A letter from Marie of France, countess of Champagne and Troyes (1196, January)

Translated letter:

I Marie, countess of Troyes, make known to present and future, that Peter of St. Fidolo, son of the late Milo of pious memory, lord of St. Fidolo, acknowledged in my presence that his father, said Milo, for the remedy of his soul, acknowledged the customs which his predecessors and he after them formerly held and had in the land of the church of St. Mary of Troyes, that is at Fays and Chamoy, at the petition of the nuns of said church. Said Milo acknowledged those which are written below: 1. The church of St. Mary of Troyes has all rights/jurisdiction within the town called Fays: so that if men of said town do any wrong to the lord of St. Fidolo, that lord will complain to the abbess of said church or her mayor about the men of Fays; the abbess or her mayor steward will convey them to the place called Fosseavoir for justice. If the pledges of a duel are brought to Fosseavoir, the abbess will have the pledges of her men and the lord of St. Fidolo the pledges of his; the lord of St. Fidolo will also have sustenance. If the mayor of the lord of St. Fidolo should make a claim to the mayor of St. Mary, the mayor of St. Mary will have pledges. Moreover, if the lord of St. Fidolo should accuse the men of Fay of any crime, and not wish to attaint/bind them thence, the men will purge themselves by fifth hand (quintam manum). Outside the town of Fays, the lord of St. Fidolo will have full jurisdiction. 2. The men of Fays have all rights of usage in the woods of Perchoi and Bayse and the wood of the dead; if they should wish, they may can take wood of Troyes for sale. The abbess similarly has her usage in those woods for burning. It should be known that it will not be permitted to men of Fays to cut a beech or an oak of greater width than can be enclosed by hand, unless to make timber to build or repair their houses. It will also not be permitted unless they have first told the mayor or the forester of the lord of St. Fidolo. If a man of Fays should find in said woods swarms of bees/bee-hives? (besanas), they will belong to the church of St. Mary. Pigs of Fays should not be pastured in Perchoi and Bayse. 3. If a thief should be captured at Fays, the abbess can punish him if she wishes for his wrong, if there is one; if not, he will be given up to the lord of St. Fidolo. II The customs of Chamoy are these: 4. Just as the men of Fays are brought to justice at Fosseavoir through the abbess or her mayor, in the same way men from Chamoy are held to go to Pissenci by that right. The lord of St. Fidolo, or anyone on his part from the hill of Chamoy shall not take in his hand, except by order of the abbess or her mayor, except during a misdeed of sedition, that is one who has been caught in the act. If the mayor of the lord of St. Fidolo makes a complaint to the steward of the abbess of Chamoy about the men of Chamoy or of Fays, the mayor will give a day in his court and, if there is to be a duel, the mayor of the abbess will hold the pledges of the duel. 5. A measure of grain and wine in said hill of Chamoy shall not be made except by the hand of either mayor. If the measure shall have been found false, the misdeed will go to the lord of St. Fidolo. 6. If a theft should be committed in the town of Chamoy in the land of St. Mary, the mayor of St. Mary and the mayor of the lord of St. Fidolo will investigate the town at the same time. If the thief is taken in Chamoy or the hill of Chamoy, he will be handed over to the lord of St. Fidolo, and will be his, and he [the lord] will render for the thief to the abbess or her steward 20 pennies and the spoils of the thief. 7. The men of Chamoy have the usage in the woods of Wevre , except for oak, pear, apple and beech. 8. If the lord of St. Fidolo should place a ban on Chamoy, the men of St. Mary and the guests of that land will be able to sell there freely. If, however, someone outside the freedom of Chamoy should take wine away while the ban is on, the misdeed will go to the lord of St. Fidolo. 9. The abbess has three free men at Chamoy under her jurisdiction, except that if the lord of St. Fidolo makes a complaint about them to the abbess, the abbess will render justice for them at Pisenci. . . . . That these things may remain known and held valid, I have confirmed them with my seal. Enacted in the month of January, in the year of the incarnation of the Word, 1196. Dated by the hand of Walter, chancellor, notated by Theodoric.

