{"id":9809,"date":"2017-05-21T23:56:15","date_gmt":"2017-05-21T23:56:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/?p=9809"},"modified":"2020-07-07T00:08:38","modified_gmt":"2020-07-07T00:08:38","slug":"say-cheese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/say-cheese\/","title":{"rendered":"Say Cheese"},"content":{"rendered":"

Survey of Rents for Plots of Land
\ncirca 1530s
\nfrom Brie in France<\/h2>\n

Single-Sheet Document
\nUndated
\nin French on Vellum
\nwith mostly Blank Dorse<\/strong><\/h4>\n

[First published on 21 May 2017, with updates]<\/p>\n

Continuing our series on Manuscript Studies<\/a>, our Principal Blogger, Mildred Budny (see Her Page<\/a>) briefly describes a single-sheet vellum document, which lists in French the rents for various plots of land concerning the region of Brie<\/a> (renowned for, among other things, its distinctive Cheese)<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Detail<\/a>

Detail of “Brie Champenoise” from the “Atlas Moderne” by Rigbert Bonne (1771). Via Wiki Commons.<\/p><\/div>\n

Face Front<\/h3>\n

The document in question, now in a private collection, measures at the most circa 298\u00a0\u00d7 149 mm<\/span>. The script of the document uses the whitish flesh side of the animal skin.\u00a0 The written side presents a description in French in 22 1\/3 long lines of fields and rents from various properties in the area.<\/p>\n

By a single hand, the text is skillfully and swiftly written in faded brown ink.\u00a0 The lines are not uniformly horizontal.\u00a0 They stand upon an unevenly trimmed sheet, whose contours perhaps conform partly to the shape of the sheet as it emanated from the initial preparation of the writing material.<\/p>\n

The dorse (not shown here; no image is yet available) is mostly blank, although apparently black light reveals some scarcely decipherable traces of script which has been rubbed or effaced.\u00a0 To quote the collector’s report:\u00a0 the document “has nothing obvious written on the verso, although a black light shows what may possibly be faint text that has rubbed out.\u00a0 The recto text is mostly readable with the black light.”\u00a0 Glad for image enhancement, wherever possible.<\/p>\n

\"Single-sheet<\/a>

Face of the document.<\/p><\/div>\n

The document is undated.\u00a0 A sensible assessment of its probable date of origin must depend, for example, upon the style of its script.\u00a0 Given points of comparison (in Latin:\u00a0 comparanda<\/em>), let us suggest that it probably dates from the 153os.\u00a0 An earlier post in our blog considers 16th-century script by more than one skilled French hands: Scrap of Information<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That post illustrates a large single-sheet charter from Vienne<\/a> in Nouvelle-Aquitaine<\/a>, also in a private collection, emanating from the 1530s.\u00a0 Seen here:<\/p>\n

\"1530<\/a><\/p>\n

Different hands, stylistic differences, but some similar approaches in both these documents.\u00a0 Plus, the Vienne document contains entries by several different hands.\u00a0 Shared features.<\/p>\n

Closer Up<\/h3>\n

A few closer views, first the left-hand half:<\/p>\n

\"Left-hand<\/a>

Left-hand Half of the Brie Document. Reproduced by permission.<\/p><\/div>\n

Now the right-hand half:<\/p>\n

\"Right-hand<\/a>

Right-hand Half. Reproduced by permission.<\/p><\/div>\n

What Up?<\/h3>\n

To put it mildly, much of the vocabulary is more than a bit unfamiliar.\u00a0 Let’s take a sampling, and you might take it from there.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, one line (guess which one?) reads “. . . Les courres des godeaux situes du ladite paroisse de brye contenans trois journaulx ung quart de journaul et ung quar de carreau ladit bernardeau promo<\/em>\u00a0. . .”\u00a0 Presumably the terms ‘carreau’ and ‘journaul’ are land measures.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

To state that this is “not exactly our field” applies both to the fields in the region of Brie, not possessed by anyone we know, and to our own fields of expertise (so far).\u00a0 Way to go?\u00a0 Bien sur<\/em>!<\/p>\n

Way to Go<\/h3>\n

Do you know, perhaps, of other extant monuments of script from this scribe, from this region at the same point in time, or locations indicated in the span of the document?\u00a0 We would be glad to know more.<\/p>\n

Piece of Cake?\u00a0 Piece of Cheese?<\/h3>\n
\"Slice<\/a>

Slice of Brie. Photograph by Coyau via Wikipedia Commons.<\/p><\/div>\n

Over to you.\u00a0 Please let us know your comments.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Next stop:\u00a0 More Manuscripts, Of Course.<\/p>\n

Keep sight of the Contents List<\/a> for this Blog.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Update July 2020<\/em><\/p>\n

For reports on other 16th-century documents in French on vellum, see<\/p>\n