"1518 Parchment With Drawing - Income For Philibert De Cevins, Advisor To The Duke Of Savoy"
This notarial act dated May 6, 1518 records a perpetual annuity by Jean de Langes, knight, lord of La Motte, of 36 gold florins annually, assigned on the income of the church of Castiglione (?) to Philibert de Cevins, advisor to the Duke of Savoy and castellan of Montmélian and Saint-Michel. (The Cevins family, knights, from the 16th century had offices with the Dukes of Savoy.) The act, received in Chambéry, is written by the notary Antoine Sardon, clerk of the diocese of Maurienne. An exhaustive translation will be given to the purchaser. Presence of a beautiful signum (small drawing) at the bottom of the document. A motif of two keys coming out of a letter cap - With a motto: "Meam Deo Spes " My hope in God - This is the name and the coded signature of the notary Sardon. The signum, or manual seal, was a mark, often a symbol or monogram, that the signer added to authenticate the document. In some cases, it could be a stylized drawing or graphic representation specific to the person affixing it.