authentication of legal and administrative documents

7/31/2019 Authentication of Legal and Administrative Documents

1/7

Authentication of legal and administrative documents

In order to understand a medieval document, researchers need to know what it is, and why it was

created. Catalogue descriptions created by archivists or curators will give you some information about

the document. However, many documents have not been described in detail so you may have to do

your own detective work.

Deeds and other formal documents used stock phrases and formulas to convey legitimacy. They also

used authentication devices to persuade people that they were genuine, and could be relied upon as

evidence. Historians study the form and content of documents to determine whether they were written

according to the conventions of the time they are said to come from. Some documents have been

discovered to be later forgeries by using this method. Common deed forms are described in detail in

the Deeds in Depth unit.

Seals

Seals were the only form of personal authentication in the Middle Ages. Deeds were not usually signed

until the sixteenth century. The earliest example known in our collections is Mi D 1124 (dated 1466),

signed by John Byngham. Some medieval signatures exist in private letters, but many letters werewritten by scribes from dictation so the name at the end of the document may not actually have been

written by its owner.

A seal is an impression made by pressing a wood or metal matrix into warm wax. The pattern on the

matrix is transferred to the wax. Seals come in various shapes and sizes, and there are a number of

ways of attaching seals to documents.

The monarch used (and still uses) the Great Seal of England to seal important state documents and

letters patent. Each monarch had a different seal, but they all look similar. Below is an example of

King James Is Great Seal from 1623 but earlier Great Seals look much the same.

King James Is Great Seal, 1623 (Ne D 3846)
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/manuscriptsandspecialcollections/researchguidance/deedsindepth/introduction.aspxhttp://mss-cat.nottingham.ac.uk/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqPos=0&dsqSearch=%28AltRefNo%3D%27mi%20d%201124%27%29http://mss-cat.nottingham.ac.uk/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqPos=0&dsqSearch=%28AltRefNo%3D%27mi%20d%201124%27%29http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/manuscriptsandspecialcollections/researchguidance/deedsindepth/introduction.aspx


2/7

Next is an example of a large ecclesiastical seal in green wax from 1230. Religious individuals and

institutions used this pointed oval shape, which is called a vesica seal. The seal hangs from the bottom

of the document and is therefore called a pendant seal. It has different impressions on the front and

back. The front side is the seal of the chapter of Repton Priory in Derbyshire, and shows Christ in

majesty, raising his right hand in blessing, and holding a book in his left hand. On the back there is asmaller counterseal showing the Madonna and child, and the Latin words Sigillum Reginaldi Prioris

Rependun (the seal of Reginald, Prior of Repton). The back side shows evidence of fingerprints,

suggesting that the seal was formed by hand around the parchment tag. The front side is flatter

because the seal matrix was big enough to cover it when pressed down.

Seal of the Chapter of Repton Priory, and of Prior Reginald, 1230 (Po 126)

Noble women also used the vesica shape for their seals. Below is the seal of Matilda de Nevill, sister of

Sir John de Eyvill of Egmanton. It authenticates a deed which was probably made c.1300-1325. The

seal, in red wax, shows a standing woman holding a bird of prey. The words Matilda de Nevill are

written around the edges. It it is attached to the deed by an original textile thong, probably made ofsilk.


3/7

Seal of Matilda de Nevill, c.1300-1325 (Me D 4/5)

The following deed from 1388 was also made by a woman, Maude Brewes, but the seal is small and

round, like most personal seals. Small seals like this could have been made with a hand-held matrix,

or by a matrix attached to a ring (a signet ring). The matrix has transferred the impression of a coat

of arms, but it might not be unique to Maude or her family since by the later Middle Ages it was

possible to buy ready-made personal seals.

Seal on title deed from 1388 (Ne D 4716)

Some deeds were made by more than one person, and were therefore sealed by each of them. This

example from 1452 was sealed by six people, although one of the seals has since broken off.


4/7

Title deed with six seals, 1452 (Ne D 4662)

All of the examples above are of seals attached to open, public documents. Below is a letter of

attorney from 1428, which has a seal attached to a tongue of parchment cut from the document. A

further narrow tongue has been cut for use as a wrapper. This indicates that the document was

intended to be folded and tied and then transported for personal and private delivery to the attorney.

