Divers - [Espagne] Lot de 4 documents historiques d'exceptions manuscrits. - 1848-1877

Lot of 4 handwritten documents.
1] Spain — 1822 / 1847 — Important notarized will of the Belaz de Medrano y Álava family — Spanish nobility, Order of Saint John of Jerusalem
Manuscript with red wax seal
12 pages - 25cm x 18cm.
Important Spanish historical and notarial document from the 19th century, entirely handwritten in French, reproducing and authenticating extracts from the joint will of Nicolás Belaz de Medrano y Álava and his wife María Ygnacia de Álava y Esquivel, members of a family established in the Spanish Basque Country.
The original will was drawn up in San Sebastián, in the province of Guipúzcoa, on 5 July 1822. The extracts were certified in Vitoria, in the province of Álava, on 21 August 1847, by Gabriel de Aragón, royal notary.
The document is of historical, genealogical, legal, and heritage interest, particularly for the military and administrative roles of the people mentioned, the references to the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, and the provisions governing inheritance.
The document includes royal tax stamps, handwritten signatures and initials, old corrections, and a remarkable red wax seal attached with green ribbons.
Main figures
Nicolás Belaz de Medrano y Álava
The central figure in the will, described as a Knight of Justice of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, an honorary intendant of the Spanish army, and a former holder of provincial administrative offices.
He was residing in San Sebastián when the will was drawn up.
His affiliation with the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem is of particular interest to the history of Spanish religious and military orders.
María Ygnacia de Álava y Esquivel
Wife of Nicolás Belaz de Medrano y Álava, originally from Vitoria, in the province of Álava.
She jointly participates in drawing up the will and organizing the family succession.
Descendants
The will names the couple’s legitimate children as universal heirs.
Among the names identified are Ramón Belaz de Medrano y Álava and Eduardo Belaz de Medrano y Álava. Some first names have handwritten corrections that require paleographic verification.
Historical and legal content
Notarial preamble
Gabriel de Aragón, royal notary in Vitoria, certifies that he received a testamentary document concerning the Belaz de Medrano y Álava spouses, who were deceased at the time of certification.
He reproduces its opening, the clause appointing heirs, and its conclusion.
Declaration of the testators
The will begins with the solemn formula “In the Name of Almighty God. Amen.”
The spouses declare that they are making their last wishes while in full possession of their mental faculties, despite the illnesses from which they are suffering.
Catholic profession of faith
A substantial part of the text is devoted to the testators’ Christian faith.
They affirm their belief in the Holy Trinity and their fidelity to the Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman Church.
They invoke the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, the angels, and the saints, asking forgiveness for their sins and expressing their wish to die in the Catholic faith.
Organization of the succession
The spouses state their wish to settle their affairs during their lifetimes in order to avoid disputes after their deaths.
They wish to ensure an orderly transfer of their estate.
Clause appointing heirs
The legitimate children are named as universal heirs to the property, rights, and claims of the estate.
A special provision stipulates that, in the absence of legitimate descendants, the surviving spouse may inherit the entire estate, subject to religious and legal obligations.
Revocation of previous wills
The spouses expressly revoke all their previous testamentary provisions, whether made in writing, orally, or in any other form.
The will of 5 July 1822 is thus presented as the definitive expression of their last wishes.
Witnesses and figures mentioned
Several military, medical, and administrative figures appear in the document:
Joaquín de Osma: Brigadier, commanding the artillery in San Sebastián.
Miguel Elorza: Chief surgeon at the military hospital.
José Joaquín de Zabaleta: Senior notary of Guipúzcoa.
Gabriel de Aragón: Royal notary in Vitoria, certifier in 1847.
José Ramón de Zabaleta: Public official mentioned in the certifications.
Gregorio de Guillermín: Notary mentioned in the final attestations.
Ezequiel García de Andoin: Signatory or public official mentioned.
Marquis of Fontellas: Figure cited in connection with the reproduction of the testamentary extracts.
The presence of these figures enhances the documentary interest of the item for the history of Spanish military and notarial administration.
Authentication of 21 August 1847
The copy is certified in Vitoria by Gabriel de Aragón.
The notary attests to the accuracy of the extracts, as well as the reproduced signatures and initials.
He states that the certification is drawn up on ordinary paper, as stamped paper was not then in use in the province of Álava.
Several additional signatures and attestations appear at the end of the document.
Red wax seal and green ribbons
The document retains a remarkable red wax seal, attached to the paper with two green textile ribbons.
The impression bears a circular inscription and various engraved motifs.
The seal remains largely intact, despite several cracks and minor losses around the edges.
