'Registre' (account book), in French, of Remy de Montfort, Châtelain de la Motte, Bazoches-au-Houlme, Orne, and of his son Philogène de Montfort. Containing information about crops, livestock, servants, rents and matters pertaining to his estate.

186pp., 8vo. Paginated 1-186, with pp.44-45 and 113 blank, and three other three unpaginated pages: front pastedown and facing page, and rear pastedown. Five pieces of paper with manuscript are inserted, two loosely. Internally in very good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with occasional slight worming; in worn and damaged vellum binding with rope ties. 'Registre' in manuscript on front board. The volume is paginated by Remy de Montfort, and consists of a number of chronological sequences working inwards from both ends. Remy de Montfort's entries are on pp.1-41 (1803-1823); pp.46-112 (1814-1835); and working backwards from the rear pastedown and 186-147 (1801, 1803, 1817-1830). Pp.41-43, 114-146, 150-151, 153 carry entries in the hand of his son Philogène de Montfort, dating from between 1850 and 1861, some with his signature 'Phg de Montfort'. The earliest date in the volume is on p.179, and relates to a servant: 'Babet Chevalier est entrée chez moy [sic] le 10 fructidor an 9, correspondant, au 28 aout 1801, en qualité de Cuisinierre Et gagne par an La Somme de 90F d'argent, trois aulnes de toille, et entrétenus de sabots'. Topics include: rents, crops (the sowing, harvesting and sale of wheat, oats ), livestock (the buying and selling of sheep, oxen, including 'Etat des Boeufs gras vendus' for various years), produce, including alcoholic beverages (perry, cider and eau de vie), financial arrangements. Also present are accounts relating to estate management, including repairs to the cellar (payments to masons and carpenters of the Guilmin family), and house linen (pp.162-163: 'Memoire de tout le linge en général compté le 27 mai 1821'). There are several pages of servants' accounts (for example, on p.151: 'Mademoiselle Alexandrine tabouret est entrée au service de Mme. de Montfort en qualité de femme de chambre le 1er mais 1852. Elle gagne par année 110F sans aucunes faisances.'). Financial arrangements are also noted, with the elder de Montfort recording money paid to his aunts (beginning '25 florial an 11') and loans ('Le 25 Avril 1821 Mr. de Boulbon ma prêté 4000F pour monter mes herbages, dont jai luy ai fair un Billot - L'interêt est de 6 du cent'). A number of pages, by both father and son, relate to the cultivation and sale of crops, with the elder de Montfort noting: 'En 1820, on a semé dans le Bosquet, et les 6 verges de la pine guermont 55 baretées d'avoine et 2 Baretées de pois gris'. On p.50: 'Etat de tout le mobilier vivant acheté pour monter la terre de la motte a la Saint Michel 1814'. Annual lists of sales are provided by the younger de Montfort, for example, on p.144: 'Memoire du grain que jai vendu en 1857'. A sale of household items is recorded on p.92: 'Etat des objets que jai vendus a Mr. decours mon fermier consistant en ustenciles, aratoires, tels que charmes, charettes, barreaux, essieux, joug a Boeufs, Colliers, chapelets, roulons, lieuses, &c'. There are occasional straightforward receipts; for example, on p.107: 'Jai soussigné reconois avoir recu de Mr. jean louis decours mon fermier la somme de huit cent francs - pour le premier terme de sa jouissance a quibray 1827; fait a Bazoches le 17 aout 1827. / de Montfort'. The first seven pages carry memoranda, each signed and dated by Remy de Montfort, recording his receipt of rents from his farmer Gervais Libert between 1803 and 1813. The first page is headed 'Mémoire des payements que Mr Gervais Libert mon fermier de la motte ma faits et me féra pendant Le Cours De son Bail Commencé au jour St Michel 1803'. Notes in the margins record the selling by de Montfort of a cow to Libert in 1805, and the buying back of one in 1809, and Montfort's purchase from the farmer of six bushels of wheat. (By p.106 another tenant is recorded: 'Memoire des payments que Mr. jean louis decours mon fermier de la motte me fera pendant le cour de son Bail, commencé au jour st michel 1826'.) Pages 8 and 9 carry records of the breeding of various mares in 1815 and 1816, with marginal notes on the animals, the shortest reading 'Cette jument a manqué cette année'. P.14 has similar entries, under the headings 'Monte de 1818', 'Monte de 1820' and 'Monte de 1821'. Regarding the making of perry, p.10 carries a 'Comte des poires achetées au mois de 9bre 1816', and p.11 an account of the 'Etat des tonneaux de poirés achetes Le 9 janvier 1817', including the fact that 'Les 8 tonneaux de poiré cy dessus qui ont été convertis en Eau de vie ont produit 307 pots deau de vie qui a été vendus a raison de 48 Sols le pot fait: 736