Lovely 1855 Malzeville, France Legal Agreement for a Plot of Land Near Nancy

On offer is an outstanding example of a legal agreement drafted in mid-19th century France. The agreement was struck in 1855  between Jean Simon Ulrion and Bartholemy Henry on the one hand and Joseph Antoine Nilanollo, the other party. All lived in what is today Malzeville, France on the outskirts of the city of Nancy in the north-east of France.

The contract concerns a parcel of land, as discussed in this excerpt:

un terrain situé dan dudit Malzeville faisunt plusieurs haches environs lieudit au goulot entre Ehamas et un chemin contenant environs neuf ares vingt un centiares

[Translation: a plot of land located in said Malzeville made up of several pieces in the vicinity of the narrowing between Ehamas and a path containing around nine ares twenty one centiares] (Note: an acre = 100m2 and a centiare = 1 square metre). 

The document goes on to detail many additional terms. On a stub, there is a government seal as proof of being recorded as well as a listing of the various fees that were paid.

For a historian or a legal scholar, this is an excellent example of the type of legal documents that were drawn in mid-19th century France. The document will also give 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 village a century and a half ago.

This single-sheet document measures 9.75 inches by 6.75 inches. It is in very good condition. The text of the agreement covers both pages of the leaf in closely-written script. The handwriting is legible. The document itself is sewn into a paper cover measuring 10.25 inches by 7.0 inches which serves as a folder for the document. The names of parties and the date of the agreement are written in copperplate on the verso of the cover.