This physical feature is one of the main attractions of the item for collectors of historical, notarial, and sigillographic documents.
Royal stamps and provenance marks
Several leaves bear Spanish royal tax stamps, including an allegorical vignette bearing the value of 70 céntimos.
An oval stamp bearing the words
“HASENFELD — PLACE DE LA BOURSE PARIS” also appears on several pages. This mark seems to relate to a commercial or documentary intervention after the will was drawn up.
The original will dates from 1822, during Spain’s Liberal Triennium (1820–1823), a period of political change under the reign of Ferdinand VII.
San Sebastián and Vitoria then occupied an important place in the military and administrative organization of the Spanish Basque Country.
The presence of an artillery brigadier, a chief military surgeon, and several notaries illustrates the connections between notable families, the army, and the administration.
The 1847 certification was made during the reign of Isabella II, following the political and military upheavals of the early decades of the 19th century.
The document is therefore an interesting testament to inheritance practices, notable families, and Spanish institutions of the period.
Country: Spain.
Regions: Álava and Guipúzcoa, Basque Country.
Cities: San Sebastián and Vitoria.
Date of original will: 5 July 1822.
Date of certification: 21 August 1847.
Nature: Authenticated copy of extracts from a joint will.
Language: French.
Handwriting: 19th-century cursive manuscript in brown ink.
Medium: Old paper.
Stamps: Spanish royal tax stamps.
Seal: Red wax on green textile ribbons.
Signatures: Several handwritten signatures and initials.
Annotations: Corrections, interlinear additions, and marginal notes.
Additional stamp: Hasenfeld, place de la Bourse, Paris.
Old document showing normal signs of handling and aging: folds, slight soiling, small marks, handwritten annotations and corrections.
The handwriting remains generally legible.
The red wax seal is preserved, with cracks and small peripheral losses. The green ribbons are present.
An assemblage of definite historical and documentary interest, retaining its main original physical features.
The combination of an 1822 will, a 1847 notarial certification, identified military figures, references to the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, and a red wax seal on green ribbons gives this assemblage particular documentary interest.
An important handwritten testament to the family, legal, religious, and administrative history of 19th-century Spain.
The identifications and transcriptions of some names, particularly those with handwritten corrections, are given subject to further paleographic verification.

2] Puerto Rico – Ponce, 1877 – Rare handwritten customs certificate with legalization by the French Vice-Consulate – Maritime trade between Antwerp and the Spanish West Indies.
2 pages - 32cm x 23cm.
Rare and interesting original 19th-century administrative and commercial document, drawn up in Ponce, on the island of Puerto Rico, then a Spanish colony, on 8 June 1877, and accompanied by official legalization by the French Vice-Consulate in Ponce, dated 19 June 1877.
This handwritten certificate, written in Spanish in elegant administrative cursive, was issued by José Martí y Pou, first officer and accountant of the local Revenue and Customs Administration of Ponce.
It certifies the importation by the commercial firm Valdivieso y Compañía of a large cargo of 1,000 cases of composition candles, shipped from Antwerp, Belgium, aboard the Spanish brigantine Elena, which entered the port of Ponce on 3 June 1877.
The document specifies the administrative references for the cargo, registered under numbers 101 to 203, as well as the various duties and taxes paid during customs clearance.
The sums listed include 2,512 pesos and 15 centavos in customs duties, 25 pesos and 12 centavos in weighing fees, and 152 pesos and 24 centavos in additional duties, for a total of 2,689 pesos and 51 centavos.
This certificate was issued at the request of the importing company to officially prove payment of the fiscal duties to the competent authorities.
The upper part of the document is adorned with an illustrated Spanish tax vignette depicting two allegorical figures within an architectural frame, with an apparent face value of 25 centimes. The printed administrative number N. 047.760 appears on the right.
The lower part bears the handwritten signatures of the customs administration officials, as well as a stamp of the local Revenue and Customs Administration of Ponce.
The verso is a particularly interesting feature of this historical item. It bears a fully handwritten official legalization in French, issued by the French Vice-Consulate in Ponce on 19 June 1877.
The French consular representative certifies the authenticity of the signatures of José Martí y Pou and a second customs official, whose name appears to read Nicolas Haubon, attesting that they were officials of the local customs administration.
This certification is accompanied by the handwritten signature of the vice-consul and a circular blue consular stamp bearing the inscription “Vice-Consulat de France à Ponce.”
This dual administrative intervention, Spanish on the recto and French on the verso, illustrates the procedures for checking, authenticating, and recognizing international commercial documents in the Caribbean during the second half of the 19th century.
The document is of real historical interest for the study of trade relations between Europe and the West Indies, particularly maritime trade between the Belgian port of Antwerp and Puerto Rico, then under Spanish sovereignty.
It also illustrates the operation of colonial administrations, customs taxation, the activities of European trading houses, and the French diplomatic presence in this strategically important Atlantic region.
The date of 1877 places this item in an important period of Puerto Rican history, twenty-one years before the end of Spanish rule on the island in 1898.
Original handwritten document on old paper, written on both recto and verso, with illustrated tax vignette, printed administrative number, customs stamp, French Vice-Consulate stamp, and several autograph administrative signatures.
Fine 19th-century cursive calligraphy in brown and black ink, with particularly elaborate headings and initial letters.
Good overall condition considering its age. Old folds, slight stains, signs of handling, minor wear and marginal irregularities, as well as some weaknesses at the folds. The text, signatures, and stamps remain generally legible.

3] Notarial document from the French Consulate in Barcelona – 1848 – Power of attorney and sale of French government annuities – Official stamps and consular signatures.
4 pages - 30cm x 21cm.
Exceptional 19th-century French handwritten consular and notarial document, drawn up in Barcelona on 7 November 1848, under the French Second Republic, concerning a power of attorney for the sale and transfer of annuities registered in the Grand Ledger of the Public Debt of France.
This historical document, written in brown ink on old paper, bears witness to international financial transactions and the operation of French diplomatic missions in the mid-19th century.
The deed was drawn up on 7 November 1848 before Adrien Jean François Sobry, chancellor of the Consulate of the French Republic in Barcelona, acting in his notarial capacity.
It bears the handwritten heading “Extract from the Register kept at the Chancellery of the French Consulate in Barcelona for notarial deeds.”
The document also mentions the presence of Joseph Dhoudt, Belgian consul in Barcelona, who took part in drawing up the power of attorney.
The deed concerns the appointment of agents tasked with carrying out financial transactions involving French annuities, with authority to sell, transfer, receive the corresponding sums, and issue the necessary receipts.
The power of attorney is granted to Messrs. H. and C. Mauger aîné et frères, merchants in Paris, who are given general and specific powers.
The financial transactions relate in particular to:
1. An annuity of 600 francs, registered in the principal’s name in the Grand Ledger of the Public Debt of France, at 5%, under number 69 624, third series.
2. An annuity of 500 francs, also registered in the Grand Ledger of the Public Debt of France, at 5%, under number 69 047, third series.
The agents are authorized to carry out sales, assignments, transfers, and collection transactions, and to sign the documents required to complete them.
These provisions illustrate the mechanisms for managing French capital and financial investments abroad in the 19th century.
Witnesses and signatures
The deed names two witnesses present when it was drawn up: Mr. H. Savit, aged 39, a native of Réalmont (Tarn). Mr. Sinaste, a merchant, aged 59, a native of Castres (Tarn). Both are stated to be established in Barcelona.
The document bears several handwritten signatures, including those of the witnesses and the consular chancellor.
A note specifies that the engrossed copy was collated against the original held in the chancery archives.
The historical interest of the document is enhanced by several administrative and fiscal marks: French 25-centime tax stamp depicting an allegorical figure of the Republic with the attributes of Justice. Embossed dry seal, visible on the paper, constituting an additional mark of administrative authentication.
Consular certification in Barcelona, dated 16 November 1848, bearing the signature of Consul General M. Maillefer.
Certification by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris, dated 5 November 1849, attesting to the authenticity of the consul’s signature.
Administrative registration in Paris, carried out on 12 November 1849, accompanied by notes on the collection of duties.
A final handwritten note states that the original power of attorney was deposited with Me Eugène Preschez, a notary in Paris, pursuant to a deed dated 8 November 1849.
These certifications make it possible to trace the document’s administrative journey between Barcelona and Paris.
This document is of interest in several areas: French diplomatic and consular history under the Second Republic.
Administrative and financial relations between France and Spain.
The history of the French consulate in Barcelona.
The history of French public debt and government annuities.
The history of notarial practice and international powers of attorney.
The year 1848 is a particularly interesting context, marked by the February Revolution, the proclamation of the Second Republic, and the political and economic transformations accompanying this change of regime.
Main date: 7 November 1848.
Additional dates: 16 November 1848, 5 November 1849, 8 and 12 November 1849.
Place of drafting: Barcelona, Spain.
Places of authentication: Barcelona and Paris.
Language: French.
Medium: Old folded paper, handwritten in brown ink.
Handwriting: Particularly elegant and regular French administrative cursive of the mid-19th century.
Fold-out document with several handwritten faces, marginal notes, signatures, and certifications.
Features: 25-centime tax stamp, embossed dry seals, autograph signatures, and administrative notes.
Apparently in good overall condition for a document of this period. Old folds, slight signs of handling, small stains, and marginal wear. The handwriting is largely legible and well preserved.

4] Spain – 1854 – Important handwritten ecclesiastical document – Pamplona – Relics of saints – Signatures, stamps, and French legalization
Rare and interesting 19th-century Spanish ecclesiastical document, dated 15 December 1853, accompanied by a certification dated 11 January 1854 and French consular legalization dated 19 January 1854.
Handwritten assemblage on old paper, written mainly in Spanish, bearing several autograph signatures, official marks, ecclesiastical and consular stamps, as well as a remarkable printed seal of the College of Public Notaries of Pamplona.
This document is a historical testament to the procedures for authenticating religious relics and the official recognition of ecclesiastical documents between Spain and France in the mid-19th century.
The main document was drawn up by Don Augusto de Itúrbide, described as a priest, perpetual vicar, and head of the parish of San Juan Bautista, in Pamplona Cathedral, Spain.
He certifies that he received and kept relics of saints, whose provenance is substantiated by a previous attestation.
The deed refers to a declaration drawn up in Rome on 19 December 1848, followed by a certification signed in Pamplona on 15 December 1853.
It is therefore an official religious document, accompanied by successive validations intended to guarantee its authenticity.
The Spanish text begins with the formula:
“Certifico que en el libro corriente de finados de la misma que dio principio en el año de mil ochocientos catorce...”
“I certify that, in the current register of the deceased of this same parish, begun in the year one thousand eight hundred and fourteen...”
The text then reproduces an attestation concerning the receipt of sacred relics.
Several saints are mentioned, including Saint Peter, Saint John, and Saint Blaise, subject to confirmation of certain handwritten readings.
The certification also refers to an attestation of Roman origin and the preservation of the relics in an ecclesiastical setting.
This type of document served to establish the provenance and religious legitimacy of relics intended to be kept or venerated.
Certification in Pamplona – 11 January 1854
The second document contains a joint declaration by ecclesiastical and public notaries of Pamplona.
The signatories certify that Don Augusto de Itúrbide does indeed hold the positions mentioned in the preceding document and that his signature is worthy of trust.
Translated excerpt: “We, the undersigned, certify that Don Augusto de Itúrbide, priest of the parish of San Juan Bautista and mayor of this capital, is indeed who he claims to be, and that his signature is fully trustworthy.”
The precise reading of the ecclesiastical and civil offices must be verified against the original. The certification was drawn up in Pamplona on 11 January 1854.
Several handwritten signatures accompany this declaration, including those of notaries and representatives of the local professional association.
French legalization – 19 January 1854
The lower part of the document bears a legalization in French: “Seen for legalization of the signatures of Messrs. Andres Garjón, Leandro Nagore, and Javier Maria Goni, public notaries of the city of Pamplona.”
This formality is dated San Sebastián, 19 January 1854.
It bears the words “The Consul of France.”
A circular blue stamp of the French Consulate in San Sebastián, adorned with the imperial eagle of the Second Empire, accompanies this certification.
This consular legalization is of particular interest, attesting to the administrative circulation of the document between the Spanish and French authorities under the reign of Napoleon III.
The document has several notable features: an oval ecclesiastical stamp of Pamplona, with a religious image.
A second heraldic stamp.
Several original handwritten signatures of priests, notaries, and competent authorities.
A large printed seal of the College of Public Notaries of Pamplona, bearing the Spanish legend “Colegio de Escribanos Públicos de la M. N. y M. L. Ciudad de Pamplona.” A circular blue stamp of the French Consulate in San Sebastián, with the imperial eagle. Handwritten initials and authentication marks.
The assemblage is of historical, religious, diplomatic, and sigillographic interest.
Period: 1848–1854.
The document belongs to a period marked by relations between the Spanish Catholic Church, Roman ecclesiastical authorities, and French diplomatic missions.
The presence of the French imperial stamp places the legalization under the Second Empire, established in December 1852.
The sequence of certifications makes it possible to trace the document’s administrative journey from Pamplona to the French Consulate in San Sebastián.
Original handwritten document on old paper, displaying fine 19th-century cursive handwriting.
Old folds, signs of handling, browning, small stains, marginal wear, and localized tears, particularly along the edges and folds.
The stamps, signatures, and main handwritten notes remain visible.
The assemblage retains its fine material authenticity and an interesting historical presentation.

The photographs form an integral part of the description.
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