'Notaries meet a need which is as old as the organisation of society itself. By conferring the authority of society on individual actions relating to persons or property, they ensure to each of these actions its proper place in the world.' [citing Jean Fa

'Notaries meet a need which is as old as the organisation of society itself. By conferring the authority of society on individual actions relating to persons or property, they ensure to each of these actions its proper place in the world.' [citing Jean Favier] Those authoritative legal deeds which touch the lives of individuals and of organisations, and are indispensable to both, were already being preserved as far back as the 12th century. Notarial records² are an extraordinarily rich source of information for all aspects of history, and nowadays are amongst the materials most consulted by researchers.