A letter of donation

Translated letter:

In the name of Christ.  I Arnau Mir and I Arsenda, his spouse, are the givers to the lord God and the church of St. Saturnine of Lordá all the churches which are within the boundaries of that castrum or will be in perpetuity, with all the churches also which are or ever will be within the boundaries of the castrum of Bescaràn, with all their appurtenances and rules and all the rights which they have today and ought to have and will have in the future.  And again we grant it that vineyard which we have with Guilabert Vive at Loris, together with that land which is beside the dwelling that was Guitard of Tarascon’s, and with that vineyard with all its trees that is near there that Durand Ennec and Bonido and their heirs had, together with that tower and the whole town of Musiliolo with its boundaires and all its abutments and with all its appertaining things, large and small, with entries and exits, viaducts and reducts, and with its customary payments, with tithes and services and fees and commands and rules, those which any lord had there ever and yet ought to have, that whole we give completely without any retention.  And thus of our right we give to it domain and power as its own allod, all the above, said tower and said town with all the men who were there and will be in the future and what they have today and will acquire in the future, for the redemption of our souls and of our son William.  And it is manifest.  Thus, if we donors or any man or woman, elder or vicar, bailiff or official, who might wish to disrupt this document of donation  or did so, or anyone wished to take anything from it, or took it, he would pay in quadruple and could not prevail.  Moreover he would be bound and anathematized with Judas the betrayer, and would remain excommunicated, and this document would remain firm for all time. 

Which was enacted on the nones of March in the year 1 of king Philip’s reign.  Sign+ of Arnau Mir.  Sign+ of Arsenda, we who made this donation  and asked for it to be written and signed it and had it signed by witnesses.. Sign+ of Dalmau Bernard.  Sign+ of Gauzbert Sanla, we are vicars and elders and with all our rules and all fiefs which we have in all the aforesaid in any way or ought to have, we give the whole and confirm and approve to the lord God and said Saints as their own.  Sign+ of Salomon Compagno.  Sign+ of Bermund.  Sign+ of Draugo.  Sign+ of Guilabert Seniofred.  Sign+ of Mir Guitard.  Sign+ of Guilabert Ollemar.  +Ermengau, count.  Ermengol, count+.  Arnau Raymond+. Sign of Odo, by the grace of God bishop of Urgell, who confirm this+. Ollegar, archbishop of Tarragona+.  Arnau, count sign+.  Sign+ of Bernard, archbishop of Tarragona.  Raymond, clerk, wrote it as asked on the +day and year above.

Original letter:

In Christi nomine. Ego Arnallus Mironis et ego Arsendis, coniux eius, donatores sumus Domino Deo et Ecclesiam Sancto Saturnino de Lordano omnes ecclesias que sunt intra terminos ipsius castri aud erunt in perpetuum, cum omnibus eciam ecclesiis que sunt aut unquam erunt intra terminos castrum Bescarri, cum omnibus earum pertinenciis et directis et vocibus universis quas hodie abent et abere debent et in futuro abebunt. Et iterum concedimus ei ipsam vineam quam habemus cum Guilaberto Vives ad Loris, simul cum ipsa terra que est iuxta mansionem que fuit de Guitardo de Taraschone, sive cum ipsa vinea cum omnibus suis arboribus qui est prope de inde, et fuit de Durando Ennego et de Bonido et de heredibus suis, simul cum ipsam turrem et totam villam Musiliolo cum terminis ac affrontacionibus cunctis, et cum omnibus sibi pertinentibus rebus tam maximis quam minimis, cum introitibus et exitibus, vieductibus et redductibus et cum suos usaticos, cum decimis et serviciis et placitis et mandamentis et districtis eos quos ullus senior ibi habuit unquam et aduc habere debet, totum damus ab intecrum, sine ulla retinencia. Et sic de nostro iure in suo tradimus dominium et potestatem ad suum proprium alaudem hec suprascripta, iam dictam turrem et iamdictam villam cum omnes homines qui ibi stabant aud in antea statuerint aut quam hodie habent aut in antea adquirere potuerint, pro redempcione animarum nostrarum et filio nostro Guillelmo. Et est manifestum. Quod, si nos donatores aut ullus homo vel femina, senior, aut vicarius, baiulem aut saione, qui contra hanc scripturam donacionis disrumpe(re) voluerit aut fecerit aut aliquis ex inde tollere voluerit aut tulerit, in quadruplum hoc componat et vindicare non valeat. Insuper autem cum Iuda traditore innodatus et anatematizatus sive excomunicatus permaneat, et in antea ista scriptura maneat firma omnique tempore.

Que est hacta nonas marcii anno I regnante regis Philipi. Sig+num Arnallus Mironis. Sig+num Arsendis, qui hanc donacione fecimus et scribere rogavimus et firmavimus et a testibus firmare fecimus. Sig+num Dalmacio Bernardo. Sig+num Gauzberto Sanla vicarii sumus et seniores et omnibus nostris directis et feuvis cunctis quod in iamdicta omnia ullo modo abemus et abere debemus, totum damus et confirmamus et laudamus Domino Deo et iamdictis Sanctis ad suum proprium. Sig+num Salamonem Compagni. Sig+num Bermundo. Sig+num Draugo. Sig+num Guilaberto Seniofredo. Sig+num Mironi Guitardi. Sig+num Guilaberto Ollemar.  +Ermengauaus, comes. Ermengaudus, comes+. Arnallus Raimundi+. Signum Odoni, gracia Dei Urgellensis episcopus, qui hoc confirmo+. Ollegarius, Terrachonensis archiepiscopus+. Arnallus, comes, signum+. Sig+um Bernardi, Tarrachonensis, archiepiscopi. Raimundus, clericus, rogatus, scripsit et+die et annoque prefixo.

Historical context:

The charter records donations of churches made by the viscounts to the church of St. Saturnine.  A castrum is an administrative unit including a fortified castle.  

Printed source:

Pedro Sanahuja, Historia de la Villa de Ager (Barcelona:  Editorial Seráfica, 1961), 331-32, #19.

Date: