Doing various strange things to help provoke the memory of witnesses to
a contract was pretty common in the eleventh century - everything from
slapping children to throwing one's spurs into a pond. Have a look at
Emily Z. Tabuteau, Transfers of Property in Eleventh-Century Normal Law
(UNC Press, 1987), or Stephen White, Custom, Kinship and Gifts to Saints
(UNC, 1988), both of which should have some examples.
regards, bt
Belle S. Tuten ([log in to unmask])
History Department, Juniata College
Huntingdon, PA 16652
(814) 641-3536
http://www.juniata.edu/~tuten/
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