The Settlement from Graf Walbert to endow Wildeshausen church & abbey 17Oct 872
Dr Jozef Mahlmann a few years ago let me have a copy of a Deed of the settlement by Graf Walbert (grandson of Chief Widekund ) of property,lands ,people and all their belongings upon the church in return for a promise of eternal life for himself ,his wife and his father and mother .The introduction reads Sie schenken ihr ..einem Teil ihrer Erbschaft im Lenigau …ausser dem Dorfe Wildeshausen ….eine Reihe von Besitzungen .... AND LATER Proptere donamus pro remodio animarum nostrarum seu genitoris mee,videlicet Wiberti et Odrad necnon et propinquorum nostrorum partem hereditatis nostre,que est in pago L,in villa,que dictur Wihaldeshusen, SUPER FLUVIO HUNTA …….Donamus igitur donatumque in perpoetuum……
.and then follows a list of property and folk who were simply made property of the church …These included in Holtrop ,Gemeinte Langfoerden , Brunger,Richund, Backward and Adelward and in Farnthorpe ( believed to be Varnhorn Gem Visbek ) Evorhund and his sons ,Dyrick, Clawes,Eybo and Alhard ., from whom the Ahlers family appear to have derived their name.
. Holtrup ,Erlte Lutten and Grossenkneten are also mentioned .
Looking at a district map,some of these places are not exactly on the “ other side “ of the river Hunte. Treating Dr Pagenstert as “gospel truth” ,he suggests from my limited knowledge to read old German script, that the earliest Ahlers, alt Meijer farm was in Hogenboegen as early as AD 1000 and that the Varnhorn farm came later . This appears contrary to what Graf Walbert’ Deed of settlement seems to suggest.s … Any comments ???