1861 Richly Detailed French Legal Property Contract
10148On offer is a fascinating manuscript detailing a property transaction in 1861 France. The manuscript is a detailed contract describing the sale of a piece of property. It was drawn by a French Notary named Alexandre Morand in the town of Billy, France. In 12 pages, the document goes into great detail about the property, the parties to the contract, terms and conditions, etc.
An excerpt from the manuscript follows:
Est Comparu…Monsieur Pierre Brisson homme d'affairs demeurant a BillyRegistrant aux presentes...
[Translation: Appearing before me Mr. Pierre Brisson, businessman living in Billy Registrant to the foregoing...]
What follows are the details of the transaction. He notes that a Monsieur Peronet appeared, acting as an agent for a Monsieur Jerome Marie Ludovic from La Rochelle, a lieutenant in the Austrian cavalry.
For a legal scholar, this document is rich in details. The real estate and mortgage markets in France were huge, even before the country was fully industrialized. In 1840, for instance, outstanding mortgage debt in France amounted to 28 percent of GDP, or about the same level relative to the size of the economy as in the United States in the 1950s, and this mortgage market existed outside of the French banking system. Mortgages were most often arranged by ‘notaries’, men like “Morand”. Notaries sat in the centre of a web of financial and debt information and acted as the primary bridge between lenders and borrowers.
The manuscript bears seals that document its registration including a beautifully embossed French imperial eagle.
For a historian, this document shows how lands and property were exchanged and dealt with in mid-19th century France. For a legal scholar, this is an excellent example of the type of legal documents that were drawn at the time. It gives a sense of the legal system that underpinned these types of contracts. For a genealogist, this document helps trace family lines and lands in and around this community a century and a half ago.
The manuscript is a 12-page document measuring 11.5 inches by 8.25 inches. The edges show slight feathering and some staining that would be appropriate to its age. The manuscript bears several printed and/or embossed seals. The handwriting is generally very legible.
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