Original letter:

Ego Maria, Trecen. comitissa, notum facio presentibus et futuris, quod Petrus de Sancto Fidolo, filius defuncti Milonis pie recordationis domini Sancti Fidoli, in presentia mea recognovit patrem suum, dictum Milonem, ob remedium anime sue consuetudines, quas predecessores sui et ipse postea in terra ecclesie Beate Marie Trecensis antiquitus tenuerant et habuerant, videlicet apud Fay et apud Chammay, ad peticionem sanctimonialium dicte ecclesie bona fide recognovisse. Recognovit autem eas jamdictus Milo sic quemadmodum subscripte sunt: I 1. Ecclesia Beate Marie Trecensis habet omnem justiciam infra villam que dicitur Fay: ita tamen quod, si homines ejusdem ville domino Sancti Fidoli aliquid forefecerint, idem dominus abbatisse dicte ecclesie vel majori suo de hominibus de Fay clamorem faciet; abbatissa vero vel major ejus eos pro jure exequendo ad locum qui dicitur Fosseavoir adducet. Si vadia duelli ad Fosseavoir adducantur, abbatissa hominum suorum vadia habebit, et dominus Sancti Fidoli vadia suorum habebit; habebit etiam victum dominus Sancti Fidoli. Si autem major domini Sancti Fidoli majori Beate Marie clamorem fecerit, major Beate Marie vadia habebit. Preterea, si dominus Sancti Fidoli homines de Fay de aliquo crimine accusaverit, nec inde eos convincere voluerit, coram ipso per quintam manum homines se purgabunt. Extra villam de Fay dominus Sancti Fidoli totam habet justiciam. 2. Homines de Fay in nemoribus de Perchoi et de Bayse habent omne usuarium et nemus mortuum; si voluerint, in lignis Trecis ad vendendum ducere poterunt. Abbatissa similiter in eisdem nemoribus usum suum habet ad ardendum. Sciendum tamen, quod alicui hominum de Fay scindere non licebit neque fagum neque quercum majoris grossitudinis, quem manu claudere possit, nisi pro marremio faciendo aut ad edficationem domuum suarum aut ad recifiendum. Nec hoc etiam ipsis licebit, nisi hoc prius majori vel forestario domini Sancti Fidoli dixerint. Si homo de Fay in dictis nemoribus besanas apium invenerit, ecclesie Beate Marie erunt. Porci de Fay in Perchoi et in Bayse pasnagium non debent. 3. Si latro apud Fay captus fuerit, abbatissa eum, si voluerit pro forisfacto suo, si forisfactum tantum sit, damnare poterit; sin autem, domino Sancti Fidoli reddetur. II Consuetudines de Chammai he sunt: 4. Sicut homines de Fay pro justicia exequenda ad Fosseavoir per abbatissam, vel per majorem suum adducuntur, eodem modo homines de Chammai et eodem jure ad Pissenci ire tenentur. Dominus Sancti Fidoli, vel aliquis ex parte sua infra moncellum de Chammai in aliquem manum non apponet, nisi precepto abbatisse vel majoris sui, nisi in presenti forifacto seditionis, id est mesleie inventus fuerit. Si major domini Sancti Fidoli clamorem fecerit majori abbatisse de Chammai de hominibus de Chammai vel de Fay, major diem dabit in curia sua, et, si duellum pervenerit, major abbatisse vadia duelli habebit. 5. Mensura bladi et vini in predicto moncello de Chammai esse non poterit, nisi per manum utriusque majoris. Si mensura falsa inventa fuerit, forisfactum domini Sancti Fidoli erit. 6. Si furtum in villa de Chammai factum fuerit in terra Beate Marie, major Beate Marie, et major domini Sancti Fidoli simul villam exquirant. Si latro infra Chammai vel moncellum de Chammai capiatur, domino Sancti Fidoli reddetur, et suus erit, et pro latrone reddet abbatisse vel majori suo XXo denarios et spolia latronis. 7. Homines de Chammai usuarium suum habent in nemore Wevre exceptis quercu, prio, pomario, et fago. 8. Si dominus Sancti Fidoli bannum posuerit apud Chammai homines Beate Marie et hospites terre ejus libere vendere poterunt. Si autem aliquis extra libertatem de Chammai, dum bannum extiterit, vinum detulerit, forisfactum domini Sancti Fidoli erit. 9. Abbatissa habet apud Chammai tres homines liberos sub sua justicia tantummodo, excepto quod, si dominus Sancti Fidoli de eis abbatisse clamorem fecerit, abbatissa de eis apud Pisenci justiciam exhibebit. . . . . . Hec autem ut nota permaneant et rata teneantur, sigillo meo confirmavi. Actum menso januario, anno incarnati Verbi millesimo centesimo nonagesimo sexto. Data per manum Galteri, cancellarii, nota Theodirici.

Historical context:

The charter distinguishes the jurisdictional rights of the abbess of St. Mary of Troyes in Fays and Chamoy from those of the lord of the town of St. Fidolo.

Printed source:

Histoire des Ducs et des Comtes de Champagne, depuis le VIe s. jusqu'a la fin du XIe, H. D'Arbois de Jubainville (Paris: Aug. Aubry, 1861, v.3), document 166, p.480-82.

Date:

1196, January