Istorijos šaltinių tyrimai / Studies in Historical Sources

The focus of the research lies on the notaries public of the GDL, their role and place in the development of the notarial system in the GDL. The study is based on prosopographic data published by the Lithuanian Catholic clergy which allow the identification of notaries public of the GDL dioceses, analyse their distribution within the dioceses, and monitor their horizontal mobility which is manifested through different places of birth and ordination as well as through the comparison of ordination and service locations in the dioceses. Materials related to more than one place of assignment offer information on service mobility, whereas diagrams of the 15th and 16th centuries indicate the proportions of the number of clergymen in separate dioceses of the GDL. The proportion of the number of clergymen and notaries public is given in percentage. In various years of the 15th century 262 clergymen served in the Diocese of Vilnius, 228 – in the Diocese of Lutsk, 61 – in the Diocese of Samogitia; 13 clergymen served in more than one diocese, data on the place of service of 21 clergymen are unavailable, and 53 clergymen are featured in both lists attributable to the 15th and 16th centuries. The general proportion of the number of clergymen and notaries public in the 15th-16th century has been calculated: on average, notaries public made up 6.2% of the clergy of a diocese, and the percentage mean of notaries public in the dioceses of Vilnius, Samogitia and Lutsk made up 5.6%. It is observable that even though in the 15th-16th century the number of notaries public increased, changes in their distribution proportions within dioceses are insignificant: an increase in the number of those who served in more than one diocese and in the percentage in the Diocese of Vilnius, and decrease in the percentage in the dioceses of Samogitia and Lutsk are observed. The positive aspect is more comprehensive information in the sources on places of clergymen’s service in the 16th century. Making use of the published prosopographic materials, notaries’ public places of birth, ordination and service were subjected to analysis. 11 notaries public (all from the GDL) were ordained in the Diocese of Vilnius in the corps of notaries public of the GDL and all of them served in the Diocese of Vilnius. 2 notaries public (both from Samogitia) were ordained in the Diocese of Samogitia and served there; 10 notaries (5 coming from Drahichyn, 2 – from Mielnik and 2 – from Poland) were ordained in the Diocese of Lutsk, seven of them served in the Diocese of Lutsk, two – in Vilnius and two – in both of the dioceses. 12 persons were ordained in the Diocese of Gniezno (all of them from Poland), 11 of them served in the Diocese of Vilnius; 6 people were ordained in the Diocese of Krakow and served in Vilnius with two serving also in Lutsk; 13 notaries were ordained in the Diocese of Poznan (9 served in the Diocese of Vilnius, 2 – in Lutsk, one – in Samogitia); 21 persons were ordained in the Diocese of Polotsk (9 notaries served in the Diocese of Vilnius, 6 – in Samogitia, and 6 – in Lutsk); one notary public was ordained in the Diocese of Wloclawek (most probably worked in the Diocese of Vilnius) and one in the Diocese of Przemysl (served in the Diocese of Samogitia).