A letter of donation to Godstow

Translated letter:

M[empress] daughter of king H[enry] to the archbishops bishops abbots counts barons justices viscounts ministers and all her faithful frank and anglo of the whole of England, greetings.  You should know that I, for love of God and the souls of my father Henry king of England and my mother Matilda queen 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, gave and granted in perpetual alms to God and the church of St. Mary and St. John the Baptist of Godstow and the nuns serving God there land of <Shillingford>, namely two hides and a half and half a virgate(1) which the scribe Ralph held for 52 shillings and 6 pence a year with meadows and pastures, and a hundred pieces (solidatas) of land in Walton, so completely as they had the whole when I was besieged at Oxford, and the fishery in Cherwell and the water with its appurtenances, also with meadows and pastures and the whole <tithe > of all fruits of Woodstock, and fairs that last three full days at Godstow on the nativity of St. John the Baptist, and I order firmly that all those who come to those fairs should have my firm peace, and all their possessions, coming, staying, and going, lest anyone unjustly disturb them or their things.   For which I wish and firmly order that said church of Godstow and the nuns have those lands and its land of Eaton and the “wick” (dairy-farm) in Port Meadow which the citizens of Oxford gave them, and the church of St. Giles near Oxford which Elwin son of Godegos gave them, and its mill which is called Boymill, with meadows and pastures and lands and all appurtenances and all the other lands pertaining to its church, and that they hold them in good and peace in perpetual alms and whatever other things are acquired by the distribution of God, with all liberties and free customs, with soke(2) and sake and toll and team and infangenetheof, well and in peace and freely and honorably, thoroughly quit and free of  shire-moot and hundred-suit and tax and tribute (Danegeld) every tax and all pleas and feudal aids and assessments and barge-charges, from murder and theft and every tax, and all kinds of plaints and all other charges, lest anyone do them injury or harm in anything, since said church of Godstow and the nuns serving God there and all their things and possessions and men and everything that regards them are most especially with all the others in England in my own hand for protection and keep.  With these witnesses bishop Bernard of St. David, Robert count of Gloucester, Milo count of Hereford, and Brian (?Brient) son of the count, Humphrey 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 Henrici regis Angl’ at matris mee Matildis regine et salute anime mee et incolumitate domini mei G. ducis Norm’ et comitis Andeg’ et meorum liberorum, dedisse et concessisse in perpetuam elemosinam deo et ecclesie sancte Marie et sancti Johannis baptiste de Godestowe et monialibus ibidem deo servientibus terram de <Shillingford>, videlicet duas hidas et dimidiam et dimidiam virgatam quam Radulphus scriba tenuit per annum pro lii.s. et vi.d. cum pratis et pastoris, et centum solidatas terre in Waltona, ita integre totam sicut eam habuerunt quando apud Oxineford’ obsessa fui, et piscariam in Chiarewell’ et aquam cum pertinentiis suis, necnon et cum pratis et pasturis, et totam <decimam> omnium fructuum de Wodestoch’, et nundinas que durent iii. dies plenarios apud Godestowe ad natale sancti Johannis baptiste, et firmiter precipio quod omnes illi qui ad illas nundinas venerint habeant meam firmam pacem, et omnes res eorum in eundo morando et redeundo ne aliquis eos nec res eorum injuste disturbet.  Quare volo et firmiter precipio quod predicta ecclesia de Godestowe et moniales illas terras et terram suam de Eatona et wicam in Portmaneit quam cives Oxineford’ eis dederunt, et ecclesiam sancti Egidii juxta Oxineford’ quam Ailwinus filius Godegos eis dedit, et molendinum suum quod vocatur Boiemyln, cum pratis et pasturis et terris et omnibus pertinentiis et alias omnes terras ecclesie sue pertinentes, habeant et teneant in bono et pace in perpetuam elemosinam, et quecumque alia dei distributione adquisita fuerint, cum omnibus libertatibus et liberis consuetudinibus, cum soca et saca et tolle et team et infangenetheof, bene et in pace et libere et honorifice, prorsus quietas et liberas de scire et hundredo et geldo et denegeldo et placitis et auxiliis et assisis et scutagiis, de murdro et latrocinio et omni geldo, omnibusque querelis et exactionibus omnibusque aliis rebus, ne aliquis eis injuriam vel molestiam in aliquo faciat, quia predicta ecclesia de Godestowe et moniales ibidem deo servientes et omnes res et possessiones et homines sui et omnia que ad illas spectant specialius omnibus ceteris in Anglis sunt in mea propria manu protectione et custodia.  Hiis testibus Bernardo episcopo de Sancto David, Roberto comite Gloec’, Milone comite Hereford’, et Brientio filio comitis, Hunfrido de Bohun, apud Divisas.

Historical context:

The empress grants the abbey not only various lands for the souls of her parents and husband and children but also the revenue from a three day fair held at Godstow.

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 own 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), 301-02, #645.  

Date: