Maison militaire du Roi. - De par le Roi, Logement des Gardes Françoises, 22e compagnie - 1793

By the King – Lodging of the Gentlemen Guards (Garde Françoise) – 22nd Company – Quarter of New France – Paris, 1785 – Receipt for 72 livres – Louis XVI.
Rare and interesting original administrative and military document from the Ancien Régime, established in Paris in 1785, during the reign of Louis XVI, only four years before the French Revolution.
It concerns the lodging of the Gentlemen Guards, a prestigious infantry regiment belonging to the King’s military Household.
The document appears as a form printed and completed by hand in ink, bearing at the top, “By the King – Lodging of the Gentlemen Guards.”
In the center of the header is a remarkable royal vignette engraved, with the Arms of France with the three lilies surmounted by the royal crown and placed in the middle of a military trophy composed notably of flags and weapons.
22nd company – Quarter of New France
The piece concerns the 22nd company, indicated handwritten as being,
“in quarter at New France.”
The infantry captain and marshal of the lodgings of the Gentlemen Guards certifies to have issued the document to serve as a receipt for the handwritten sum of:
“seventy-two livres,” i.e. 72 livres.
This amount corresponds to the actual lodging the Gentlemen Guards of the regiment were to have in a house belonging to a certain Mr. Migeon – likely reading of the surname – located in the Quarter of New France in Paris.
The street appears to be indicated as Rue Poissonnière, a reading that remains to be confirmed due to the handwriting.
Royal ordinances mentioned
The text carries additional historical interest as it recounts the various royal regulations governing the lodging of the Gentlemen Guards.
Notably mentioned are the ordinances and decisions of 21 February 1595, 24 January 1667, 26 July 1670, 28 February 1705, 14 September 1770, 21 April 1775, 19 April 1777 and 8 November 1783.
The document also specifies that the corresponding role was drawn up by the Bureau of the City of Paris.
It was drawn up in “Paris, the last of June, one thousand seven hundred eighty-five,” i.e., at the end of June 1785.
An important handwritten signature accompanied by a large flourish appears at the bottom of the document.
Verso handwritten
The verso is particularly interesting and preserves numerous old handwritten annotations, with names, accounts, sums, corrections, deletions and flourishes.
Among them is the surname Migeon, the sum of 72 livres, as well as several accounting entries.
An additional annotation seems dated April 10, 1786, indicating that the document continued to be used administratively after its creation in 1785.
The paper also bears a watermark visible by translucence, characteristic of old hand-made papers (vergé).
The Gentlemen Guards were one of the main elite regiments of the King’s Household and took part notably in guarding Paris and the sovereign.
This 1785 document is particularly evocative as it precedes the French Revolution of 1789 by only four years, during which a part of the Gentlemen Guards would play an important role in Parisian events.
Original document on vergé paper, printed and handwritten in ink.
Central old crease, secondary folds, some stains and browning, small perforations in the lower left part, marginal wear and small fragilities at edges and corners. Numerous annotations and old deletions on the verso.
Despite these signs of use, the whole remains perfectly readable and preserves clearly the royal header, the Arms of France vignette, the mention of the 22nd company, the Quarter of New France, the sum of 72 livres, the date 1785, and the handwritten signature.
A beautiful archival piece of military and Parisian history from the Ancien Régime, directly linked to the Gentlemen Guards under Louis XVI, particularly interesting for a collection devoted to military history, to Paris, to the French monarchy, or to the period immediately preceding the Revolution.
I include as a gift an important bound judicial document of 32 pages.
Ancient manuscript document of a feudal and property nature, concerning the recognition of lands, rights and seigneurial rents, with several owners and parcels precisely described. The text mentions notably Joseph de Garcia de Saint-Germain and various lands, roads and boundaries.
Photos are an integral part of the description.
Shipping Chronopost or other, depending on the country, with insurance.