A loan and mortgage agreement

Translated letter:

In the name of the Lord.  I Bernard, offspring of Seniofred, and my wife the woman Bellaiza, are mortgagers to you, Ramon, by the grace of God count, and his spouse countess Elizabeth.  For it is made known that we are debtors to you for 35 ounces and 2 mancusos of old gold of Spain, legally weighed, which it is known that you lent us.  Moreover we mortgage to you half of that tower of Benviure* with half its dwellings and courts that are in the circuit of said tower and with half of the church which is there and with half of those allods, lands, and vineyards, cultivated and deserted, mountains and hills, woods and uncultivated lands, meadows and water-sources and ponds and streams of waters running from them, sloping and flat, and half of those dwellings and courts that are within the boundary of said village Benviure.  And all these are in the county of Barcelona, above the trough of Lubricato, next to the church of St. Baudel.  And all these came to us by the authority (vocem) of relatives and through purchase and tithe or by whatever authority.  And all the above abut:  in the northwest the boundary of the Lauro, in the north at the Lubricato river, in the south at the shore of the sea, in the west at the boundary of the village Erapruniano.  As much as these boundaries include we mortgage to you all the aforesaid completely and hand over into your control and power by our right; and insofar as we are held by that fief/estate in this manner and order, that we have made payment [?iachidonem] up to the first day after Lent for all that allod, lands and vineyards and dwellings and gardens that are in the territory of Barcelona, and that were formerly Seguin’s and his son Companno’s and as much as they held and possessed in said territory.  And for all this said allod we shall have made payment [?iachidonem]  to count Ramon and his spouse Elizabeth, up to said term after Lent and let this payment [?iachidonem] be made with that document of donation which said Companno Seguin made to me [and] to said Bellaiza my wife, except for those towers and dwellings which are in that wall, and that up to 15 days after the first feast of Pentecost we shall have made the document of sale, without any deception for all the said allod which was Seguin’s and his son Companno’s, to you said count Ramon and countess Elizabeth, for the price of 25  [sic] ounces and 2 mancusos of said best gold.  And if we shall not have done all the above to you within said terms/dates, it is permitted to you to seize, hold, sell or do whatever you should wish with said mortgage/pledge which is stated above for half of Benviure with its boundaries and appurtenances as fully your own.  And that we, said Bernard and Bellaiza, shall have redeemed that allod which we give in pledge to Oliban Miro up to 10 days after this first feast of Pentecost, if we are able to do this directly and if we cannot do it directly  we shall give count Ramon and countess Elisabeth that debt that is stated in the pledge/mortgage of the aforesaid Oliban Miro so much more as the mortgage of said allod will be worth and will have been justly appraised.  And we will have this done for count Ramon and countess Elisabeth up to 30 days after the first festivity of Pentecost, without deceiving them.  Nonetheless, if we have not done all the aforesaid in the stated time for you count Ramon and countess Elisabeth, as is stated above, it is similarly permitted to you as written above to take, hold, sell and do whatever you wish with said pledge of Benviure, as fully your own.  Which if we the aforesaid wished or [anyone] wished to break this, we [or he] could not succeed in the claim, but we [or he] must pay you all the above double with all its appreciation; and moreover this will remain firm.  This was enacted on the nones of February in the 17th year of the reign of king Henry.  Si+gn of the woman Bellaize.  Si+gn of Bernard.  We who ordered this mortgage and this agreement to be made and signed it and asked it to be signed by witnesses.  Si+gn of Mir Guifred.  Si+gn of Guitard Henry.  Si+gn of William Amati.  Si+gn of Geral Ecio.  Si+gn of Mir Oliba.  Si+gn of Bonefilio Murro.  Si+gn of Mir, priest.  Si+gn of Guisad, judge. Si+gn of Ramon, deacon and judge.  Si+gn of Bernard, priest, who wrote this with letters placed above and combined in various places, on the day and year noted above.

Original letter:

