A letter from Adela

Translated letter:

It is a benefit of grace to give, of justice to restore what has been taken away; the perfection of Christian life consists of these.  In one an injury is corrected, in the other, a benevolence is granted.  Thus I, Adela, taught by the mastery of Stephen’s argument, and at the same time terrified by the heap of my sins, decided to raise and honor the church of St. Satur by restoring what was taken away, by bestowing possessions, by strengthening freedom.  Therefore in the dedication of said church, in the year 1104, 12th indiction, 3rd epact, Ides of November, celebrated by Leodegaire archbishop of  Bourges, I conferred the bread* customs of castrum Gordon that that church had anciently had, on St. Satur with the understanding that after the death of Robert to whom I had given it as his it would freely return to the church and meanwhile he would hold and acknowledge it from said church and at the same time do homage for it to the abbot, would pay the owed service, having removed from the successors of that Robert all ability to reclaim it from them.  Moreover, I granted a fair established on the anniversary of the dedication and all the income of that fair to St. Satur, so that no dependant of the count or of any other person, except whom the canons appointed, could exercise power or justice over those coming to the fair.  And I granted and confirmed that the same liberty which said church had in the time of count Thibaut it would have from then on.   So that all these previously conferred on the church for the salvation of the soul of count Stephen, my husband, would remain free, and the possession would be without dispute from any person, my sons William and Thibaud and Agnes wife of William not only granted my donation, but they also made it with me in the presence/witness of Leodegaire archbishop of Bourges and Aldebert bishop of Sancerre.

Original letter:

Dare beneficium gracie est, ablata vero restituere, justicie; subsistit in his vite perfectio christiane.  Quorum alterum corrigit injuriam, prosequitur alterum benignitatem.  Quod ego Adila, Stephani magisterio rationis edocta, simulque meorum mole perterrita delictorum, ecclesiam S. Satyri sublimare et honorare decrevi ablata restituendo, propria largiendo, libertatem roborando. In dedicatione igitur prefate ecclesie, anno M.C.IV., indictione XIIa, epacta III, idus Nov., a Leodegario Bituricensi archiepiscopo celebrata consuetudinem panis Castri Gordonici que tamen, antiquitus ejusdem fuerat ecclesie, beato Satyro ea racione contuli ut post mortem Roberti cui eam dederam in proprietatem, ecclesie libera rediret eamque interim a prefata teneret et recognosceret ecclesia simulque pro ea hominagium faceret abbati, debitum servicium solveret, ablata deinceps ipsius Roberti successoribus omni reclamandi facultate.  Preterea feriam in anniversario dedicationis constituam et omnes ferie redditus beato Satyro tribui, ita scilicet ut nulli clientium comitis, nulli penitus alie persone, nisi illi quam canonici preponerent, in prefata feria vel in hominibus ad feriam venientibus dominium vel justiciam exercere liceret.  Eamdem quoque libertatem quam tempore Tebaldi comitis prefata habuerat ecclesia deinceps habendam concessi et firmavi.  Ut hec autem omnia pro salute quoque anime comitis Stephani mariti mei pretaxate collata ecclesie libera remanerent et absque calumpnia cujuslibet persone proprietas fierent, filii mei Willelmus, et Tebaldus et Agnes uxor Willelmi non solum meam concessere donacionem, sed ipsi quoque eam mecum fecerunt, sub testimonio Leodegarii Bitur. archiepiscopi et Aldeberti Cenomannensis episcopi.

Historical context:

The countess restores the customs on grain to the abbey after the death of the man to whom she had granted it,  gives it jurisdiction over an annual fair, and restores the freedom it had had under her father-in-law.  Cf. Lo Prete, Adela of Blois, App.1, 469-69, #49.  Castrum is the administrative unit with the castle at its center.

Scholarly notes:

• LoPrete specifies that this refers to bread-grade grain, Adela of Blois, 468. 

Printed source:

M Gemaehling, Monographie de L’abbaye de Saint-Satur près Sancerre (Paris:  Chaix, 1867), 137-38, #2.  

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