THE MANUSCRIPTS OF THE ASSIZE

The so-called ‘Assize of Count Geoffrey’ was promulgated at a session of the ducal curia held at Rennes in 1185. It was almost certainly promulgated orally in the first instance, then committed to writing, but the history of the written record of the Assize is obscure. Although there are numerous medieval manuscripts of the Assize, no original manuscript has survived, and no two texts are identical.

The written record of the Assize as it now exists consists of seven or eight distinct texts, each addressed to a different baron. The barons to whom these written records of the Assize were addressed are Geoffrey de Châteaubriant, James and Alan de Châteaugiron, Rolland de Dinan, Guihomar de Léon, Eudo de Porhoët, Alan de Rohan and Andrew de Vitré. An eighth text, which lacks an address clause and does not exactly correspond with the other seven texts, may represent a copy of the Assize addressed to an eighth baron whose identity is unknown. It appears that, even in their original manuscript form, these versions all differed slightly, principally in word-order, while recording the same substantive provisions.

It is generally assumed that the documents given to the barons were copies of an original, official text of the Assize, but this assumption is not supported by the evidence. As early as 1212, and having access to the ducal records, Philip Augustus' staff relied upon Alan de Rohan's copy when the French king wanted the text of the Assize recorded in his register of useful documents.