A letter of donation

Translated letter:

In the name of the holy and individual Trinity. I Philip, king of the Franks by the grace of God. Since the state of sacred religion which is greatly supported by the multifold zeal of good people, is believed to be increased even more by the construction of places where the vows of the faithful may always entreat God, whence whoever will have built sacred places and enriched them with earthly wealth has arranged the reward of repayment from God. Therefore it is made known to the skill of all in the present and future that a certain knight of ours, by name Waleran, came into our presence together with his brothers, namely Walter, archdeacon, and Hugh and Baldwin and Rainald, asking that the little abbey constructed in memory of St. Christopher the martyr which he held from the benefice of the church of St. Peter of Beauvais, they agree to the bishop of that church, Gausbert, with the consent of his clerics and knights, that we would make firm by our hand so that from now on no one would dare to disturb the brothers serving God there by the rule, or the place, or exact any custom but it would remain perpetually without such disturbance or opposition in the name of immunity. Said knight gave to that church from his property the town called Hermene (Halatte) where the church is located, and all the customs which they owed him in that town, and the tenants and servants and handmaids and the enclosures of vineyards and arable lands and meadows, also the forest adjacent to that town, and the knights holding benefices from that town; similarly a town called Florina with everything pertaining to it, also in the town of Pomponien, part of the altar of the church of St. Peter which is called Cella, with its tithe and the rent of twenty three solidi/shillings, and servants and handmaids of that jurisdiction, and enclosures of vineyards and arable land and meadows and adjacent woods; beside the suburb of Clermont, in the town called Rosolum/Rosoy, one enclosure of vineyards; again in the district of Beauvais, in the town called Reus, three and a half measures of vineyards; in the town called Pontis, a certain handmaid by name Richild, with her children; in the city of Senlis, one enclosure of vineyards and one oven; also in the town of Amiens, one tenant and arable land; in the territory of Melden, a town called Sennevières, everything that Walter, his father, held there in his own right. I also give with my mother the rent of vineyards and of money and wine, which said church in the town called Reus has, for the remedy of the soul of our father king Henry. Again, in the territory of Senlis, the aforesaid Waleran gave to that abbacy two parts of the tithe of that church of St. Christopher which he held with firm hand from the canons of the church of St. Mary of Senlis, with the agreement of bishop Frodland and the clerics to whom that tithe pertained. Therefore so that all these may remain undisturbed and perpetual, at the request of said brothers, namely Waleran and the other brothers, we have undersigned by our hand and delivered to our princes to sign. If indeed anyone – let it not be! – should presume to violate this order, he must pay a hundred pounds of gold compelled by the royal treasury. Enacted at Compiègne in the one thousand sixty first year of the incarnation of our lord Jesus Christ, 14th indiction, in the first year of the reign of king Philip. Given/dated on the day before the kalends of May. Baldwin, chancellor, wrote it.

Original letter:

In nomine sancte et individue Trinitatis. Ego Philippus, gratia Dei Francorum rex. Cum status sacre religionis quam maxime fulciatur multimodis bonorum studiis, magis tamen augmentari creditur sacrorum constructione locorum ubi semper Deum exorent vota fidelium, unde remunerationis premium apud Deum habet repositum quisquis sacra loca vel edificaverit vel terrenis opibus ditaverit. Innotescat igitur solercie omnium tam presentium quam futurorum quod quidam miles noster, nomine Walerannus, nostram adiit presentiam unacum fratribus suis, scilicet Waltero, archidiacono, et Hugone necnon Balduino atque Rainoldo, petens ut abbatiolam, quam constructam in memoria sancti Xpistofori martiris tenebat de beneficio sancti Petri Belvacensis ecclesie, annuent ejusdem ecclesie Gausberto antistite, cum consensu clericorum suorum et militum, nostra manu firmam faceremus, ita ut nemo deinceps fratres ibidem Deo regulariter servientes vel locum ipsum inquietare audeat vel consuetudinem aliquam exigere, sed perpetualiter absque aliqua inquietudine vel contradictione sub nomine immunitatis permaneat. Dedit autem supradictus miles ipsi ecclesie de rebus sue proprietatis ipsam scilicet villam nomine Hermene ubi ea ecclesia sita est, et omnes consuetudines que sibi in eadem villa debebantur, et hospites et servos et ancillas et clausos vinearum et terras arabiles et prata, silvam quoque eidem ville adjacentem, et milites de eadem villa beneficia tenentes; villam similiter nuncupatam Florinas cum omnibus ad eam pertinentibus; in villa quoque Pomponiensi, partem altaris sancti Petri ecclesie que dicitur Cella, cum sua decima et cum censu viginti trium solidorum, et servos et ancillas sui juris, clausos quosque vinearum et terram arabilem et prata et adjacentem silvam; juxta suburbium Clarimontis, in villa que dicitur Rostolum, unum clausum vinearum; item, in pago Belvacensi, in villa que vocatur Reus, tres arpennos vinearum et dimidium; in villa que vocatur Pontis, ancillam quandam, nomine Richildem, cum infantibus suis; in civitate vero Silvanectensi, unum clausum vinearum et unum furnum; in villa eciam Aminiacensi, unum hospitem et terram arabilem; in territorio vero Meldensi, villam que vocatur Sineverie, omne hoc quod Walterus, pater suus, ibi in proprio jure tenuerat. Dono etiam ego ipse cum matre mea censum vinearum et de denariis et de vino, quas habet predicta ecclesia in villa que vocatur Reus, ob remedium anime patris nostri Henrici regis. Item, in territorio Silnectensi, predictus Gualerannus dedit eidem abbacie duas partes de decima ejusdem ecclesie sancti Xpistofori quam sub manu firma tenebat de canonicis sancte Marie Silnectensis ecclesie, annuente Frodlando episcopo cum clericis, ad quos ipsa decima pertinebat. Ut igitur hec omnia inconvulsa et imperpetuum permanerent, petentibus supradictis fratribus, Gualeranno scilicet et aliis fratribus, manu nostra subterfirmavimus et principibus nostris firmandam tradidimus. Si quis vero, quod absit! hoc preceptum violare presumpserit, centum libras auri coactus regio fisco reddat. Actum Compendio, anno incarnationis Domini nostri Jhesu Xpisti millesimo sexagesimo primo, indictione XIIII, regnante Philippo rege anno primo. Datum pridie kalendas maii. Balduinus cancellarius scripsit.

Historical context:

The letter records a donation to Saint-Christophe in Halatte and confirmation of previous donation. Though the document is in Philip's name, it was issued when he was under age and his mother was in charge; Talia Zajac names her as “issuer w. Philip," and he does name his mother as co-donor. The text comes from a vidimus of Charles le Bel in 1326.

Printed source:

Prou, Maurice, Recueil des actes de Philippe Ier (Paris: Imprimerie nationale, 1908) #9, 28-30.

Date: