A letter of donation

Translated letter:

Be it known to the faithful of holy church that I, Robert junior (the younger), count of Flanders, son of Robert senior, together with my wife Sicilia [scribal error for Clementia] and my sons Baldwin and William, in the year of the lord Christ 1096, 11th year of my consulate, hand over in pledge to the church of St. Mary of Noyon and the church of St. Eloi, the advocacy/protection* which Saswalo held from me in fief, in the town called Nigella, in the castellany of Lille, which he gave back to me as I was to go to Jerusalem, for said churches possess in common the foundation of that town legitimately endowed by that Saswalo and other heirs.  This I established under the seal of my name to be confirmed and preserved on the condition that none except me and my successors might be permitted to redeem that district, that advocacy, let no one presume to usurp it to himself; but if I perhaps or any of my successors wished to have it again, he must give to the provost of the church of St. Mary of Noyon and the abbot of St. Eloi 20 marks of silver, namely ten each.

[Witnesses] S[ign] of Baldric, archdeacon of Noyon, S. of Lambert archdeacon of Tournai, S. of Ledelin chaplain, S. of Conon chaplain, S. of Fulbert chaplain, S. of Odo cantor of Artois, S. of Guido canon of Artois, S. of count Guido of Ponthieu, S. of count Manasse of Guines, S. of Robert of Béthune, S. of Anselm of Ribemont, S. of Alard of Epinay, S. of Conon and Everard, S. of Onulf seneschal, S. of Alard butler, S. of Baldric of Culhem, S. of Ade vicelord of Laon, S. of Oston of Nivelles, S. of Roger castellan of Lille, S. of Guenemar castellan of Ghent, S. of Robert castellan of Brugges, S. of Baldwin castellan of St. Aumar, S. of Simon castellan of Artois, S. of Frumold of Ypres, S. of Walter of Courtrai, S. of Rudoph and Ravainnar his brother, S. of Amalric of Landast, S. of Helvin of Belmeis, S. of Lambert of Nigri, S. Gulfric steward/seneschal, S. Thibaut and Ade his brother, S. Rautger seneschal.  

Original letter:

Notum sit fidelibus sancte ecclesie quod ego Rodbertus junior, comes Flandrie, filius Roberti senioris, una cum uxore mea Sicilia [Clementia], filiis meis Balduino et Guillelmo, anno Domini Christi MXCVI, anno consulatus mei XI, in vadimonium trado ecclesie Sancte Marie Noviomensis et ecclesie Sancti Eligii, advocaturam quam Saswalo a me in beneficio tenuerat, in villa que dicitur Nigella, in castellatura Islensi, quam michi reddidit, Jherusalem iturus, fundum namque ejusdem ville, ex eodem Saswalone et aliis coheredibus legitime dotate, communiter possident ecclesie supradicte. Hec autem sub sigillo nominis mei confirmari et conservari institui, ea conditione ut nulli preter me et meos successores, illud districtum, illam advocaturam redimere liceat, nullus eam sibi usurpare presumat; sed si ego forte aut aliquis meorum successorum eam rehabere voluerit, reddat preposito ecclesie Sancte Marie Noviomensis et abbati de Sancto Eligio XX marcas argenti, unicuique scilicet decem.

S. Baldrici archidiaconi Noviomensis, S. Lamberti archidiaconi Tornacensis, S. Ledelini capellani, S. Cononis capellani, S. Fulberti capellani, S. Odonis cantoris Attrebatensis, S.Guidonis canonici Attrebatensis, S. comitis Guidonis Pontivensis, S. comitis Manasse Gisnensis, S. Roberti de Betunio, S. Anselmi de Ribodimonte, S. Alardi de Spineto, S.Cononis et Everardi, S. Onulfi dapiferi, S. Alardi pincerne, S. Baldrici de Culhem, S. Ade vicedomini Laudunensis, S. Ostonis de Niviella, S. Rogeri castellani Islensis, S. Guenemari castellani Gandavensis, S. Rotberti castellani Brugiensis, S. Balduini castellani de Sancto Audomaro, S. Symonis castellani Attrebatensis, S. Frumoldi Iprensis, S. Galteri Curtracensis, S. Rodulfi et Ravainnari fratris ejus, S. Amalrici de Landast, S. Helvini de Belmeis, S. Lamberti Nigri, S. Gulfrici dapiferi, S. Thedbaldi et Ade fratrum ejus, S. Rautgeri dapiferi.

Historical context:

The comital family hand over the advocacy for Nigella, formerly held in fief by Saswalo, to two churches of Noyon, which can only be redeemed at the cost of twenty silver marks.

Scholarly notes:

* Advocacy, office of a noble layman to administer secular justice and protection for an ecclesiastical lord, a bishop or abbot, whose domain was immune to other organs of secular power.

Printed source:

F. Vercauteren, Actes des Comtes de Flandres, 1071-1128 (Brussels:  Palais des Academies 1938), #21,  pp.64-65.  

Date: