1718 INDENTURE DOCUMENT (three century old calligraphy on a parchment of natural vellum - calf skin)

Large (+/- A1 folded to A5) Indenture document dated 1718. Hand-written on heavy parchment of natural vellum with accompanying seal and stamp. Of historical interest.

Some interesting information on indentures;

An indenture is a contract between two parties, most commonly assumed to be for labor or an apprenticeship. While it was certainly issued for that, known as indentured servitude, the indenture was also used to purchase land or buildings and even to contract for military officers as far back as the 14th century.

Each indenture is “escalloped,” that is the rounded edges at the top are actually cut from a larger piece of parchment, or vellum. The part cut from the indenture is, in fact, a duplicate made specifically for the other party under contract or deposited in the requisite land office or local court as an official copy. If there were more than one party to the contract, an additional copy was made and given to the other party as well.

What’s really important, though, is the stamp. Anything that was written or official had to have a stamp as a tax. As part of the tax, the stamp had to be included on the document or it wasn’t legal. This tax stamp is coveted by collectors.

At times there are usually red wax impressions at the bottom of the document. It is just a wax stamp, that generally didn’t belong to anyone in particular. It is an 18th century version of the “X,” a generic stamp.

There are large indentures, small ones, even double-page ones. (This particular indenture is one of the larger ones as they go.)

As an early collectible, they are fun, interesting, and were issued until the early 19th century. Each one is unique, distinctive and is particularly decorative for any room. History can be fun after all!