Indenture
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An indenture is a legal contract that reflects an agreement between two parties. Although the term is most familiarly used to refer to a labor contract between an employer and a laborer with an indent
Half of an indenture document of 1723 showing the randomly cut edge at the top
Charter of the Clerecía de Ledesma, 1252
Tripartite indenture between William Shakespeare and the estate of the vendor of New Place, confirming the transfer of ownership to Shakespeare. The third portion (the foot) was retained in the court.
Chirograph
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A chirograph is a medieval document, which has been written in duplicate, triplicate or very occasionally quadruplicate on a single piece of parchment, with the Latin word chirographum written across
Indenture
…cutting along a jagged (toothed, hence the term "indenture") line so that the teeth of the two parts could later be refitted to confirm authenticity (chirograph). Each party to the deed would then retain a part. When the agreement was made before a court of law a tripartite indenture was made, with the third…
An English property conveyance (a final concord) in triplicate chirograph form, dating from 1303. The word cirographum can be seen written twice, vertically and horizontally, along both cuts. The two copies of the agreement at the top were intended for retention by the two parties to the transaction; while the third copy (the "foot of fine") was for retention by the court that oversaw the process.