I am researching my family history. I am not the only person researching this family and there are literally hundreds of websites out there with details posted by people in at least four different countries. Many of them repeat a statement relating to my family allegedly obtaining the title to some land in the north of England shortly after the Norman Conquest in 1066. The statement they repeat is what purports to be the translation into English of a charter allegedly granting these rights. The first time I read this translated charter I suspected it to be incorrect. Explaining the reasons for my doubt would take us a long way from the point but suffice it to say that there already exists an English translation of this work but I have good reasons for supposing it is incorrect, or at the very least, misleading.
I have recently found a book containing what purports to be a transcription in the original language of the charter. The language looks to be mostly Latin but there may be some Norman or early French in it. Unfortunately the book has not been very well produced and the last character on some lines is unclear. I attach to this post a screen grab of the pdf version of the book, and here I post my transcription of it. Where the last letter of a line is in doubt I have included my guess inside {curly braces}. Below the Latin I give some notes that might help you with your translation, or they might just be misleading. Please feel free to ignore them.
Latin Text
Willius, dei gra. Rex Anglie, et Dux suis tam Francis et Anglis qm. Normannis concessimus ditco nro. consanguineo Robto de Toures et Vian alias vocato Robto. cu{m} et Forestam de Redesdale, ac Omnia Cast{a} Pasturas, Aquas Stagna cum omnibus, p.tine que nuper fuerunt Mildredi filii Akmani et que ad Manus nras. devenerunt p. Conp'deo. Robto. et hedibus. suis de nobis et {P}p. Servitium defendi illa ab hostibus {e} Gladio quo cincti eramus quando intravim{us} p. p'sentes ex vberiori gra. nra. gcessim{} suis Regalem Potestatem nram. tenendi excercendi, adiudicandi, audiendi et deter placita et Articulos quoscumq tam coro{n} infra Redesdale emergencias seu contingent p.prios qui p. tempore fuerint ibidem con{s}tudines regni nri. Anglie. In cuius rei {T} nrm. apponi fecimus Testibus Matilda Henrico filiis nris. Decimo die Julii An.
Notes.
1) "Willius, dei gra. Rex Anglie" - I think this says William by the grace of God, king of the English, and it refers obviously to William the Conqueror.
2) "et Dux suis tam Francis et Anglis qm. Normannis" - William was also the 7th Duke of Normandy.
3) "concessimus ditco" - I don't have any Latin at all, but I don't think ditco is a word. I think this might be a copiests error and is meant to be "ditto" meaning "as above", or "as before", or maybe it refers to the idea that one duke is as the one who went before him. possibly.
4) "nro." - I think this might be an abbreviation for number one
5) "consanguineo Robto de Toures et Vian" - consanguine is an adjective describing descent from the same person, so I think this says that William is descended from Robto de Toures et Vian. And since William's father was Robert the Magnificent (1027-1035) that does actually make sense. Whether that's what it says is another matter.
6) "Toures et Vian" - This is normally translated as a place name, either Tours and Vian or Tour and Vian, also sometimes spelled Vien. My research has revealed that there is and was a place called Tours in France, there is and was also a place called Thouars in France and there is and was also a place called Tourville in France, but neither Vian nor Vien are or have been places in France that I know of. There is, however, a place called Vexin, in northern France, half of which was given to the 6th Duke (William's father) after he helped the king put down a rebellion. My suspicion is that "Toures et Vian" should be translated as Tours and Vexin and that, "Robto de Toures et Vian" refers to duke William's father rather than to my supposed ancestor.
7) "Forestam de Redesdale" - The Forest of Redesdale is in Northumberland, in northern England.
8) "Mildredi filii Akmani" - usually translated as Mildred son of Akerman, but that has to be wrong, Mildred is not a boys name so I think that filii here means child, and this says, "Mildred child of Akerman".
9) "Matilda Henrico filiis" - William's wife was Matilda of Flanders (1031 - 1083), but I "think" filiis here is the plural of child so this will refer to his daughter Matilda (c. 1061 - c. 1086) and his son Henry (1068 - 1135) who became king Henry I. So the date of the charter has to be after 1066 but before 1086 when Matilda died.
10) On old documents the date is frequently given in the form 23 Ed III, meaning the 23rd year of the reign of Edward III, which would be 1350. So I "think" the date, "Decimo die Julii An" means the 10th of July in the tenth year of the reign of William the Conqueror, which would put it in 1076. If that date is correct this would be the earliest known charter signed by the man (who would have been 8 years old at the time) who went on to become king Henry I of England.