Letter of attorney, 1428 (Ne D 949)

Dates, witnesses and scribes

Matilda de Nevills deed (shown in full in the Wives, Widows and Wimples resource) is an example of

authentication by witness and seal only. Deeds up to the mid-fourteenth century were often not given

a date. The date has to be estimated from the style of the document, the handwriting, and the known

life dates of the people named in it. Her deed was witnessed by nine people, some of whom are

mentioned in other documents of a similar date. The Dating Documents unit gives hints on how to go

about determining the date of undated documents.
http://mssweb.nottingham.ac.uk/document-viewer/medieval-women/theme3/document1/09-6412m-3-1_1.asphttp://mssweb.nottingham.ac.uk/document-viewer/medieval-women/theme3/document1/09-6412m-3-1_1.asphttp://www.nottingham.ac.uk/manuscriptsandspecialcollections/researchguidance/datingdocuments/introduction.aspxhttp://www.nottingham.ac.uk/manuscriptsandspecialcollections/researchguidance/datingdocuments/introduction.aspxhttp://mssweb.nottingham.ac.uk/document-viewer/medieval-women/theme3/document1/09-6412m-3-1_1.asp


5/7

The scribe of a particular deed is occasionally named as a witness. This is quite rare, but instances do

survive in The University of Nottinghams collections, such as in Mi D 27 and Mi D 236.

We do not usually know the name of the scribe, but occasionally he or she left identifying marks. The

name Froddesham is written with a flourish, hidden underneath the flap of this beautifully-written

deed from 1452. This is perhaps Thomas Froddesham, who was a member of the Company of

Scriveners.

Signature of 'Froddesham', detail from Ne D 4662

The only other person who might leave a mark on a formal document would be a notary - a type of

lawyer. Under Roman law notaries were required to authenticate documents. This is still the case in

many European countries. They were not normally needed in England and Wales because customary

law meant that anyone could authenticate their own documents using seals. However, the church used

Roman law, so occasionally notarial instruments relating to church business can be found in UK record

offices. This example from 1518 shows a typical mark, each of which was unique to a particular

notary.

Notary's mark used by William Brodhed, notary public in the Diocese of York (Ne D 1914)
http://mss-cat.nottingham.ac.uk/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqPos=0&dsqSearch=%28AltRefNo%3D%27mi%20d%2027%27%29http://mss-cat.nottingham.ac.uk/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqPos=0&dsqSearch=%28AltRefNo%3D%27mi%20d%20236%27%29http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=35888#n48http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=35888#n48http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=35888#n48http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=35888#n48http://mss-cat.nottingham.ac.uk/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqPos=0&dsqSearch=%28AltRefNo%3D%27mi%20d%20236%27%29http://mss-cat.nottingham.ac.uk/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqPos=0&dsqSearch=%28AltRefNo%3D%27mi%20d%2027%27%29


6/7

Many deeds are given at a particular place (the Latin word used is Datum). For example, Maude

Brewes deed is given in the parish of St Clement Danes in London. This evidence could be used to

spot a forgery if it was known that one of the parties was elsewhere at the time.

Chirographs

Deeds known as indentures are characterized by a wavy or spiky top edge. They were devised so that

two people making an agreement could each keep a record of what was decided, and could prove that

they had a genuine copy. The deed was drawn up twice on one sheet of parchment, which was then

cut in half. If the pieces matched, the deeds could be seen to be authentic. Often words or letters

were written across the area which was to be cut, to strengthen the authenticity. In the example

below, the letters of the alphabet have been used, but often the word Chirograph was used (literally

meaning handwriting in Greek).

Chirograph agreement relating to the rectory of Maplebeck, Nottinghamshire, 1310 (Ne D 2214)

Endorsements

Descriptions and explanations of the content of medieval deeds were often written on the back by

later readers or cataloguers. They were not usually written when the deed was drawn up. They are

usually very informative, and save you having to read the whole document yourself. However, they

can sometimes be inaccurate so they should be treated with caution. If you have any doubts, read thedocument yourself or consult an expert.

Cancelled documents


7/7

If a deed or document was not needed any more (perhaps because a lease or an agreement had come

to an end), but was still kept in the archive for reference, it could be made void. This would make it

clear to anyone that it was no longer in force. Deeds could be voided by any of the following methods:

Obliteration - blacking out the text with ink Cancellation - drawing a mesh of diagonal lines across the text Cutting - making herringbone cuts through the body of deed by folding it in half and cuttingdiagonally Removing the seal deliberately cutting away the seal and seal tag

Cancelled marriage settlement, 1520 (Ne D 1915)