Original 8-Page Vellum Legal Document

Dated 16 October 1640


A rare and substantial 17th-century French judicial manuscript written on genuine calfskin vellum (parchment), dated:


16me 8bre 1640

(16 October 1640)


This document consists of eight attached manuscript pages, written in rich brown iron-gall ink in elegant period secretary hand.


🏛 Historical Context


Created during the reign of Louis XIII, in the era of Cardinal Richelieu, this manuscript originates from a Siège Royal (Royal Court) jurisdiction.


The text references:


• Juge Civil & Criminel

• Siège Royal

• Opposition

• Condamnation

• Hypothèque & Garantie

• Judicial production & injunction

• Greffier (court clerk)


This indicates a formal court proceeding involving financial obligation and legal enforcement.


📖 Content Summary


The manuscript concerns a judicial dispute involving multiple parties, including references to Daniel Isaac and other named individuals.


It appears to involve:


• Financial claim / debt

• Court-ordered execution

• Official opposition filing

• Formal procedural actions


A remarkable survival of early modern French legal administration.


📜 Material


• Genuine calfskin vellum (thin, slightly velvety texture)

• 8 attached leaves

• Brown iron gall ink

• Original period handwriting

• Marginal notations & archival marks

• Approximately 384 years old


Vellum documents of this size and completeness from the early 17th century are increasingly scarce.


📏 Condition


Authentic age wear consistent with 17th-century vellum:


• Natural toning

• Surface waviness

• Minor staining

• Edge wear

• Period handling marks


No modern restoration observed.


🎯 Ideal For


• Collectors of early manuscripts

• French legal history specialists

• Institutional archives

• Museum-level collections

• Genealogical researchers


💎 Rarity


Multi-page vellum court manuscripts from the 1640s rarely appear on the open market in complete 8-page format.


This is not a decorative reproduction — it is an original archival judicial record from early modern France.