In nomine Domini.  Ego Bernardus, prolis quondam Seniofredi, et uxor mea Bellaiza, femina, impignatores sumus vobis, Raimundus, gracia Dei comes, et coniux eius Elisabet, comitissa.  Manifestum est, enim, quia debitores sumus vobis uncias XXXV et mancusos II auri vetuli de Ispania legitime pensatas, quod vos nobis prestastis est manifestum.  Propterea, impignoramus vobis medietatem de ipsa turre de Benviure et cum medietate de ipsis mansionibus et curtibus que sunt in circuitu predicte turris et cum medietate de ipsa ecclesia que ibi est et cum medietate de ipsis alodiis, terris et vineis, cultis et eremis, montibus et collibus, silvis et garricis, pratis et fontibus et stagnis et dirivacionibus aquarum earumque decursibus, prono et plano, et medietate de ipsis mansionibus et cursibus que sunt infra terminum predicti castri Benviure.  Est hec omnia in comitatu Barchinone, ultra alveum Lubricato, prope ecclesiam Sancti Baudelii.  Et advenerunt nobis hec omnia per vocem parentum nostrorum et per comparacionem et per decimum sive per quascumque voces.  Et affrontant predicta omnia:  de circio in termino de ipso Lauro, de aquilonis in flumine Lubricato, de meridie in littore maris, de occiduo in termine de kastrum Erapruniano.  Quantum iste affrontaciones includunt, sic impignoramus vobis predicta omnia integriter et de nostro iure in vestrum tradimus dominium et potestatem; et inter tantum teneamus per ipsum beneficium hoc modo et ordine, ut usque ad istum primum diem mediante Quadragesima sic habeamus factam iachidonem de omni ipso alodio, terras et vineas et mansionibus et ortis que sunt in territorio Barchinone et que fuerunt Seguini, quondam, et Companni, fillii sui, et quantum ipsi tenuerunt et possederunt in predicto territorio.  Et de isto omni predicto alodio sic habeamus factam iachidonem ad Raimundum, comitem, et ad coniugem suam Elisabet, comitissam, usque ad predictum terminum mediante Quadragesima, et sit facta ista iachidone cum ipsa scriptura donacionis, quam mihi, Belleize predicte, femine, fecit Compannus Seguinus predictus, exceptus ipsas turres et ipsas mansiones que sunt in ipso muro, et quod usque XV diebus post primam festivitatem Pentecosten sic habeamus factam scripturam vendicionis, sine ullo engan, de omni predicto alodio que fuit Seguini et Companni, eius filii, ad vos, predictos Remundum, comitem, et Elisabet, comitissam, propter precium uncias XXV et mancusos II predicti auri obtimi.  Et si hec omnia predicta ita non fecerimus vobis usque ad predictos terminos, licitum sit vobis predictum pignus, quod superius resonat, de medietate de Benviure cum suis terminis et pertinenciis aprehendere, tenere, vindere et facere, quodcumque exinde volueritis ad vestrum plenissimum proprium.  Et quod nos predicti Bernardus et Bellaiza, habeamus redemptum ipsum alodium quod mittimus in pignus ad Olibanus Mironis usque X diebus post istam primam festivitatem Pentecosten, si facere potuerimus hoc per directum, et si facere non potuerimus per directum, donamus ad Remundum, comitem, et Elisabet, comitissam, ipsum debitum quod resonat in ipso pignore Olibani Mironis predicti et quantum plus valuerit ipsum pignus predicti alodii et fuerit adpreciatum iuste.  Et habeamus hoc factum ad Raimundum, comitem, et ad Elisabet, comitissam, usque XXX diebus post istam primam festivitatem Pentecosten, sine illorum engan.  Veruntamen, si hec omnia predicta non habuerimus facta ad predictos terminos ad vos, Remundum, comitem, et ad Elisabet, comitissam, sicut supradictum est, similiter sit licitum vobis predictum pignus de Benviure, sicut supra resonat, aprehendere, tenere, vindere et facere exinde quodcumque volueritis ad vestrum plenissimum proprium.  Quod si nos predicti hoc rumpere voluerimus aut voluerit, non hoc valeamus aut valeat vendicare, sed componamus aut componat vobis predicta omnia in duplo cum omni sua immelioracione; et insuper hoc maneat firmum.  Actum est hoc nonas februarii anno XVII regni Henrici, regis.  Sig+num  Bellaize, femine.  Sig+num Bernardus.  Nos, qui hoc pignus et hanc convenienciam fieri iussimus et firmavimus et his testibus firmari rogavimus.  Sig+num Miro Guifret.  Sig+num Guitardus Enrici.  Sig+num Guilielmi Amati.  Sig+num Geral Ecio.  Sig+num Mironis Oliba.  Sig+num Bonefilo Murro.  Sig+num Miro, presbitero.  Sig+num Guisadus, iudex.  Sig+num Raimundi, levite et iudicis.  Sig+num Bernardus, presbiter, qui hoc scripsit, cum litteris superpositis et fusis in variis locis, et die et anno quod supra.

Historical context:

Bernard and his wife Bellaiza agree on payment terms for the money they have borrowed from the count and countess, mortgaging  half the tower and territory of Benviure.   The Benviure tower in the town of Sant Boi de Llobregat is a Romanesque circular defence tower with walls nearly 2 metres thick, which has been excavated for early and medieval remains.

Printed source:

Liber Feudorum Maior (LFM), ed. Francisco Miquel Rosell, (Barcelona, 1945), 1.378-79 #353.

Date: