The writers of the testaments registered in the first book of Pułtusk consistory testaments (1509–1518)

Abstract

The article presents a group of people who wrote down, in a more or less professional way, about 200 testaments which were later registered in the first book of Pułtuskie testamenty konsystorskie [Pułtusk consistory testaments]. The writers were first of all testators’ parish priests but also professional notaries, including those that kept records in consistory books on a daily basis. The article also explores how the writers were remunerated and how circumstances such as epidemics affected the writing of testaments. It also compares the group of professionals available to country dwellers and town dwellers in northern Mazovia and tries to investigate the factors that conditioned the choice of the person to write down a testament.