Terms

Notary A professional authorized to draft and authenticate legal documents, such as contracts, wills and powers of attorney, and to witness signatures. In civil-law countries, the notary is a jurist who also handles the settlement of estates and property, but does... Stagecoach A public four-wheeled coach, usually drawn by four horses, which carried paying passengers and small parcels on long journeys, changing horses at posting stations along the way. With the railway, from 1830 on, this transport was gradually abandoned: in... Agricultural Show An assembly of landowners and rural tenants of a region, to exchange experiences and improve farming methods. It held competitions, such as plowing contests, the awarding of prizes to those who stood out, and festivities. In France, the regulation that... National Guard A French force separate from the army, initially formed of active citizens over 18 years of age, which served for policing and as a military reserve. It arose in 1789, during the Revolution; Charles X dissolved it in 1827, and a new guard was created in 1831,... Tilbury A light, fast carriage with two wheels, with a single seat for the driver and one passenger. It was designed by Fitzroy Stanhope around 1820 and built by the London firm Tilbury. It had a folding leather hood and seven-spring suspension, which earned it the... Brain Fever A nineteenth-century medical diagnosis for a supposed inflammation of the brain, with mental confusion, which could lead to death. Later medicine concluded that many of these cases were encephalitis or meningitis, or reactions to an emotional shock. The term... Bill of Exchange A negotiable instrument by which the drawer orders the drawee to pay a certain sum to the payee, the creditor, and which circulates by endorsement. Even though the obligation to pay falls on the drawee, the drawer remains secondarily liable for payment. The... Power of Attorney A document by which one person, the principal, gives another, the agent, powers to perform legal acts in his name. It can be private, signed by the principal, with or without notarized signature, or public, drawn up in a notary's office, and it can be special... Seizure A court order by which the debtor's property, the judgment debtor, is seized to satisfy a debt being collected in enforcement proceedings. If the debt is not paid, the seized goods are sold and the proceeds go to the creditor; the seized property may also be... Mi-Carême A traditional French festival, the Mi-Carême, celebrated in the middle of Lent, the forty days of penance before Easter, on the Thursday of the third full week. It began as a pause in the dietary restrictions of the season and brings parades of masks and... Extreme Unction A Catholic sacrament in which the priest lays hands on the sick person and anoints the forehead and hands with blessed oil. For centuries it was often given only to the dying, hence the traditional name extreme unction; today it is called anointing of the...