Chirograph

Lit. 'written by hand'. The chirograph or cyrographum in the Latin of the records was an *indenture. Such documents were records of a transaction, e.g. of land changing hands. They were used by the AS, before seals replaced them, allowing all parties a copy of the transaction. The earliest surviving chirograph dates to the early 10c. Details were written twice on one sheet, the sheet then being cut in half, one piece going to each of the parties. In the case of fines, there were three pieces, with the third going to a safe place, like an abbey, or even the king's treasury. Later, rather than a straight line being used to cut the original sheet, an indented path was taken by the cut, hence our word indenture. This system was in principle very similar to the practice of the *tally stick. *Bracton refers to chirographs, noting their value as records. For instance, he affirms their use 'if one makes a gift by charter so that a fine and chirograph is made with every formality in the lord king's court'. He also states that a chirograph 'cannot easily be impugned'. The Latin used of the division was in forma trium cyrographorum = in the form of three chirographs. [< Gr. kheir = hand + graphos = something written] -

Cf. Final concord