Medieval Notaries and Their Acts: The 1327-1328 Register of Jean Holanie (Documents of Practice Series)

The book explores the beginnings of the continental European notarial tradition, acquainting readers with the format of notarial documents, the books containing notarial acts, and with the variety of notarial acts. Sample documents have been selected for their interest and their illustration of specific types of contracts. All are from the 1327-28 notarial registry of Jean Holanie, the royal public notary of Montpellier. English translations of one year of documents penned by Holanie in the southern French town Montpellier demonstrate the work of notaries during the Middle Ages, public scribes who were responsible for writing down legal documents for public officials and private people who requested and paid for their services. The extensive introduction discusses features of the profession. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR