Chirograph Handwritten Manuscript Medieval insular minuscule vellum

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Chirograph Handwritten Manuscript Medieval insular minuscule vellum:
$400.00

European Chirograph vellum handwritten manuscript document believed to be circa 16 or 17th century.

There are 15 lines in insular minuscule.

Measures about 8\" by 17 1/2\".

Translation of text unknown

Condition

Vellum is creased in center as pictured and is a bit curled at corner. Light foxing

A chirograph is a medieval document, which has been written in duplicate, triplicate or very occasionally quadruplicate on a single piece of parchment, with the Latin word \"chirographum\" (occasionally replaced by some other term) written across the middle, and then cut through to separate the parts.

The intention of the chirograph was to produce two (or more) identical written copies of a legal agreement, that could be retained by each party to the transaction, and if necessary verified at a later date through comparison with one another. The cut itself would generally be made with a wavy or serrated edge, running through the word \"chirographum\", to allow the copies to be matched physically as a safeguard against forgery. The earliest surviving portion of a chirograph in England dates from the middle of the ninth century.