A letter of donation

Translated letter:

In the name of God I, Ermessenda, by the grace of God countess, together with my offspring, Berengar, count and marquis, we give to God and St. Mary of the see of Girona something from our allod which we have within the walls of said city of Girona.  For we give and grant to said St. Mary for love of God and his mother and all the saints and for the remedy of our souls and for the soul of count Raymond of good memory, may perpetual rest be granted to him by God, and it is this allod namely the round tower with its walls that are on each side around that tower and with that village and court that is before the tower which abuts said allod and tower with its walls and partitions, in the east on that allod and wall of deacon Otto that  was formerly  Pontio’s, in the south on that church of St. Mary in the cemetery of said church, in the west it abuts the allod of St. Mary where deacon Raymond lived, in the north it abuts said allod with the tower and walls in our own allod and in the vineyard of us donors and of the late count Raymond, all of which came to me countess Ermessenda by donation of my husband count Raymond and by my tenth, and to me Berengar by right of my parents.  Whatever these abutments enclose, we give to God and St. Mary completely with their exits and entries so that from the present day and in perpetuity  the clerics for God and St. Mary may have power to possess it in the service of St. Mary.  Which if we donors or any man or woman should oppose this document to break it, he could not achieve what he sought, but he or we must pay said allod double with every improvement to God and St. Mary, and henceforth this document of donation would be firm for all time.

This document of donation was made on the 2nd kalends of April in the 24th year that Robert began to reign in France.

Sign+ of Ermessenda countess by the grace of God, I who made this donation and asked it be signed.  Sign+ of Berengar count by the grace of God (sign of his hand).  Amado viscount.  Sign+ of Udalard.  Sign+ of Raymond Oliba.  Odegar.

Bernard priest (sign of his hand) who wrote this charter of donation on the day and year (sign of his hand) above.

Original letter:

<I>n Dei nomine ego Ermesendis, gratia Dei comitissa simul cum prole mea Berengario comite et marchio, donatores sumus Deo et Sancta Maria sedis Gerunda aliquod ex alode nostro quod habemus infra muros predicta ciuitate Gerunda. Donamus namque et concedimus a predicta Sancta Maria propter amorem Dei et eius genitricis uel omnibus sanctis et propter remedium anime nostre siue pro anima Raimundi comitis bone memorie cui requies sit perpetua a Deo concessa, et est iste alodis uidelicet ipsa turre rotonda cum ipsos muros que sunt ex utraque parte in circuitu de ipsa turre et cum ipso casale uel curte qui est ante ipsa turre, qui afrontat predictus alodius uel turre cum muribus siue parietibus, de oriente in ipso alode uel pariete de Othone leuita qui fuit de condam Pontione, de meridie cum ipsa ecclesia de Sancta Maria siue in ipso cimiterio de predicta ecclesia, de occiduo affrontat in alode de Sancta Maria ubi Raimundus leuita abitabat, de uero circi affrontat predicto alode cum turre et muros in nostro proprio alode uel in uinea de nos donatores uel de Raimundo qui fuit condam comite, qui aduenit predicta omnia ad me Ermesendis comitissa per donatione de uiro meo Raimundo comite uel per meum decimum, et ad me Berengario per uocem parentorum. Quantum istas affrontationes includunt, sic donamus Deo et Sancta Maria totum ab integrum cum exiis et eorum regressis ut ex presenti die et in perpetuum clericis Deo et Sancta Maria habeat potestatem ad possidendum in seruicio Sancta Maria. Quod si nos donatores aut ullus homo uel femina qui contra ista scriptura uenerit ad irrumpendum, non hoc ualeat uindicare quod requirit, sed predicto alode componat aut componamus in duplo cum omni sua inmelioratione Deo et Sancta Maria, et inantea ista scriptura donationis firmitatem optineat omnique tempore.

Facta ista scriptura donationis .II. kalendas aprilis anno .xxiiii. quod regnare cepit Robertus in Francia.

Sig+num Ermesindis gratia Dei comitissa qui ista donatione feci et firmare rogaui. Sig+num Berengarii gratia Dei comes. (s. man.). Amado uicecomes. Sig+num Udalardus. Sig+num Raimundus Oliba. Odegario.

Bernardus sacer (s. man.) qui ista carta donationis scripsit sub die et anno (s. man.) quo supra.

Historical context:

The countess and her son donate a round walled tower near the church of St. Mary to the see of Girona for their souls and the soul of the late count..

Printed source:

Cartoral, dit de Carlemany, del bisbe de Girona (S.IX-XIV), ed. Josep Maria Marquès (Barcelona:  Fundació Noguera, 1993), 2 v.,  1.184-85, #80.  

Date: