A letter of donation to Godstow

Translated letter:

M[atilda] empress, daughter of king H[enry] to the archbishops, bishops, abbots, counts, barons, justices, viscounts, ministers, and all her faithful, Franks/Normans and Anglos of the whole of England, greetings.

You should know that I, for love of God and the soul of my father H[enry] king of England and my mother queen Matilda and the salvation of my soul and the safety of my lord G[eoffrey] duke of Normandy and count of Anjou and of my children, have given and granted to God and the church of St. Mary and St. John of Godstow and the nuns serving God there land of Shillingford, namely two hides and a half and half a virgate(1) which viscount Ralph held for 52 shillings and 6 pence, and a hundred pieces (solidatas) of land in Walton in perpetual alms, as they had it when I was besieged at Oxford.  And therefore I wish and firmly order that the ladies of said place have those lands and their land of Eaton and all the other lands of the church pertaining to them and hold them in good and peace, freely, quietly and honorably, in meadows in waters in pastures in woods and plain and mills and all other things and free customs and freedoms, with soke(2) and sake and toll and team and infangenetheof, and free and quit from hundred-suit and tribute (Danegeld) and shire-moot, and every tax and all plaints and other charges; as any church holds its possessions in all England most well and freely or quietly, lest anyone bring injury or abuse in anything against them.  I have taken that house and all that regards it into my hand and care and protection as one my father and I founded and which is alms from us.   That this be held firm and untroubled in perpetuity, I wished it to be decreed by the privilege of my charter and my seal.  With this witnesses, count Robert of Gloucester, count Milo of Hereford, and Brian (Brient?) son of the count, Humfrey of Bohun.  At Devizes.

Original letter:

M. imperatrix H. regis filia archiepiscopis episcopis abbatibus comitibus baronibus justiciis vicecomitibus ministris omnibusque fidelibus suis francis et anglicis totius Angl’ salutem.  Sciatis me, pro amore dei et animabus patris mei H. regis Angl’ at matris mee Matildis regine et salute anime mee et incolumitate domini mei G. ducis Norm’ et comitis And’ et meorum liberorum, dedisse et concessisse deo et ecclesie sancte Marie et sancti Johannis de Godestowe et monialibus ibidem deo servientibus terram de Shillingford, videlicet duas hidas et dimidiam et dimidiam virgatam quam Radulphus vicecomes pro lii. s. et vi. d. tenuit, et centum solidatas terre in Waltonem in perpetuam elemosinam, sicut eam habuerunt quando apud Oxineford’ obsessa fui.  Et ideo volo et firmiter precipio quod supradicti loci domine terras illas et terram suam de Entona et alias omnes terras ecclesie sue pertinentes habeant et teneant in bono et pace, libere quiete et honorifice, in pratis in aquis in pascuis in bosco et plano et molendinis et aliis rebus omnibus et liberis consuetudinibus et libertatibus, cum socco et sacco et thol et theam et infangenetheof, et de hundredo et denegaldo et scira et omni geldo et omnibus querelis et aliis exactionibus liberas et quietas, et sicut aliqua ecclesia melius et liberius vel quietius in tota Angl’ possessionas suas tenet, ne aliquis in aliquo eis injuriuam vel contumeliam inferat.  Domum enim illam et que ad eam spectant omnia in manu mea et custodia ac protectione suscepi sicut eam videlicet quam pater meus et ego fundavimus, et que de nostra propria est elemosina.  Quod ut ratum et inconcussum teneatur imperpetuum, carte mee et sigilli mei privilegio sanctitum esse volui.  Hiis testibus Roberto comite Gloc’, Milone comite Heref’, et Brientio filio comitis, Hunfrido de Bohun.  Apud Divisas.

Historical context:

The empress confirms gifts of various lands to Godstow for the souls of her parents, husband, and children, with royal privileges of full jurisdiction over them.  She also claims that she and her father, Henry I, were founders of the abbey, perhaps as early supporters.  Amt  dates the charter after the siege of Oxford in the summer of 1142 and before the death of Miles of Hereford, by December 1143.  

Scholarly notes:

1  A virgate is a measure of land which can be roughly thirty acres.

2 Sake and soke are defined  by the Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages, as literally ‘cause and suit’, a formula found in later AS legal documents denoting jurisdiction over a court or property. Holding these rights was often taken as synonymous with land ownership.   Grants of sake and soke allowed the granter to intercept the fines and other profits of justice relating to his estate which would otherwise have gone to the king.  The formula included toll and team,  denoting a lord’s right to tax the sale of goods within his estates and to adjudicate civil disputes on property under his jurisdiction.  Infangenetheof (infangthief) is the right of the lord of a manor to try and to punish a thief caught within the limits of his demesne.

Authenticity:

Some questions have been raised about the authenticity of the charter because Matilda is not called “domina Anglorum,” which is also true of #645.  See editor’s note, Cartulary, p.300.

Printed source:

I am grateful to Emilie Amt for this text which is now available in The Latin Cartulary of Godstow Abbey, ed. Emilie Amt (Oxford:  Oxford University, 2014), 299-300, #643.  

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