in Ager duos ortos. Et damus ei in Chas unam quadram de aloudio, ubi dicunt ad villa de Garoca cum ipsa decima qui inde exierit. Adhuc eciam ei damus omnes ecclesias de Artesa qui hodie sunt et in antea erunt vel in suis terminis cum illarum primiciis et oblacionibus, et damus ei ipsa decima de totos nostros aloudes que habemus infra terminos de Artesa et de nostras dominichaturas de trillas et de insula et de molinos qui sunt et in antea erunt. Adhuc damus ei ipsa quadra de ipsa Aquila cum ipsa turre et cum decima que inde exierit. Damus ei ecclesias de Malagastre que hodie sunt et in futuro erunt et cum ipso decimum de Algar et una quadra prope Foradada et ecclesia de Foradada quando ibi fuerit edificata. Et damus ei ecclesias de Chollofrigido que hodie sunt et in futuro erunt cum de­cima de nostros aloudes que ibi habemus. Hoc totum ei damus pro redempcione animarum nostrarum et filio nostro Guillelmo. Et est manifestum. Quod, si nos donatores ad (aut) ullusque homo vel vel (sic) femina, si quis contra hanc carta donacionis pro inrumpendum venerit, non hoc valeat vindichare, set in duplo componat et postea firma permaneat.

Acta fuit hec IIII. X kalendas marcii XXII anno regis Henricii.  Sig+num Arnalli Mironis.  Sig+num Arsindis.  Sig+num Guillelmi, qui prephatum donum Domino Deo et predicte Chanonice Sancti Micaelis damus et ut firmitatem habeat, manibus nostris firmamus et ab aliis firmare rogamus.  Sig+num Bernardi Trasuarii.  Sig+num Sallani Ymbla.  Sig+num Guacerandi Eremanno.  Sig+num Bertrandi Borelli.  Sig+num Mironi Borrelli.   Sig+num Berengarii Ysarnni.  Sig+num Arnallus Horomeri de Besora.   Sig+num Drog.   Sig+num Fulchoni Mironi.  Sig+num Sendredi Durandi. Sig+num Durand Nampii.   Sig+num Guirriberti  Tassii.  Isti sunt testes, visores et auditores.  Vitalis, sacerdos, rogatus, scripsit et+iamdicto die et anno.

Historical context:

This document records a donation by the viscounts and their son William to the church of St. Michael of Montmagastre of churches and lands and mills, existing and to be built.  A castrum is an administrative unit including a fortified castle.  

Printed source:

Pedro Sanahuja, Historia de la Villa de Ager (Barcelona:  Editorial Seráfica, 1961), 328-30, #17.

Date: