Com yo no sàpia scriure: Delegating Writing in the Municipal Administration (Vila-real in the 14th-15th Centuries)

Abstract

In a society such as that of the late Middle Ages, characterised by the widespread dissemination of written documentation and, at the same time, by a high level of illiteracy, the delegation of writing was frequently resorted to among lower social sectors. This paper focuses on a small Valencian town, taking as its source the receipts (albarans) that had to be written by the service or goods providers who were paid by the municipal administration. The holders of these receipts belonged to a wide social range, both literate and illiterate professions, who often resorted to the delegation of writing. The study analyses the evolution of the social background of the delegate writers and the control that, through the town clerk (escrivà), was exercised by the municipal bureaucracy. Finally, the not unambiguous link between literacy and writing delegation, and the growing social pluralism of delegate writers are analysed.