1806 Beautiful Solvency Declaration Certificate for a French Woman

On offer is a beautifully printed solvency declaration for a woman in Napoleon’s France.

The document is a certificate from the local registry office confirming that there are no debts or mortgages registered against a particular woman. Excerpts from the document follow:

Conservation Des Hypotheques

La Conservateur des hypotheques soussigne certifie a tous qu'il appartiendra, qu'il n'existe, jusqu'a ce jour, sur ses registres et repertoire, aucune inscription de creances ey charges hypothecaires ni privilegies contre Marie Philippe Dorothee Dediesbaik, demeurant a…

[Translation: Registry of Mortgages The undersigned Register of Mortgages certifies to all that it will be necessary, that there exists, until this day, on its registers and repertory, no registration of credits and hypothecary charges nor privileges against Marie [] Josephina Dorothee Dediesbaik, residing at…]

a lui appartenant dans l'arrondissement du Bureau des hypothetiques etabli a Lille, Department du Nord, en soi de quoi il a delivre le present aux termes de la loi...

[Translation: belonging to him in the district of the Mortgage Office established in Lille, Department of the North, in so far as he has delivered the present under the terms of the law]. 

The document also bears two very clear and deeply embossed stamps indicating the fee or tax paid for the certificate.

For a historian, this small document indicates how well organized the business of lending, recording and reporting of mortgages and debts was in the early years of Napoleonic France. For a Women's’ Studies program, this documents points to the financial status of women in France over 2 centuries ago.

This one-page document measures 10.0 inches by 7.0 inches. The paper is in very good condition. There is feathering along the top, bottom and right sides. It is a printed form, printed on one side only. The particulars are filled in by hand.