This inventory records the possessions of a Jew named Astrug Mosse, a resident of the city of Marseille, who died on Wednesday, the 18th of July, 1397, without having made a will. Astrug had two daughters and intestate heirs named Venguesseta and Stereta, both of whom were under twenty years of age. The sisters chose to enter into the inheritance with benefit of inventory since there was some concern about whether the estate's debits might exceed its assets. In such an event, they could repudiate the estate rather than accept its debts. Too young to represent their interests in court, they asked the judge to assign them a guardian, naming for the role their cousin, Boniaquet Cohen. Boniaquet, who was present at the hearing, swore on the Mosaic law to serve honorably and was accepted by the judge. The compilation of the inventory was scheduled for Friday the 27th of July, and a crier issued a summons to the estate's creditors to attend the event if they so desired. On Friday, at vespers, the two sisters appeared at court, absent any creditors, and were allow to register the inventory they had made. At this point, they either transmitted a hand-list of the goods, written out in Provençal, or read the document out loud to the notary of the court, Peire Calvin. Either way, the notary probably translated the document into Latin on the spot; this is suggested by the presence of a number of corrections in the original. As was customary, the procedure commenced with the sign of the cross, although the document does not describe who made the sign. On the final folio, the sisters requested that an instrument of the act be made for them. The act gives no sign that the sisters were planning on repudiating the inheritance. Originally transcribed by Juliette Sibon, with corrections by D. Smail.

  • Record type: Inventory-Taking up inheritance
  • Date: 24 July, 1397
  • Locale: Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France
  • Language(s): Latin
  • Named person(s): Astrug Mosse
  • Archival location: Archives départementales des Bouches-du-Rhône, Register 3B 128
  • Extent: 5 Folios (paper)

Edited by Juliette Sibon and Daniel Lord Smail.
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