I really appreciate any comments you might have and please do feel free to ignore any of my hints which might just be misleading or downright wrong. I'm not bad at history, or at least at this history, but I'm afraid I have no Latin at all. Thank you.
I have recently found a book containing what purports to be a transcription in the original language of the charter. The language looks to be mostly Latin but there may be some Norman or early French in it. Unfortunately the book has not been very well produced and the last character on some lines is unclear. I attach to this post a screen grab of the pdf version of the book, and here I post my transcription of it. Where the last letter of a line is in doubt I have included my guess inside {curly braces}. Below the Latin I give some notes that might help you with your translation, or they might just be misleading. Please feel free to ignore them.
Latin Text
Willius, dei gra. Rex Anglie, et Dux suis tam Francis et Anglis qm. Normannis concessimus ditco nro. consanguineo Robto de Toures et Vian alias vocato Robto. cu{m} et Forestam de Redesdale, ac Omnia Cast{a} Pasturas, Aquas Stagna cum omnibus, p.tine que nuper fuerunt Mildredi filii Akmani et que ad Manus nras. devenerunt p. Conp'deo. Robto. et hedibus. suis de nobis et {P}p. Servitium defendi illa ab hostibus {e} Gladio quo cincti eramus quando intravim{us} p. p'sentes ex vberiori gra. nra. gcessim{} suis Regalem Potestatem nram. tenendi excercendi, adiudicandi, audiendi et deter placita et Articulos quoscumq tam coro{n} infra Redesdale emergencias seu contingent p.prios qui p. tempore fuerint ibidem con{s}tudines regni nri. Anglie. In cuius rei {T} nrm. apponi fecimus Testibus Matilda Henrico filiis nris. Decimo die Julii An.
Notes.
1) "Willius, dei gra. Rex Anglie" - I think this says William by the grace of God, king of the English, and it refers obviously to William the Conqueror.
2) "et Dux suis tam Francis et Anglis qm. Normannis" - William was also the 7th Duke of Normandy.
3) "concessimus ditco" - I don't have any Latin at all, but I don't think ditco is a word. I think this might be a copiests error and is meant to be "ditto" meaning "as above", or "as before", or maybe it refers to the idea that one duke is as the one who went before him. possibly.
4) "nro." - I think this might be an abbreviation for number one
5) "consanguineo Robto de Toures et Vian" - consanguine is an adjective describing descent from the same person, so I think this says that William is descended from Robto de Toures et Vian. And since William's father was Robert the Magnificent (1027-1035) that does actually make sense. Whether that's what it says is another matter.
6) "Toures et Vian" - This is normally translated as a place name, either Tours and Vian or Tour and Vian, also sometimes spelled Vien. My research has revealed that there is and was a place called Tours in France, there is and was also a place called Thouars in France and there is and was also a place called Tourville in France, but neither Vian nor Vien are or have been places in France that I know of. There is, however, a place called Vexin, in northern France, half of which was given to the 6th Duke (William's father) after he helped the king put down a rebellion. My suspicion is that "Toures et Vian" should be translated as Tours and Vexin and that, "Robto de Toures et Vian" refers to duke William's father rather than to my supposed ancestor.
7) "Forestam de Redesdale" - The Forest of Redesdale is in Northumberland, in northern England.
8) "Mildredi filii Akmani" - usually translated as Mildred son of Akerman, but that has to be wrong, Mildred is not a boys name so I think that filii here means child, and this says, "Mildred child of Akerman".
9) "Matilda Henrico filiis" - William's wife was Matilda of Flanders (1031 - 1083), but I "think" filiis here is the plural of child so this will refer to his daughter Matilda (c. 1061 - c. 1086) and his son Henry (1068 - 1135) who became king Henry I. So the date of the charter has to be after 1066 but before 1086 when Matilda died.
10) On old documents the date is frequently given in the form 23 Ed III, meaning the 23rd year of the reign of Edward III, which would be 1350. So I "think" the date, "Decimo die Julii An" means the 10th of July in the tenth year of the reign of William the Conqueror, which would put it in 1076. If that date is correct this would be the earliest known charter signed by the man (who would have been 8 years old at the time) who went on to become king Henry I of England.
I really appreciate any comments you might have and please do feel free to ignore any of my hints which might just be misleading or downright wrong. I'm not bad at history, or at least at this history, but I'm afraid I have no Latin at all. Thank you.
