18th Century

Transcription (Partial – normalized) Extrait des registres du greffe du bailliage de Foresz à Montbrison. Entre le sieur Marie Dupuy, marchand boucher, demandeur par procureur d’une part, et la dame veuve Devaudre et le sieur Devaudre son fils défendeurs d’autre part… … condamnation faite par jugement rendu par les magistrats du siège royal… … fait et arrêté au greffe du bailliage de Montbrison le sept novembre mil sept cent quatre vingt six. Signé : Bellioux (Some portions abbreviated due to overlapping ink and compression.) English Translation (Summary) Extract from the registers of the clerk’s office of the Bailiwick of Forez at Montbrison. Between Mr. Marie Dupuy, butcher and merchant, plaintiff represented by a procurator, and the widow Devaudre and her son Devaudre, defendants in the matter. The case concerns the enforcement of a prior judgment rendered by the magistrates of the royal court. Issued and recorded at the registry of the Bailiwick of Montbrison on the seventh day of November, 1786. Signed: Bellioux.

This document reflects the functioning of provincial judicial administration in late Ancien Régime France, just three years before the French Revolution. Bailiwick courts (bailliages) served as important regional judicial institutions responsible for civil disputes, criminal cases, and appeals. Merchants and tradespeople frequently relied on these courts to enforce debts, contracts, or property rights. The presence of legal representatives (procureurs) highlights the professionalization of the legal system during the eighteenth century. Court extracts such as this were issued by clerks to provide certified copies of judgments or proceedings. They were often used as proof in subsequent legal actions or for administrative enforcement.

Description

This manuscript document is an official extract from the judicial registers of the Bailiwick of Forez at Montbrison, dated 7 November 1786. Issued by the court clerk, the document records proceedings in a dispute involving a butcher named Marie Dupuy and members of the Devaudre family. Bailiwick courts formed the backbone of the French judicial system under the monarchy, administering justice at the regional level and handling both civil and criminal matters. Extracts such as this were certified copies of official records, often produced to document judgments, enforce legal obligations, or serve as evidence in further litigation. Created only a few years before the French Revolution transformed the French legal system, this document offers a glimpse into the procedural mechanisms and social relationships that governed provincial justice during the final decades of the Ancien Régime.